Texting While Driving Is a Distraction!

Today cell phones have become part of our everyday lives. People have become dependent on their phones. Cell phones do make communication easier with all the built in features and functions. But at times they may cause serious distractions, which can lead to terrible situations and putting lives at risk daily.
The AAA foundation for traffic safety is a non-profit organization that was created and is dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries on the roads by conducting educational research. The foundation creates educational materials such as brochures, handbooks and videos for the education of drivers and potential drivers. They teach the driver the safety and potential hazards that can arouse while on the road and the means to prevent them.
The cell phone feature debated in the AAA research is the use of SMS (text messaging). Text messaging allows people to have short messaged conversations with others without having an actual phone conversation. In today’s society this has become a major phenomenon among many, especially teens. Due to our busy life style, people are now texting more rather then making the time to have phone conversations with others, this trend has lead people to constantly check their phones while they are driving which is a hazard. The AAA foundation for traffic safety believes that texting while behind the wheel is dangerous because it takes the driver’s eyes off the road and while driving vision is the most important thing, alertness is essential for safe conduction. No matter where their cell phone is placed in the split second it takes them to glance at a text message something can happen. Not only that but when they are reading or writing a text message it also takes concentration off the road and into there message, because there mind is now focused on what he or she is going to reply therefore they aren’t giving there full attention to the road but to the message. Studies conducted by AAA show that cell phone usage while driving gives the driver six times more likeliness to be in an accident then when not using a phone. Whether the driver is calling, texting or reading there phone they all fall into the same category and are dangerous. Every year there are thousands of traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers using their phone. Young drivers under the age of 20 cause many of these accidents because they use less precaution and are less experienced. But they are not only jeopardizing their own lives but they’re also risking the lives of everyone else on the road at that time.
Those who oppose banning texting while driving argue that text messaging is no more dangerous than eating or putting on makeup while driving neither of which are likely to ever be prohibited, while certain distractions are inevitable, some distractions can be limited. Text messaging really does requires focus and visual attention, whereas changing the radio or applying makeup utilizes less mental energy. So with this the government has started to realize how dangerous this trend is and has decided to take charge, so the U.S. department of transportation has decided to take action. They have introduced new laws banning cell phone usage for drivers. “While cell phone laws vary from state to state, no state has completely banned all cell phone use by drivers. Hand- held cell phone use by drivers is illegal in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia. Some states ban all cell phones while driving for particular groups of drivers like teens (18 states and D.C.) or school bus drivers, except in emergency situations (17 states and D.C.). Laws that specifically ban text messaging while driving exist in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington State.” (“AAA”, http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/CellPhonesandDrivingPR.pdf) Either way these laws must be obeyed by those drivers on the road but if they are violated there are serious fees and penalties that will be enforced.
Texting has become a huge safety concern when it is done while driving. This is creditable because the moment there is a distraction while conducting a motor vehicle anything can happen and drivers are not only risking their own lives but others lives as well for something as simple as a message. Though there are many more distractions that are inevitable while driving, texting does require full attention and focus so to practice safe texting they should just abstain while driving!