Informative Essay On Texting And Driving
TEXTING AND DRIVING
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Texting and Driving
Hector Diaz
DeVry University
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Texting and Driving The U.S. Department of Transportation launched its firstever national advertising campaign last week, featuring a 30second PSA going viral now that depicts a fatal side collision in which three young Americans are in a car, and the driver is killed after she runs a stop sign and fails to see the truck coming from the side because she picked up her phone to answer a text.
The tagline: “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” This is a great example of what is occurring on a daily basis. Olivia Waxman explains the specific details on how this horrific accident was of these women’s heads slamming into windows and blood streaming down their faces. This could be
anyone’s …show more content…
family member.
Texting and driving is linked to a high increase in distracted driving, which has resulted in injury and death.
Texting and driving is a serious matter that has many people concerned for there own safety as the safety of others. Theses mobile devices have taken over our lives. In the state of
California it now is illegal to handheld a phone or text while driving. Even though it is illegal, you still see people breaking the law. Accidents such as this one are becoming more common and more lives at are in stake. This problem with texting and driving could minimize if people take the situation serious. A solution can be contacting cell phone carriers to put some type of device into the phones, so that phones cannot be on while in a moving vehicle. It’s like when you’re on airplane there is airplane mode and your phone cannot be used to make calls or text
TEXTING AND DRIVING
3
messages. The purpose of this is not to use the phone while driving. I will include several sources that will establish my creditability on texting and driving. The ideas of Federal
Communications Commission, Governors Highway Safety Association, Distraction.gov, and the website on texting and driving safety are all experts on this topic.
Everyone is affected by texting and driving. Even if you have never had an accident while using your phone, there probably has been a scare of almost hitting someone or someone hitting you,or just being in the car while someone else has been texting and driving. My point is that texting and driving is linked to a high increase in distracted driving, which has resulted in many injuries and death.
Problem Analysis
These problems began when the toll of death and accidents started to rise with serious numbers. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association: “By providing a "minimum" set of data elements, MMUCC helps states collect reliable crash data, effectively guide enforcement planning, and shape sound traffic safety policy. This data set, originally published in 1998, has been revised three times, most recently in the 4th Edition (2012), in response to emerging highway safety issues.” As the years go by the data keeps getting worse and becoming a bigger problem to society.
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Figure 1: Stop The Texts. Stop The Wrecks.
TEXTING AND DRIVING
5
Figure 1: Prevention on texting and driving. This is to educate family and friends on the dangers of texting and driving. Source: Distraction.Gov
There probably won’t be a way to stop texting and driving but efforts can be made to minimize the issue. By advertising on the awareness of the dangers that texting and driving has maybe a great eye opener for some. Although, making the subject go more public and viral, will get the attention of a lot more people. Because the awareness that this brings it can be transmitted on the internet, radio, TV, newspaper, any type of media that can help get the word out to stop texting and driving. This will help get more people’s attention and have them wonder why it is a big issue. I believe this will help minimize the issues we have with texting and driving. Solution
My point is that texting and driving is linked to a high increase in distracted driving, which has resulted in many injuries and death. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration young drivers report more crashes while using there cell phones. “Overall, 6% of respondents reported having been in a crash in the past year; 7% were in a nearcrash; and the majority (86%) reported no crash” (NHTSA, April 2012.) This report goes to show that cell phone usage while texting and driving are extremely dangerous.
There are many solutions in preventing texting and driving but following the solutions is where it gets difficult. I propose 3 solutions that may help minimize texting and driving. First, get community groups, employers, parents, educators all involved in the awareness of texting and driving. So, that they can help spread the word out on the dangers it brings to others as well as to themselves. Secondly, social media now a days is everywhere. It’s on your phone, internet,
TEXTING AND DRIVING
6
radio, and TV. Having longer commercials on the radio, having important public figures getting involved will be great start in stopping or minimizing texting and driving. Finally, getting laws approved on no phone usage while driving can be a great start to ending the addiction of using a phone while driving.
Benefits
These plans will help minimize accidents or even save lives. In addition, it also can help having your insurance prices in going up or even having someone’s life under your conscious or even their lives. All these ideas in prevention of texting and driving can be very costly but in the end it worth every penny of it. Have support groups on raising money to stop this dilemma would be a great start. Even having or tax money go into support of these ideas can be a great start. According to the U.S. Department Of Transportation this regulatory evaluation considers the following potential costs: (a) loss in carrier productivity due to time spent while parking or pulling over to the side of the roadway to perform texting activities; (b) increased fuel usage due
TEXTING AND DRIVING
7
to idling as well as exiting and entering the travel lanes of the roadway; (c) increased crash risk due to CMVs that are parked on the side of the roadway and exiting and entering the travel lanes of the roadway, and (d) costs to the States. The rule will cost 3.8 million annually. The Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration believes the rule will save lives and prevent a substantial number of crashes. Therefore, the rule is justified based on the safety benefits (p.4).
Conclusion
I propose that having it mandatory to inform the dangers of texting and driving to children, teenagers, and adults. By doing so it shows the importance of the situation to the public.
This solution is bringing awareness on the dangers of distracted drivers. The benefit would be more lives can be saved if you can reach out to those who are willing to listen. We know that not everyone will not care about the subject it would be unrealistic, but reaching out is one of the many solutions we have to stop texting and driving. This will help protect the lives of children and adults. I will develop my project to support these claims with research.
Someone’s life should not be put into danger because of a simple text message. There is no price on life but there are consequences in threatening someone’s life, or taking someone’s life. Contact me at hdiaz@awareness.org and join me to stop texting and driving. Sign up for more information on the awareness of stopping texting and driving. This will show all updated
TEXTING AND DRIVING
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progress, and statistics year to year. You can help in the fight against texting and driving. The time to stop texting and driving is now. If not the next person injured, or even killed can be you!
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References
The Dangers of Texting While Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014. http://www.fcc.gov/guides/textingwhiledriving Distracted Driving Laws. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014. http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html Distracted Driving | Research | Texting and Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29,
2014.
http://www.distraction.gov/content/getthefacts/research.html
Texting and Driving Safety, No Texting and Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29,
2014.
http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com
Waxman, O. (2014, April 8). Here’s the Chilling 30Second Ad about the Dangers of
Texting and Driving That Everyone Is Talking About. Retrieved September 29, 2014. http://time.com/53563/chillingtextinganddrivingaddot/ TEXTING AND DRIVING
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1
Texting and Driving
Hector Diaz
DeVry University
TEXTING AND DRIVING
2
Texting and Driving The U.S. Department of Transportation launched its firstever national advertising campaign last week, featuring a 30second PSA going viral now that depicts a fatal side collision in which three young Americans are in a car, and the driver is killed after she runs a stop sign and fails to see the truck coming from the side because she picked up her phone to answer a text.
The tagline: “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” This is a great example of what is occurring on a daily basis. Olivia Waxman explains the specific details on how this horrific accident was of these women’s heads slamming into windows and blood streaming down their faces. This could be
anyone’s …show more content…
family member.
Texting and driving is linked to a high increase in distracted driving, which has resulted in injury and death.
Texting and driving is a serious matter that has many people concerned for there own safety as the safety of others. Theses mobile devices have taken over our lives. In the state of
California it now is illegal to handheld a phone or text while driving. Even though it is illegal, you still see people breaking the law. Accidents such as this one are becoming more common and more lives at are in stake. This problem with texting and driving could minimize if people take the situation serious. A solution can be contacting cell phone carriers to put some type of device into the phones, so that phones cannot be on while in a moving vehicle. It’s like when you’re on airplane there is airplane mode and your phone cannot be used to make calls or text
TEXTING AND DRIVING
3
messages. The purpose of this is not to use the phone while driving. I will include several sources that will establish my creditability on texting and driving. The ideas of Federal
Communications Commission, Governors Highway Safety Association, Distraction.gov, and the website on texting and driving safety are all experts on this topic.
Everyone is affected by texting and driving. Even if you have never had an accident while using your phone, there probably has been a scare of almost hitting someone or someone hitting you,or just being in the car while someone else has been texting and driving. My point is that texting and driving is linked to a high increase in distracted driving, which has resulted in many injuries and death.
Problem Analysis
These problems began when the toll of death and accidents started to rise with serious numbers. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association: “By providing a "minimum" set of data elements, MMUCC helps states collect reliable crash data, effectively guide enforcement planning, and shape sound traffic safety policy. This data set, originally published in 1998, has been revised three times, most recently in the 4th Edition (2012), in response to emerging highway safety issues.” As the years go by the data keeps getting worse and becoming a bigger problem to society.
TEXTING AND DRIVING
4
Figure 1: Stop The Texts. Stop The Wrecks.
TEXTING AND DRIVING
5
Figure 1: Prevention on texting and driving. This is to educate family and friends on the dangers of texting and driving. Source: Distraction.Gov
There probably won’t be a way to stop texting and driving but efforts can be made to minimize the issue. By advertising on the awareness of the dangers that texting and driving has maybe a great eye opener for some. Although, making the subject go more public and viral, will get the attention of a lot more people. Because the awareness that this brings it can be transmitted on the internet, radio, TV, newspaper, any type of media that can help get the word out to stop texting and driving. This will help get more people’s attention and have them wonder why it is a big issue. I believe this will help minimize the issues we have with texting and driving. Solution
My point is that texting and driving is linked to a high increase in distracted driving, which has resulted in many injuries and death. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration young drivers report more crashes while using there cell phones. “Overall, 6% of respondents reported having been in a crash in the past year; 7% were in a nearcrash; and the majority (86%) reported no crash” (NHTSA, April 2012.) This report goes to show that cell phone usage while texting and driving are extremely dangerous.
There are many solutions in preventing texting and driving but following the solutions is where it gets difficult. I propose 3 solutions that may help minimize texting and driving. First, get community groups, employers, parents, educators all involved in the awareness of texting and driving. So, that they can help spread the word out on the dangers it brings to others as well as to themselves. Secondly, social media now a days is everywhere. It’s on your phone, internet,
TEXTING AND DRIVING
6
radio, and TV. Having longer commercials on the radio, having important public figures getting involved will be great start in stopping or minimizing texting and driving. Finally, getting laws approved on no phone usage while driving can be a great start to ending the addiction of using a phone while driving.
Benefits
These plans will help minimize accidents or even save lives. In addition, it also can help having your insurance prices in going up or even having someone’s life under your conscious or even their lives. All these ideas in prevention of texting and driving can be very costly but in the end it worth every penny of it. Have support groups on raising money to stop this dilemma would be a great start. Even having or tax money go into support of these ideas can be a great start. According to the U.S. Department Of Transportation this regulatory evaluation considers the following potential costs: (a) loss in carrier productivity due to time spent while parking or pulling over to the side of the roadway to perform texting activities; (b) increased fuel usage due
TEXTING AND DRIVING
7
to idling as well as exiting and entering the travel lanes of the roadway; (c) increased crash risk due to CMVs that are parked on the side of the roadway and exiting and entering the travel lanes of the roadway, and (d) costs to the States. The rule will cost 3.8 million annually. The Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration believes the rule will save lives and prevent a substantial number of crashes. Therefore, the rule is justified based on the safety benefits (p.4).
Conclusion
I propose that having it mandatory to inform the dangers of texting and driving to children, teenagers, and adults. By doing so it shows the importance of the situation to the public.
This solution is bringing awareness on the dangers of distracted drivers. The benefit would be more lives can be saved if you can reach out to those who are willing to listen. We know that not everyone will not care about the subject it would be unrealistic, but reaching out is one of the many solutions we have to stop texting and driving. This will help protect the lives of children and adults. I will develop my project to support these claims with research.
Someone’s life should not be put into danger because of a simple text message. There is no price on life but there are consequences in threatening someone’s life, or taking someone’s life. Contact me at hdiaz@awareness.org and join me to stop texting and driving. Sign up for more information on the awareness of stopping texting and driving. This will show all updated
TEXTING AND DRIVING
8
progress, and statistics year to year. You can help in the fight against texting and driving. The time to stop texting and driving is now. If not the next person injured, or even killed can be you!
TEXTING AND DRIVING
9
References
The Dangers of Texting While Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014. http://www.fcc.gov/guides/textingwhiledriving Distracted Driving Laws. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014. http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html Distracted Driving | Research | Texting and Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29,
2014.
http://www.distraction.gov/content/getthefacts/research.html
Texting and Driving Safety, No Texting and Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29,
2014.
http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com
Waxman, O. (2014, April 8). Here’s the Chilling 30Second Ad about the Dangers of
Texting and Driving That Everyone Is Talking About. Retrieved September 29, 2014. http://time.com/53563/chillingtextinganddrivingaddot/ TEXTING AND DRIVING
10