SP180: Principles Of Public Speaking

LAST NAME Noel
FIRST NAME Jacques
STUDENT NUMBER AC1405622 COURSE NUMBER SP180 ASSIGNMENT NUMBER & NAME 7, Principles of Public Speaking DATE OF SUBMISSION 12/02/2014
Why banning the use of cell phones while driving should be mandatory nationwide?

The cell phones become, with regard to the technological development, ordinary but vital tools. People are constantly talking, texting, playing games or surfing on the internet. These devices may do harm when they decide to use them behind the wheel and drive. The statistics reveal important numbers of accidents caused by such behavior. What about driving while using a cell phone? Should the States or Governments take measures in order to forbid their use while driving nationwide?

According to the evolvement of the technology, the cell phones appear ordinary, but vital tools.
People are constantly talking, texting, playing games or surfing on the internet on their smart phones. They play a very important role in communication these days, and specially strengthen the interpersonal relationships on the social plan; allow us to do research and resolve in a pretty much bit of time which we could in many days.
Nevertheless, the devices may do harm when people decide to use them behind the wheel and drive. They distract the drivers causing errors in judgment and 23% of car accidents each year, result of this practice (1.3 million crashes). Driving, texting, and talking simultaneously on cell phone are very dangerous. This is an epidemic on America’s roadway. The percentage of drivers observed texting or visibly manipulating their hand-held devices increased significantly from 0.9 percent in 2010 to 1.3 percent in 2011. NHTSA observational research found an average of five percent of drivers were holding cell phone to their ears while driving, translating to 660000 vehicles driven by people holding hand-held cell phones at any given moment in 2011. The percentage of driver text-messaging or visibly manipulating hand-held devices increased from 1.3 percent in 2011 to 1.5 percent in 2012. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only nationwide probability-based observed data on driver electronic device use in
the United States. In 2012 alone, 3328 persons were killed in distracted driving crashes. In the same year, 4283 young drivers aged 15-20 were involved in fatal crashes, and1875 of those, in the other words 44% died in the crashes. Furthermore, as of December, 2013, 153.3 billion text-messages were sent every month in the U.S (with PR, territories, Guam).`
In addition, the cell phone can be a fatal distraction for those who use it while they drive,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden.”Driving and dialing or texting don’t mix. If you are driving, pull over to a safe place and stop before you use cell phone. “Because 21% of the distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cell phone reported NHTSA; and according to Insurance Institute for highway Safety, texting while driving kills 11 teens each day. Agent Fred Trumbley said” it’s tremendously important and it is an extremely bad habit and it’s something that we don’t think much of because we were talking about. What’s the big deal to glance down at your phone and look at a quick text, But the truth of it is, there have been over 3100 deaths in the last two years directly related to distracted drivers. “Therefore, using mobile phones can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the steering wheel, and their minds off the road and the surrounding situation. This situation (cognitive distraction) appears to have the biggest impact on driving behavior. There is a growing body of evidence that shows that the distraction caused by mobile phones can impairs performance in a number of ways, e.g. longer reaction times, impaired ability to keep in the correct lane, shorter following distances, and an overall reduction in awareness of the driving situation. Using a mobile phone for text-messaging, talking while driving has a particularly detrimental impact on driving behavior.
In the United States, 60-70% of drivers report using a mobile at least sometimes while driving and 11% of vehicles observed had drivers using a mobile phone. Police crash reports in one State in the United States suggests that mobile phone use while driving more than doubled between 2001 and 2005, from 2.7% to 5.8%. Furthermore, a study in the U.S.A found that 27% of American adults report having sent or read text messages while driving. What the Americans think about the risks that the distracted driving represents?
According to the public opinion, the majority of Americans (88.5%) feel that a driver talking on a cell phone represents a somewhat or a serious threat to their personal safety. Nine in ten (90.3%) people believe that distracted drivers are a somewhat or much bigger problem today compared to three years ago. Most drivers (71.3%) believe that when talking on a cell phone while driving, it is safer to use a hand-free device than a hand-held device. Nonetheless, one out of two drivers who reported using a hand-free, speech-based in- vehicle system said they believed use of the technology was” not distracting at all.” Should texting, talking while driving be banned in every State?
Indeed, the States or Governments should take measures in order to prohibit the use of cell phone while driving nationwide.
As a result of this epidemic, 44 States have already implemented laws in view to address the issue. At least, twelve States prohibit the use of hand-held cell phone while driving and at least eight States have considered legislation that would make it illegal to use Google Glass and other wearable computers while driving. It’s proved to be necessary to spread these measures nationwide in view to block this practice which kills so many people. Seminars of formation should be organized to help young and younger drivers to comprehend the consequences of the cell phones use while driving and their impact. It is also important to strengthen the system of radar to relate any person who infringes the measures taken at that effect and punish him in accordance with laws because nothing is worth the life. Therefore, banning the use of cell phone while driving should be mandatory nationwide in order to limit the risks of accidents. Undertaking a vast movement of reinforcement and extension of dispositions by organizing campaigns and summits, has to be considered to face to this epidemic. The US department of transportation is leading the effort to stop texting and cell phone use behind the wheel. Since 2009,” we have held two national distracted driving summits, banned texting and cell phone use for commercial drivers, encouraged States to adopt tough laws, and
launch several campaigns to raise public awareness about the issue.

Mobile phones have immense public utility, improving communication in social and commercial interactions. Nonetheless, their role in driver distraction and consequently in road traffic crashes is considerable. Some measure of prohibition their use while driving is required. This will require legislative dispositions, creative ways of enforcement, and shift in societal perception about what behavior is acceptable at wheel. It’s important for Governments to be proactive now. Failure to act now could, not only make it more difficult to address the issue at a later date, but would also lead to many more preventable traffic injuries and deaths on roads around the world.”U drive. U text. U pay.” because text messaging requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the drivers, it is by far the most alarming distraction, proclaimed Distraction.gov.

Bibliography:
-NHTSA
-National center for statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .2013,” Traffic Safety facts Research Note: Distracted Driving 2011.”
-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “Traffic Safety facts Research Note: Driver Electronic Device use in 2011.
-US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2013). The impact of Hands-held and Hands -free cell phone use on driving Performance and Safety-critical Event Risk. Prepared by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute for NHTSA.
-Caird, J.K. ; Willness, C.R. ; Steel, P. ; and Scralfa, C. 2008. A meta-analysis of the effects of cell phones on driver performance. Accidents analysis and prevention.
-D. L. (2009). Text messaging during simulated driving. Human factors.