Mobile Phone and Sirs Issues Researcher

LOL=TRDGY The sound of screeching tires, the busted glass strewn all over the road, the sirens in the distance approaching. Other motorist stopped, rushing to see if there is anything, they can do to help. Another accident, the question is, could this accident have been avoided, could the needless pain have been prevented, and, if something could have prevented it, should it have been done.
Texting and driving is completely out of hand, and something needs to be done about it. Drivers leaving the phones alone, and paying attention to the road can avoid many accidents. Texting while driving needs to be banned, because, it takes a drivers attention off the road, and leaves them briefly out of control of their vehicle. It is dangerous to the public including pedestrians and other drivers and it can result in life changing consequences. Most people if asked what the number one cause of accidents in the United States is would probably respond with drunken driving. Although this may have been the case in the past, resent studies have proved this not to be the case. As of 2012, the number one cause of accidents in the U.S. is distracted driving, with texting and driving leading the way. How many times while driving down the interstate, does the familiar sound of tires running off the road catch your attention, just to look over and see the driver talking or texting on the phone while jerking on their steering wheel to keep from running off the road. Looking in the rear view mirror, you notice someone tailgating you so close you think you are in a NASCAR race, while they pass, you cannot help but notice that they are on the phone texting and swerving sometimes inside their lane, but most of the time from lane to lane. Once while driving down the road, I noticed a woman not only texting while driving but also reaching behind her doing something with her child in the seat behind her. I had to wonder is her life and that of her child worth the text that she was either receiving or trying to send. Another time while at a red light I noticed a man making a turn while texting on the phone, almost side swiping the car in the lane next to him. As I sat there on my motorcycle, I thought to myself I am glad I am not in that lane next to him. People who drive while texting, are twenty five times more likely to be involved in an automobile accident. DR. Harvey Simon of Harvard medical states, “Each day, more than 16 Americans are killed and more than 1,300 are injured in car crashes that involve a distracted driver. In 2008 alone, nearly 6,000 deaths and over 500,000 injuries occurred. And the problem is getting worse every year. Overall, vehicular deaths are declining, but the share of road deaths caused by distracted driving has risen to 16%”. Teenagers are not the only ones doing it either. According to a study done by ATT, adults are worse! “Almost half of all adults admit to texting while driving in a survey by AT&T provided to USA TODAY, compared with 43% of teenagers. More than 98% of adults — almost all of them — admit they know it's wrong. Six in 10 say they weren't doing it three years ago. (Copeland).

Someone may say that I only take my eyes off the road for a few seconds. However according to the National Highway Traffic safety administration “Texting is the most alarming distraction because it involves manual, visual, and cognitive distraction simultaneously. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that is like driving the length of an entire football field, blindfolded. It's extraordinarily dangerous”. It only takes seconds to cause an accident, and in most cases, you will not have time to react properly if you are distracted. Some may argue that a hands free device is the solution. Again, these devices require being turned on, and it will easily become distracting to the operator of the vehicle, taking their attention off what they should be focused on, which is driving the vehicle they are in charge of.
Not all states have laws on the books concerning texting and driving. With the number of accidents rising daily, one would think this would be a no brainer. According to the latest statistics the number of states with laws concerning texting and driving has changed. Julius Genachowski states, “During the Obama administration, the number of states with distracted-driving laws has more than doubled, from 18 states in 2009 to 39 today. The remaining 11 states should act quickly to make it unanimous.” Although banning texting and driving is a start, the only way to enforce this law is if an officer happens to “catch” the driver in the act of breaking the law. The odds of this happening are heavily in favor of those who choose to break the law.
With all the technology that we have, there has to be a way to install a device into cell phones that would lock them while a person is driving. The only exception would be in the case of placing a 911 call. Some would argue placing devices to shut off cell phones is not a good option. However, given the choice, most people will not make the conscience decision to be responsible and not text while driving.
There have been some proposed solutions to the Texting while driving problem. According to an article written by Walter Pacheco “Federal highway-safety officials have also pushed the idea of designated texters: passengers who take control of a driver's smart phone and deal with any texts that might come in while the vehicle is on the move”.
Texting while driving is out of control. Banning cell phone use while driving is the only feasible solution to this problem, although there are steps being taken to curb this problem, the need is for some widespread action taken to save lives. Even with banning cell phone use, there will be those who choose to break the law. For those who choose to do this the fines placed on them should be steep enough to persuade them from doing so more than once. Our laws for drunk driving are very adequate, since texting while driving has become the greatest contributor to distracted driving I believe that the same punishment for drunken driving should be applied to texting while driving as well.

Annotated bibliography

Pacheco, Walter. "Expressway Authority Launches 'Designated Texter' Campaign." Orlando Sentinel. 19 Feb 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013. This article gives a proposed solution to the problem of texting while driving. The solution given is to have a designated texter while driving. Walter Pacheco is the technology and social media writer for the Orlando Sentinel. I found this article very helpful in my research, and I plan in using it for proposed solutions to the texting problem we are facing.
Genachowski, Julius. "Time to Put the Brakes on Texting and Driving." Gannett News Service. 23 Sep 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013. This article has several solutions to the texting while driving problem, such as phone apps that block texting while driving. Julius Genachowski is the chairman of the Gannett news service. I plan on using this article for proposed solutions to the texting while driving problem. Copeland, Larry. "Adults Worse Than Teens Texting in Cars." Gannett News Service. 27 Mar 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013. This article deals with the fact that teenagers may text and drive a lot, but adults are actually worse! Over half of all adults admit to texting and driving, the government admits to not tracking texting related accident, they believe it is the most dangerous form of distracted driving. Larry Copeland is a writer for the Gannett news. I plan to use this article for statistics. "Distracted Driving: Fast Lane to Disaster." Harvard Men's Health Watch. 17 Apr 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013. This article is about distracted driving, not just texting and driving, as being the biggest cause of motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. It also deals with statistics of accidents involving distracted driving, as well as people trying to multitask while driving. I plan to use this for statistics as well as the argument that all cell phone use while driving is dangerous. Harvey B. Simon, M.D.
Harvard Medical School. Is the author of this article. “Get the facts” Distraction.gov N.P. n.d. Web. 17 Apr 2013. This is the national highway traffic safety website. It has an abundance of information concerning the texting while driving problem. I found this website very helpful in my research. I plan to use the information I found for statistics.

WORKS CITIED
Pacheco, Walter. "Expressway Authority Launches 'Designated Texter' Campaign." Orlando Sentinel. 19 Feb 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013
Genachowski, Julius. "Time to Put the Brakes on Texting and Driving." Gannett News Service. 23 Sep 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013.
Copeland, Larry. "Adults Worse Than Teens Texting in Cars." Gannett News Service. 27 Mar 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013.
"Distracted Driving: Fast Lane to Disaster." Harvard Men's Health Watch. 17 Apr 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr 2013. “Get the facts” Distraction.gov N.P. n.d. Web. 17 Apr 2013.