Texting and Driving

Texting and Driving: Leads to Distraction
Imagine driving down the road where the sun is shining and the wind is blowing in your hair, you’re having a grand old time driving and then all of a sudden someone rams in the back of your car. This is the behavior of texting while driving is proven to be unsafe. Maryland passed a new law about no cell phones in the hands of the driver while the vehicle is on; to use your cell phone it has to be hands free device. Having this law, people still text and drive and use their phones and people still do not pay attention to the road in front of them. They are more worried about the conversation they are having on their phone. People really don’t realize the danger of texting and driving. People may know the risks and the danger of texting and driving, but they just don’t want to believe it will happen to them. If they only knew the danger and what it does to a family, people might just change their mind. What happens if it was your son, daughter, sister, brother, friend, or even a loved one got into a serious car accident from texting and driving, would that change your mind to stop? Leaving to the question, is texting while driving leading you to the road of disaster?
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 o 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.
The worst thing that could happen is taking away your life from texting while driving. One minute you’re talking on the phone with a friend, driving home from the store, the next you wake up in a hospital bed with serious injuries covering your body, wondering what happened. An estimated amount of traffic injuries and deaths combined are 350,600, and 330,000 being injuries. Everyone you know has a cell phone, we all use them constantly, every minute of every day. Knowing that it is dangerous to text and drive, 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.
This changed the minds when it happened to Alex Brown. Alex was on her way to school when her truck rolled over off the road and into a field. She was ejected from her seat and was found 50 feet away from her car. She was killed instantly. The cause of death was found later from texting and driving. She was texting her best friend, her best friend now has a fear of texting and driving because she does not want the same thing to happen to her as it took her best friend life. Texting and driving no one every thinks of the consequences because they always just believe it’s not going to happen to them. But what if it does, would this keep changing the mind of other people who text and drive? Texting and driving is one of the worse causes of accidents to anyone’s family. Alex Brown’s Family started a foundation called Remember Alex Brown. This pledge is for anyone to take on. This pelage is to stop texting and driving and they have created a live strong bracelet for the thumb for when you drive not to text. The Brown Family travels around the States, to show awareness for the danger of texting and driving. They don’t want what happened to their daughter to happen to anyone else (R.A.B.F). Remember Alex Brown Foundation is for anyone to join and sign a contract that he/she wont text and drive. This family also travels to different high schools around the United States to show teenagers, the dangers of texting and driving. Brown Family shows their daughter Alex’s car to these teens and has teens use their driving stimulator (R.A.B.F). The driving stimulator is having you driving at high speed and onscreen keyboard, so you can text and drive. Most teens got into a car accident in the driving stimulator. Oprah Winfrey has seen and heard about numerous people getting in car accidents over the use of their cell phone. So she took it upon herself, with the help others, to start a No Phone Zone. For one day last year back in February 2010, she had areas throughout the states where you could not use your cell phone. There where towers out there blocking cell signal, for one not to use their phone. On her show she announced for one day only there is going to be a No Phone Zone (Oprah.Com). Having this no phone zone would really start to help this generation out. So many teens these days are always on their cell phones texting, even when they get behind the wheel. Also, when anyone is talking on the phone, holding their phone to their ear, they are more concerned about holding their phone and about the conversation they having. Oprah is trying to limit this number one leading distraction behind the wheel of a car. Oprah also started a pledge where one can take online, and see how many other people out in the states of taken the pledge as well.
Also this has changed my sister’s mind about texting and driving. My sister had a friend named Idris. He was one of the nicest, sweetest, caring guys I have ever met. In the summer of 2010 Idris Muhammad was taken away. On a late summer night he decided to go out with his brother and some friends. They were driving along Layhill Road when Idris lost control of his car and it ended up on the side of the road, crashing into a traffic pole. He injured two of his friends that were sitting in the back seat and he took the life of his brother who was sitting in the passenger’s seat. No one knew what caused the accident to occur until detectives conducted an investigation and found out Idris had been texting and “tweeting” behind the wheel. Officials made it clear that if Idris had not been texting while driving, his brother and he would still be alive today. I do not think people realize that texting while driving distracts you from the road. People will need to start to realize this before it is too late. There is a family in Illinois were a family LaHood gathers people together for the state fair to celebrate teen driving safety. “They 've got a lot to be proud of as they have helped reduce teen fatalities in Illinois by half since 2006” (Fastlane) said a reporter from the Illinois state fair. It amazes me to see how one family can help reduce more than half of driving accidents just by starting a fundraiser.
Every since my sister told me this story about her friend, she has stop texting and driving, but this has not stopped myself from texting and driving. When I hear my phone go off in the car, I automatically know I have a text message (since I have Bluetooth in my car) and I ways pick up my phone to see who I got the text message from. Then I put my phone back down and wait till I get to a red light to text the person back. I guess one could say, I text and drive, but I actually do not text when I am actually driving. I only text when I am at a complete stop and when the car is not moving. Once I start moving I put my phone back down, even if I did not finish my response back.
Although texting is a very convenient source of communication and it does make it easier to communicate with someone, there are other alternatives and precautions people could take when it comes to texting and driving. The technologies that are coming out with cars today have a system that allows you to “talk” while hands free. My sister recently bought a Ford Escape with a sync system. The sync system allows her to “talk and text” without actually having to use your hands, the sync system is designed to make the drivers life easier while operating a vehicle. The sync system allows you to connect your phone to the system so you don’t ever have to touch your phone to make a phone call or text. The driver simply says a command such as “text Missy” and the sync system responds to make sure the name you say is the person you want to text. The sync system then slowly asks you what would you like to say to the person and the system at the end simply sends the message you want to the person. I believe every person who doesn’t have the sync system in their car should at least consider having one in their car because it is beneficial and will prevent accidents from occurring.
According to the state legislatures, in the last three years, twenty billion text messages were sent word wide, most of them sent by people behind the wheel. There are over 18 states that banned texting from driving and eleven out of those eighteen decided to ban texting just this year. The progression of banning texting while driving is slowly increasing and making its way through the states. All in all over twenty-seven states have “considered” banning texting while driving but haven’t made the initiate to go through with the law. “Driven to Distraction,” congress made it clear they were working on a “avoiding life-endangering and reckless texting by drivers act” meaning if all states didn’t require no texting while driving, the states would “face losing 25 percent of the state 's highway funds” (Distraction). According to U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer. If states really cared about the safety of their people why wouldn’t they want to enforce the act? Not only are people losing lives over texting while driving but also pretty soon the states will be losing their funds.
Although not all states have gone through with enforcing the no texting while driving acts, there are states that are taking this serious. As of January 1st, 2010, New Hampshire forced an act to prohibit writing a text message and device usage while operating a motor vehicle; anyone caught is subjected to a $100 fine. The Senate and House of Representatives in General Court stated “A person operating a moving motor vehicle that writes a text message or uses 2 hands to type on or operate an electronic or telecommunications device, is guilty of a violation. A person does not write a text message when he or she reads, select, or enters a phone number or name in a wireless communications device for the purpose of making a phone call” (Chapter 291).
We all know that texting while driving is a big distraction and that drivers should be well aware of the road, pedestrians should be taking the same precautions on the road as drivers do. According to Westerherald in 2008, a 14-year-old boy from Florida died after walking in front of an oncoming car while sending a text message. If the fourteen-year-old boy had been paying attention to where he was going he would still be alive today. People have to think about their actions and think about the outcomes afterwards.
According to the website Legal Catch, approximately five thousand pedestrians are killed and another 64,000 people are injured in a motor vehicle accident every year in the United States due to texting while driving. Some people think texting while walking should even be illegal, not just texting while driving. This being said because people these days are getting distracted way too easily and officials feel we should tone down texting as much as possible. In a CBS news article, they talked about a woman in Staten Island, N.Y. who fell down an open manhole while texting and walking. Is anyone starting to see a trend of texting more of a dangerous habit rather than a convenient source of communication?
On July 1st, 2004 the District of Columbia created the Distracted Driving Safety Act of 2004; enforcing restrictions on mobile phone use while driving. Not only are you not allowed to text and drive, but also you are restricted from using your cell phone and other devices while driving. Some people question what exactly does the new law entail, “The law prohibits “distracted driving” by tightly restricting the use of mobile telephones and other electronic devices while driving in DC. Specifically, the law states that no person shall use a mobile telephone or other electronic device while operating a moving motor vehicle, unless the telephone or device is equipped with a hands-free accessory. Additional restrictions are placed on school bus drivers or individuals with a learner’s permit: they are prohibited from using any mobile phone or other electronic device, even if it has a hands-free accessory, unless they are placing an emergency call.” (MPDC, DC) More states should take texting while driving to the next step just like District of Columbia did and see just how effective the law will be.
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted tests using drivers’ texting, drivers under the influence of alcohol, and drivers under the influence of marijuana. It has been proven that texting is more dangerous than being under the influence. In fact, a distracted driver is more likely to cause an accident 2.8 times as much as a non- distracted driver. The statistics from the study show that drivers, between the age of 17 and 24, reduce their reaction time by 35% while texting. As a driver under the influence of marijuana, reduces their reaction time by 21% and drivers while intoxicated, only 12%. Every day in 2008, 800,000 are using cellular devices while driving. Also, every year, 21% of fatal car crashes involve teen’s results from the distraction of a cell phone. Back in 2002, Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year because of the distraction of cell phones, and another 330,000 are injured. This estimate is expected to increase 4% each year (McClendon). These deaths and injuries can be avoided if people would put down their cell phones when they get behind a wheel of a car. No text message is worth risking your life. From this study, it shows that texting messaging is more dangerous then being under the influence.
Do not let texting and driving take your life or someone else. Do not let this happen to someone else’s family. Texting and driving is obviously unsafe and should be restricted in every state, but until then the only real precautions we can take are the ones we take ourselves. Maybe once people start to realize how dangerous texting while driving really is then eventually they’ll take the initiative to stop texting and driving. Everyone always thinks “what’s the worst that can happen?”

Work Cited

"Distracted Driving Safety Act of 2004 - Restrictions on Mobile Phone Use While Driving." Metropolitan Police Department. Ed. Metropolitan Police Department. 1 July 2004. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1240,q,547851,mpdcNav_GID,1552,mpdcNav,|.asp>.
"Driving Distracted | Stats and Facts | Driving and Texting." Distracted Driving | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Distraction.gov. Ed. Distraction.gov. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/>.
"Celebrating Teen Driving Safety at the Illinois State Fair." Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/08/celebrating-safety-at-the-illinois-state-fair.html>.
"Distracted Driving." Live Free or Die Alliance. Ed. Senate and House of Representatives in General Court. 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://townhall.livefreeordiealliance.org/group/textwhiledriving?gclid=CMOn-t305KcCFcfe4Aodgh3f-w>.
Genachowski, Julius. "The Dangers of Texting While Driving." Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Home Page. 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/drivingandtexting.html>.
McClendon, Robert. "TEXTING WHILE DRIVING STATISTICS." TEXTING WHILE DRIVING STATISTICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2011. <http://textingwhiledrivingstatistics.org/>.
"No Phone Zone Map - Oprah.com." Oprah Winfrey 's Official Website - Live Your Best Life - Oprah.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2011. <http://www.oprah.com/npz/map/index.html?mv=pledge>. "Remember Alex Brown Foundation." Remember Alex Brown Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. <http://www.rememberalexbrownfoundation

Cited: "Distracted Driving Safety Act of 2004 - Restrictions on Mobile Phone Use While Driving." Metropolitan Police Department. Ed. Metropolitan Police Department. 1 July 2004. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1240,q,547851,mpdcNav_GID,1552,mpdcNav,|.asp&gt;. "Driving Distracted | Stats and Facts | Driving and Texting." Distracted Driving | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Distraction.gov. Ed. Distraction.gov. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/&gt;. "Celebrating Teen Driving Safety at the Illinois State Fair." Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/08/celebrating-safety-at-the-illinois-state-fair.html&gt;. "Distracted Driving." Live Free or Die Alliance. Ed. Senate and House of Representatives in General Court. 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://townhall.livefreeordiealliance.org/group/textwhiledriving?gclid=CMOn-t305KcCFcfe4Aodgh3f-w&gt;. Genachowski, Julius. "The Dangers of Texting While Driving." Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Home Page. 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/drivingandtexting.html&gt;. McClendon, Robert. "TEXTING WHILE DRIVING STATISTICS." TEXTING WHILE DRIVING STATISTICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2011. &lt;http://textingwhiledrivingstatistics.org/&gt;. "No Phone Zone Map - Oprah.com." Oprah Winfrey 's Official Website - Live Your Best Life - Oprah.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2011. &lt;http://www.oprah.com/npz/map/index.html?mv=pledge&gt;. "Remember Alex Brown Foundation." Remember Alex Brown Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.rememberalexbrownfoundation