Drving While Texting

Obed Orellana
Ms. Daphne Young
English 111`
Section #4369
3 June 2013
Final
Texting and Driving Needs to Come To a Stop
Texting while driving is not a good habit, with just moving our eyes from the road to answer a simple message can cause someone life. According to Ian Mulgrew, a journalist author from Canada, many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage. There are many laws being established to try to prevent distracted driving from happening; although they can’t completely stop it. No matter what age of the driver is, under no circumstance should they be texting while driving. Texting or using a cell phone while driving is very hazardous to yourself and the people surrounding you. However, the lives of innocent people are being taken every day due to a simple distraction. According to Mulgrew, car crashes are four times more common to take place while the driver is on their mobile device over any other causes. According to Bret Schulte, talking on a cell phone is not as dangerous as texting these days.in addition, while talking on the phone, it is easier to still keep focused on the road in front of the driver. But when they engage in a text message, it’s not possible to look in both directions at once, therefore all of their focus goes straight to the screen of the cell phone. It’s hard for all drivers, especially teenagers, to put down the cell phone and put their hands on the wheel, which results in many car crashes.
Texting while driving puts many driver’s lives in danger daily. Multiple people feel that staying connected to the outside world is more important than focusing on the road ahead, although it isn’t. Furthermore, it can harm others on the road who are doing nothing other than trying to make it to their destination safely. If people would open their eyes to the dangers of texting while driving, less car accidents would take place every year and the roads would be much safer. Drivers who gets distracted need to know the position they put others in as well as themselves. While behind the wheel, drivers should never direct their attention to their cell phone and should always keep their eyes on the road.
Texting while driving takes away the one thing that absolutely everyone counts on while behind the wheel, vision. No matter where the phone is placed, whether it is on the dash board or on the steering wheel, one’s eyes are not where they need to be. People’s eyes are supposed to be one the road at all times. Texting takes that away and it doesn’t matter how quick someone thinks they are, there is always a possibility. Just for that split second of reading a message that is so important, a crash could happen. Eyes are the most important thing needed when driving and when not on the road a lot of harm can be caused texting and driving has become a recent issue in today 's society. Many teens, as well as adults, have formed a habit of using their cell phones while driving their cars. In addition, the government has realized this is an ongoing problem that is causing accidents. In trying to prevent this, new laws have been passed, making the use of cell phones while operating a car, illegal. However, too many people do not respect this law. One of the dangers of texting and driving at the same time, is the attention it takes away from the road. A driver who is focused on looking at their phone, is not paying enough attention to others cars or what is happening around them. Something as simple as an animal running out in front of their car, can cause serious damage to the vehicle and also cause the drive to swerve and potentially hit another car. We know that many accidents are caused every day by people trying to drive while either texting or using their cell phones.
Although, we have seen many times that people are texting and driving while on the highway and at a stop lights. It is a dangerous habit and very distracting. This type of habit has probably caused many accidents. However, as teen driver we know the temptation to text and drive is high risk, even a quick glance at the phone can distract you just enough that you cause a car accident and cause others people life in to a bad situation. The issue of texting and driving is one of the many controversial arguments faced by Americans. We hear about this on a daily basis. As children mature into young adults and began preparing for their driving test, they are typically reminded to have very little distractions while being a new driver. In other words, years ago, texting while driving was not a problem due to the lack of cellular devices, but as technology has increased, and there more dangerous with this advance technology. There is no such important message which you need to type while driving but if it is important park on a side a car off the road, in which is more safety and secure that will not occurred and accident.
Texting while driving is such a stupidity thing to do while someone is on the car with a low or high speed. Everyone that we know has a cell phone, we all use them constantly, every minute of every day. Knowing that it is dangerous to text and drive, but we still do it; we text, play games, call, and even just look down to check the time. We are addicted to our cellular phones. Therefore, cell phone usage in cars should be banned and against the law in order to improve driving, and lead to less traffic related injuries and deaths but humans don’t understand the fact that we don’t know when we are going to die or how? Even though, the law in California has passed but many of us ignore it and don’t respect the laws. For example, someone is driving and the cell phone rings new message has arrive. But once this person take away his or her eyes from the road it can be uncontrolled and cause an accident; this person have sent to the hospital in a critical way that might not have the chance of living. And that is because of trying to answer a simple text message. We don’t realize that when we get behind the wheel is a responsibility too of taking care ourselves. Now day’s phones have become popular but unfortunately we have yet to learn the right and wrong times in which to use them. In addition, there have been studies conducted to try and compare drunk driving to texting while driving and those findings have led to new state and federal laws being made. Motor vehicle accidents happen daily and some even in our own backyard. Mostly accident don’t become from drunken people they are more from texting and always have to be a young person who got in to an accident.
Driving while texting is the newest driver distraction danger. In addition, recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) revealed that eighty percent of crashes and sixty-five percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction occurring within three seconds before the vehicle crash. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to see drivers resting a cell phone on top of the steering wheel while using their thumbs to tap in a text message. A driver talking on a cell phone can watch the road, but someone responding to a text message must stare at his or her hands. This is one of the most dangerous things to do while we are driving. Texting is a distraction that inhibits a driver’s attention to solely not on the road. When someone is paying attention to the road and the road only, they are being observant to everything around them, other cars, signs, traffic, etc. When someone takes that attention and gives some of it to another detail such as a cell phone they are taking away attention that should be used to focus on what’s going on around them. According to Teray, is that in 2008, “5,870 people died from crashed involving a distracted or inattentive drive. Texting puts the lives of the drivers around them at risk. If someone is texting and veers into the lane next to them, sometimes the driver in the other lane cannot move over and suddenly there is a crash and perhaps one or both of the people involved dies. Although traffic looks like it is going to be moving soon, and knowing that it would only take a few seconds to respond. Then before they know it, the car in front of them stops too fast and causing a crash to hit the other in front of them. Texting behind the wheel is dangerous because it takes the driver’s eyes off the road and drivers don’t know what can happen in just a few second that they remove their eyes form the road. In today’s society texting and driving has become an increasingly serious issue. Not only is it now illegal which is a totally different subject itself; but its life threatening to you and many others. Texting takes only just moments, but in that moment it could harm a life or even take one for that matter. What are the causes of texting while driving? It could be anything from being careless; to being in a hurry. In today’s time communication is limited, quick and short. Texting makes it easy to respond or tell someone something and still keep up with a busy lifestyle. Everyone is always in a hurry for some reason. We lived in a fast paced society. Almost everyone has a jam packed schedule, and they don’t take the time to slow down. Another issue is peer pressure. Especially in teenagers, texting has become the new cool thing to do. Fitting in and having trends sadly becomes the only thing important in some teenagers lives. Keeping in touch and texting each other consumes their time and becomes a sole priority. Being a teenager myself I can relate too many of these issues. I personally have heard peers say they text and drive solely because they don’t want to be told what to do. It’s a rebellious action; texting while driving is now illegal and you will receive a fine if caught doing so. This same cause goes back to carelessness and lack of respect for the people among you. In today’s lifestyle, text messaging is a main form of communication. Most people who own a cell phone revel in the wonders of text messaging: it’s fast and it’s easy. We impulsively respond to that buzz of our phones and often tune out our surroundings. Unfortunately, an overwhelming amount of drivers don’t hesitate to both read and respond to test messages while driving. Recently, many states have taken action and banned the act of text messaging while driving. Other states feel more evidence is required in order to outlaw such a common act. Despite the existing texting laws, it is difficult to see the effects of this legislation
The majority of the people against exiting while driving, which is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages, email, or making other use of the web on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle. Texting while driving is a growing trend and a national epidemic quickly becoming one of the of the country’s top killers. Drivers assume they can handle texting while driving and remain safe, but the numbers don’t lie. There been many motor vehicle accidents because people texting while operating a motor vehicle. Now the law is you can’t operate a vehicle and text or answer the phone. Now you see in many places has restricted area so you can use your phone or text. They are many individual state laws for texting while driving. In addition, in the state of Massachusetts the law is they prohibits drivers from sending a text or instant message use of electronic mail, internet access using a phone for GPS navigation and all of the above on electronic devices including phones laptops, pagers, or other hand-held device. In the mayoral state have same law for texting while driving. The risk of crashing while texting increases more because reading or sending a text diverts the driver’s eyes from the road. Even taking on a mobile phone while operating a vehicle is considered dangerous the threat increased as short message service or texting became popular. It’s hard to call attention to driver who text.
Work Cited
Kyong, Wendy Hui. "New Media, Old Media : A History and Theory Reader." New York :
Routledge. 2006 (2006): 1-301. Print.
Peters, M. "Review: Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 by David Crystal." The New Scientist 199.2667 (2008): 52. Print.
(2013, 02). Texting While Driving. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Texting-While-Driving-1452233.html
"Featured Video: Stairs." Texting and Driving Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2013.

Cited: Kyong, Wendy Hui. "New Media, Old Media : A History and Theory Reader." New York : Routledge. 2006 (2006): 1-301. Print. Peters, M. "Review: Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 by David Crystal." The New Scientist 199.2667 (2008): 52. Print. (2013, 02). Texting While Driving. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Texting-While-Driving-1452233.html "Featured Video: Stairs." Texting and Driving Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2013.