SAY NO TO CELLPHONES

Brooklyn Ray
February 4, 2014
English 102 MWF 9:00
1. Persuasive

One text or one phone call can do more harm than you would ever imagine. Cell phones should never be used while driving, no matter what the circumstances may be. Many accidents occur from the usage of a cell phone. There are many reasons why it should be banned. A cell phone can cause a driver to look away, put others and also themselves in danger, and even get ticketed. These reasons are a major contributor to death. Five seconds is the minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you are texting and driving. Textinganddriving.com says that if you’re traveling at 55mph, this equals driving the length of one football field without looking at the road. Texting while driving is a major distraction. Many people keep their cell phones on a high volume while driving in case they need to answer a phone call or a text message. By leaving your volume on high you are putting yourself at risk. When a phone rings while a person is driving they are no longer committed to safety first. The driver is now putting all concentration on his or her cell phone. If you look down and take your eyes off of the road you could automatically run into the vehicle in front of you, hit a tree, miss a stop sign, or even cross into another lane. When needing to answer an important call or text message, the safest thing to do is to pull over, park, and take your call before getting back on the road. Safety comes first; we should take precautions as much as we possibly can. No text and no call are worth risking it all.
Texting or talking on the phone while driving can put others and also yourself in terrible danger. My sister's best friend, Amberly Taylor Bossom, earned her angel wings Thursday, April 14, 2011 due to texting while driving. Amberly was driving a Toyota Camry on her way home from Avoyelles Parish. She was on her way north bound in an attempt to pass a Volvo in a no passing zone when a Dodge was coming up ahead drving south bound. This action caused Amberlys Toyota to collide with the driver of the Dodge. After this collision, the Toyota collided with the rear of the Volvo. Two of the other drivers were in moderate condition. Amberly was transported to a hospital immediately where later on she was pronounced dead. In 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones which turn out to be a whopping 1.3 million crashes. Texting while driving has become such a big ordeal. Police officers are always on the lookout for texters. More than thirty nine states including Louisiana prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones and also prohibit all drivers from text messaging. Texting while driving funds in Louisiana are up to $175 dollars on the first offense and then go up to $500.
Texting while driving is growing more rapidly around the nation now than it has ever been with all the new technologies coming out. It is quickly becoming one of the country’s top killers. Many people think they can handle texting while driving but the numbers do not lie. One text or one phone call can do more harm than you would ever imagine. Cell phones should never be used while driving, no matter what the circumstances may be.