Texting and Driving

Rey Martinez
English 1301-303
April 13, 2010
Annotated Bibliography
Wilson, Fernando A., and Jim P. Stimpson. "Trends in Fatalities From Distracted Driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008." American Journal of Public Health 100.11 (2010): 2213-2219. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. Fernando A. Wilson and Jim P. Stimpson focus on the trends of distracted drivers and their relation to cell phone use. They give records data and statistics on all road fatalities on U.S. Roads from 1998 to 2008 from The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). They include trends in driving fatalities due to distracted drivers associated with cell phone use. They give a good insight on how fatalities have increased significantly after 2005. Their suggestion that the Legislation should effectively enforce a way to deter the use of cell phones while driving.
"Don't text, or drink, behind the wheel." Industrial Engineer: IE 42.5 (2010): 14. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. Matthew R. E. Romoser’s article highlights the findings of a study conducted at the Human Performance Lab of the University of Massachusetts concerning the most dangerous behind-the-wheel activity. The conclusions reveal that texting while driving is the most unsafe one, even more dangerous, in some aspect, than drinking and driving. Findings show how driving with distractions increases a person's chances of crashing more than 20 times compared to nondistracted driving.
"THE CELL PHONE ZONE." ETC: A Review of General Semantics 65.4 (2008): 382- 383. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. The article discusses the phenomenon of people attention being drawn to their cellular telephones, especially through text messages. It explains how much people become largely unaware of their physical surroundings, the people around them and even where their going and how all this distraction is due to cell phone use.
"Why cell phone conversations distract drivers." Harvard Mental Health Letter 27.3 (2010): 7. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
This article offers information on studies related to distracted drivers due to cell phones. It states that several road accidents caused in the U.S. are because of drivers talking on the cell phone. The study mentions that talking on cell phones distracts the drivers from driving as he stresses more on listening to what the caller has to say. It also physically distracts drivers as they have to hold them while driving. Even hand-free cell phones are equally distractive. One study found that drivers conversing by cell phone were more likely than those talking to passengers to drift between lanes and to miss an exit they were instructed in advance to take. People like to think they drive while conversing or texting on the phone, but research suggests that the brain tends to focus on one major activity at a time, while slowing the processing of other external cues.

Rey Martinez
Engish 1301-303
April 13, 2011
Texting While Driving Should be Banned Do you think you can multitask? Perhaps you can walk and chew gum at the same time. How about driving while texting, or talking on the phone for that matter. Well studies and statistics prove otherwise. One thing is clear, texting while driving leads to distractions and driver inattention is one of the leading causes of car accidents. Perhaps the most important reason why texting while driving should be illegal is because of the dangers it poses to people’s personal safety. The idea of anyone driving while texting should send chills up the spine, as the drivers are to numerous to count. A driver simply cannot watch the road completely and text at the same time. Driving requires a constant awareness, since driving conditions change from one moment to the next. Also, driving is a two handed activity; a hand cannot be spared to type. It makes the road and the driver too dangerous. Contrary to what texting drivers think, people cannot drive with their knees, and the sooner there is a law against trying, the better. Texting while driving is a safety hazard that must be banned.