...kills thousands of people every year. Yet many drivers think they are good at managing both tasks so they continue to text behind the wheel. A car travels approximately 100 yards in less than the 5 seconds it takes to read a text. Texting distracts people from driving properly by diverting their attention to their cell phone, instead of focusing on the road. Furthermore, studies show that texting is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Subjects are found to be mentally impaired while driving and chatting on a mobile device as when they are under the influence. These are the top reasons why I believe and am convinced that driving while on a cell phone should be banned in America. Cell Phone Usage as Top Killer in America National statistics show that cell phone usage while driving has become one of the nation’s top killers on our roadways today. According to the Texting and Driving Safety Statistics an average of 1,600,000 accidents are reported each year due to texting while driving. Nearly 25 percent of all accidents nationwide, 11 percent of which are teenagers ages 15-19, occur on a daily basis. (Texting and Driving Safety, 2010) Approximately 3,331 people died in 2011 in accidents related to distracted driving. The number of deaths dropped slightly in 2012, to 3,328. However, the number of people injured in distracted-driving accidents increased from 387,000 in 2011 to 421,000 in 2012. Studies show that drivers are at a four times greater risk...
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...Research Center provided strong evidence that retrieving and, in particular, sending text messages has a detrimental effect on a number of safety-critical driving measures.[6] Specifically, negative effects were seen in detecting and responding correctly to road signs, detecting hazards, time spent with eyes off the road, and (only for sending text messages) lateral position. Mean speed, speed variability, lateral position when receiving text messages, and following distance showed no difference.[7] A separate, yet unreleased simulation study at the University of Utah found a sixfold increase in distraction-related accidents when texting.[8] The low number of scientific studies may be indicative of a general assumption that if talking on a mobile phone increases risk, then texting also increases risk, and probably more so. 89% of U.S. adults think that text messaging while driving is "distracting, dangerous and should be outlawed."[9] The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released polling data that show that 87% of people consider texting and e-mailing while driving a "very serious" safety threat, almost equivalent to the 90% of those polled who consider drunk driving a threat. Despite the acknowledgement of the dangers of texting behind the wheel, about half of drivers 99-500 say they have texted while driving, compared with 22 percent of drivers 35 to 44.[10] Texting while driving received greater attention in the late 2000s, corresponding to a rise in the number of text messages...
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...a cell phone and I’m really not a big talker. What’s astonishing to me is kids seem to all have cell phones by the time they get into middle school. We rely on these communication devices for every aspect of our daily lives, whether for personal use or for work. To me we rely so heavily on the cell phone that it is becoming dangerous. Think to a time when you were driving down the road and came up on a slower vehicle. They were swerving within their lane, couldn’t keep a constant speed and just seemed like they were completely distracted and not paying attention to the road and the seemingly easy task of driving. You want to get by the person but every time an opportunity to do so came into view it would quickly disappear because the other driver would speed up or do something to avert your opportunity. Finally you get your chance and go around the person. You look over in an attempt to quench your curiosity and see the person is talking on their cell phone. It all makes sense now; they are paying more attention to the conversation they have going on than to their driving. Driving is a dangerous activity in itself, but when you add other distractions like talking and or texting on a cell phone, the outcomes can be anything but pleasant and lead to extensive consequences. Drivers are far more distracted while talking on a cell phone than just talking to a passenger in the car. Recently my wife and I were going to a store. I have driven this route several times...
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...four American drivers admit to texting while driving, and 40% of teenagers between the ages of 12 to 17 years old say they have been in a car where a teenager used a cellphone in a dangerous way. Although teens and others may not realize it, any cell phone use, whether hand held or hands free, while driving is dangerous. In fact researchers have found that it quadruples the crash risk. Just the act of dialing a cell phone can increase crash risks by three times. In a naturalistic of truck drivers, Virginia tech researchers reported a 23 fold increase in risk of a crash or near crash when any drivers were text messaging. As of may 2012, 10 states, The district of Columbia (DC), Guam, and The Virgin islands have instituted a hand held cell-phone ban for all drivers, with all but two of them making it a primary offense. Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 38 states, The district of Columbia, and Guam with all but three of them making it a primary offense. An additional five states prohibit text messaging by novice drivers. Since the number of states enacting very distracted driving laws is very fluid, be sure to check web resources that follow movement in state safety traffic laws, such as the governors highway traffic safety association, before providing these numbers. Recent research from the insurance institute for highway safety(IIHS) suggests that the first generation of all-driver cell phone ban laws was generally effective at reducing use of hand-held cell-phones...
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...Wireless telecommunication technologies are rapidly becoming a significant concern in regard to highway safety. Almost 90 million people subscribe to wireless telephone services, and 85 percent of those subscribers use their phones while driving to conduct business, report emergencies, stay in touch with loved ones, call for assistance, and report aggressive or drunk drivers. It's not just phones on the road anymore. In 1999, two major auto manufacturers -General Motors and Ford- formed agreements with telecommunications companies that will enhance wireless features in even more vehicles. Future cars will provide drivers with concierge services, web-based information, online e-mail capabilities, CD-ROM access, on-screen and audio navigation technology, and a variety of other information and entertainment services. Telecommunications companies say that new technology in cars not only will improve commerce but highway safety as well. Already, an estimated 98,000 emergency calls are placed by cell phone users each day, and billions of dollars of business may be transacted by drivers each year. Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have concluded that cellular phones often reduce emergency response times and actually save lives. New technology also may make it easier for people to drive more safely on the road. State policymakers, however, must weigh the promises of wireless technology...
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...distracted driving due to using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle as some states have will not resolve the issue. In fact a ban on cell phones and driving may very well increase the accident and fatality rate because drivers are now more involved with concealing their illegal behaviors. More citizen participation and drivers safety management should be more carefully considered in a transpiring situation such as this. More Americans should be made aware of the dangers of distracted driving, and become more involved in a reform for safety. Distracted Driving In the last decade, accidents resulting in injuries, or death caused by distracted driving has increased drastically as technology in wireless communications has advanced. Distracted driving is defined as operating a motor vehicle while simultaneously focusing your attention elsewhere (Goldfarb, 2010). Distracted driving includes texting and driving, using a cell phone or smart phone, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading (including maps), using a navigation system, watching a video, adjusting the radio, CD player, and/or MP3 player. About every 24 seconds there is an accident, and so far this year an estimated 1,013,123 crashes involved drivers using cell phones and texting (CDC, 2012). On a daily basis...
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...Driving in North Dakota • I would like to lobby for the ban of use of cellular communication devices while driving for all drivers, particularly use of hand held devices. I would like to address this as a state wide issue in North Dakota, however, this issue can also be tackled as a local or federal issue. Cell phone use while driving or “distracted driving” is a public safety issue. Distracted driving is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents in both novice drivers and experienced drivers (Klauer, Guo, Simons-Morton, Ouimet, Lee & Dingus, 2013). • In North Dakota, current distracted driving law went into effect 8/2011, text messaging (only) prohibited for all drivers (HB 1195 and HB 1256) and under age 18, there is a ban of use of any electronic communication devices while driving, cellular and hands free (Hands free info, 2014). • In ND, violation of these laws are primary offenses, meaning that you can be pulled over for that offense alone. The current penalty is a fine of $100. In 2009, Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, saw his legislation to ban text messaging for drivers defeated in the House on a 60-34 vote. The law would have included a fine of up to $100 fine and a 2-point license penalty for first offenders. Subsequent violations would have brought a 4-point penalty. The bill was modeled after Minnesota law, however people thought that this penalty was too harsh (Hands free info, 2014). • In Bismarck, ND during a 2 day sweep by the police department, 31 tickets...
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...attention. By including studies which use hand held, hands free and/or texting, this paper emphasizes that all forms of cell phone communication impairs drivers. Furthermore, research hi-lights how cell phone distraction can equal or exceed impairment caused by drunk driving. Driving While Distracted: Examining the Impact of Cell Phone Use on Driving Over the last several years, many states around the country have enacted laws aimed at limiting cell phone use while driving. Such laws are typically drafted...
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...Brandi Williams Assignment 5: Persuasive Paper Part 3: Possible Disadvantages, Answers, with Visuals Research and Writing ENG 215 Professor Julie Davenport June 14, 2015 Should regulations regarding the use of cell phones while driving be standardized? Over the last four decades, mobile devices have become the trademark of our society.cell phones and other mobile devices have inundated our society At any given time; we can see drivers talking or texting in a moving vehicle. According to Brenner (2013), 87% of American adults and 78% of teenagers own a cell phone. The scary part is that almost two-thirds of cell phone possessorss’ are distracted by talking or texting and while they drive. This action makes distracted driving one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes (Klauer et al., 2014). Mobile technology is a great convenienceAt any given time, we can see drivers talking or texting. , but when we make a choice to talk or text while driving we put ourselves and others at risk. . Mobile devices have become the trademark of our society. I believe all drivers should be held accountable for their choices, regardless of their expertise or the place, and the governing regulations should be the same across state lines. It is a great convenience to have a cell phone. A person is in constant touch to others when equipped with one. Today’s cell phones are extremely advanced and have wonderful applications, to the point that they could replace an actual computer. When a person is...
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...Is a Text Worth a Life? "More than ten of us are killed and 1,000 are injured every day in the United States as a result of distracted driving", according to the highway traffic safety administration. People can all relate to texting and driving as an everyday accordance. In todays' society most people own a cellular device. This ad although using a male as the example was made to provide awareness to all genders to take responsibility behind the wheel. This ad with a cell phone and text message showing the person never made it home was made to show awareness to drive safe and not to text behind the wheel. While analyzing this ad one of the things people start off noticing is the cell phone. It is one of the most noticeable items in the ad. A cell phone is a device people all have and carry at their sides. All it takes is seconds for someone to pick up a cell phone and send an instant message that can result in a catastrophic event. The audience can also notice how the driver is holding the phone. The way his hands are off the steering wheel and onto the phone. Resulting in not having complete and...
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...Sarah Estes Judith Wright Commercial Law 21681 Applied Learning Assignment #1 Indiana Code §9-21-8-59 states that no individual is to use their telecommunication device to type, send or read an electronic mail message or text message while operating a motor vehicle, unless said individual is using hands free, or voice operated technology, or reporting a legitimate emergency. It goes on to state that the police may not confiscate the device in question to obtain evidence of these communications without the consent of the driver unless the police officer has probable cause to believe that the device was used to commit a crime, or if the officer has a valid warrant for the device. This law impacts the delivery aspect of ABC Supply Company, because...
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...phone use while driving. Using a cell phone while trying to drive is not only a major distraction, it can be extremely dangerous or even fatal. In a recent study done by Strayer and Johnson, they found that "cell phone conversations made drivers more likely to miss traffic signals and react more slowly to the signals that they did detect" (Strayer and Drews 128). The awareness of one's surroundings is vital in safe operation of an automobile. When a driver "disrupts performance by diverting attention from the external environment associated with the driving task to an engaging context associated with the cell phone conversation" (Strayer and Drews 129). The U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the use of cell phones while driving is the number one cause of driving distraction leading to car crashes and accidents (Cramer, Mayer, and Ryan 181). Although many people believe that hand-held cell phones cause the most distraction, evidence has shown that hands-free devices can be just as distracting (Seo and Torabi 102). A study at the University of Utah concluded that"talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk, even if the phone is a hands-free model" ("Cell Phones and Driving"). Another recent study was conducted by Seo and Torabi to...
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...“Guns Don’t Kill People...Drives Using Cell Phones Do!!!!” ENG 215 Research and Writing Professor Erica Ellsworth 5 August 2012 “Guns don’t kill people, drivers with cell phones do!!!!!” Yes that is right!!!! Not to compare the severity of gun laws with the use of cellphones while driving but the later does have a very similar effect and end result.....people die!!! If you think that driving while talking on the phone without a hands free device is harmless? Tell that to the families of the 2,600 people that died in 2005 and the injured 333,000 in the United States that year. A lot of people think that this is a harmless act, but when studies prove that the reaction time of a 20 year old behind the wheel and on the phone is compared to that of a 70 year old driver without being on the phone, I think it is self explanatory. Although this has been an ongoing debate for years on why this act should have penalties and consequences. It seems that the United States is behind the power curve on reaching a consensus on what the penalties or consequences, if any, should be actionable by law. Studies have shown that this behavior, which is a way of life as we know it, is actually a very irresponsible act while driving on the highways of our country. I mean how many more people have to pass away in car accidents before these laws are passed in congress and enforced in such a manner that people will actually opt to shut their phones...
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...the first automobile in 1885, there have been a number of additions and improvements. The automobile is a technology that has changed society dramatically over the last century. But not only society changed, the technology of the motorcar itself has changed significantly. Few parts of our society have seen advancements as incredible as those seen in the automotive market during the past decade. Think about it. Ten years ago, automakers were touting the number of cup holders in the cabin. Today, automakers are boasting about hands-free mobile communication technologies, fuel economy you couldn’t have dreamed about 10 years ago and life-saving technologies that help drivers avoid accidents. Today, cars are a lot safer, reliable, and more entertaining than they once were. Could you imagine being in a car that didn't have brakes or indicators? There would be madness and chaos on the roads. No other area of automotive technology has advanced more than safety. In 2001, the average car had at least two airbags. Today, vehicles have at least four, with some models equipped with up to 10 airbags. And airbags themselves also have improved, with seats that can determine a passenger’s weight and adjust airbag inflation force accordingly, or even inflatable second-row seatbelts to keep your kids snug and safe in case of a collision. Even more amazing than airbag technology, however, are the advancements in accident avoidance....
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...responsibility on the road ways, “Each year, more than 100,000 crashes result in injury and death involve texting drivers”, (Overton, et al). Distracted driving, such as texting while behind the wheel, is a recurring issue within the United States. Distractions are anything that requires drivers to take their eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. Not everyone drives responsibly, and accidents can happen no matter how experienced the drivers are behind the wheel. Abiding by the rules and regulations are all based upon the driver and also based on the passengers to warn the driver to not drive distracted. Although people argue that laws currently in place are sufficient, distracted driving causes death and injuries, so stricter laws and new technology in cars that monitor device usage are necessary in order to reduce the number of accidents caused by distracted drivers....
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