The Dangers Of Distracted Driving
The issues of texting and driving have been ongoing for years now. Many people are at fault for being distracted drivers. No matter what age you are, seventeen or thirty-five, being distracted behind the wheel is very dangerous. There is no way to make people stop texting and driving, even if it is illegal, because people do whatever they want to do. Even though texting and driving is both deadly and illegal, people still choose to be distracted by a handheld device, the radio, or something outside of their vehicle. These various distractions can cause severe injuries or death.
There are ads, videos, signs, and documentaries about texting and driving. Texting and driving is a serious issue in the United States and all over the world. What is distracted driving? Why is it so horrible? "Distracted driving is any activity that diverts …show more content…
attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving," (NHTSA). There are consequences of being distracted in a vehicle and some of the consequences are life-threatening.
In addition to the consequences of distracted driving, there are many statistics that prove that this action can be deadly. "In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers," (NHTSA). The United States has much more accidents than many other countries around the world, and the accidents are caused by distracted driving. "An astounding 69% of drivers (aged 18-64) in the U.S. admitted to using their cell phone while driving during the previous month. Compare this to a European low of 29% in the United Kingdom," (Helbock). On the other hand, these accidents happen everyday, everywhere, and to anyone.
Even though people are distracted by their phones, there are many other distractions that cause accidents. First off, there is visual distraction, which is when the eyes of someone are not focused on the road. A person can be distracted visually by almost anything. People can get distracted by something on the side of the road, animals, looking at the radio, or even doing something much more dangerous, such as putting on makeup. Visual distraction is just as dangerous as any other distraction, but happens more frequently.
The second distraction is called, manual distraction. This is caused by the person taking their hands off of the steering wheel. For example, changing the radio station or reaching for food. Many people get manually distracted by their phones, which is why it is illegal to text and drive. If radios were removed from cars, manual distraction would probably lessen, but even rolling up a car window can be distracting.
The third distraction is called cognitive distractions. This is when your mind wanders off and you get mentally distracted. Cognitive distractions include, having road rage, being upset while driving, or having a conversation with someone else in the car. Cognitive driving is just as dangerous as the other two, but it happens a lot in people that are stressed. When someone is stressed and they start to worry about things, their driving can be influenced by how they are feeling.
In continuation, there are many other things people do behind the wheel than text and drive. Several people get distracted by a GPS, their radio, billboards, etc. Technology helps many people, but it is also at fault for many accidents. Although many people do text in the car, they also get distracted by talking to other people on the phone. The Internet also has a lot to do with distracted driving. "According to State Farm, 29 percent of drivers surveyed access the Internet while driving. That compares to just 13 percent who admitted to surfing the Web while driving in 2009," (LeBeau). Although people are constantly distracted by their phones, they get distracted by many aspects of their phone.
In the same way, driving under the influence is a huge distraction to many. "Every day, 28 people in the United States die in an alcohol-related vehicle crash—that's one person every 53 minutes," (NHTSA). Driving under the influence is illegal, but many people still tend to do so. "Use of marijuana and prescription drugs is increasingly prominent among drivers on America’s roads, which raises a new safety challenge," (NHSTA). Anyone that drives under the influence is putting their life in even more danger.
Regarding to this, drinking and driving is a huge thing that happens often behind the wheel.
"Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely," (NHTSA). Many people are against drinking and driving and treat it as if it is more dangerous than texting and driving. "Many public safety advocates say the current crisis with distracted driving is similar to the challenge the nation faced tackling drunk driving in the 1980s," (Upfront). Both of these distractions are dangerous, fatal, and should be treated equally.
Similarly, driving while tired is dangerous as well. According to NHTSA, "It claimed 846 lives in 2014," (NHTSA). When someone gets in a vehicle and they are tired, they are putting their life at risk and others' lives at risk. There are many ways to avoid driving while drowsy, such as, getting rest, avoiding alcohol before driving, drink coffee, and to take naps in between rest stops. Although all of the distractions listed above our sometimes fatal, there are many ways to avoid every one of
them.
Also, when many people hear about an accident caused by texting and driving, they automatically think that the person who caused the accident was a teen driver. Although, many adults drive distracted as well. "Adults are just as likely as teenagers to text while driving, according to a report released Friday by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project," (Vasquez). According to statistics taken for texting and driving, "almost half of all adults admit to texting while driving in a survey by AT&T provided to USA TODAY, compared with 43% of teenagers. More than 98% of adults — almost all of them — admit they know it's wrong," (Copeland). The thing with adults texting and driving is that they know it is wrong to do and still do it constantly, not being good role models to their children. Teenagers do text and drive as well, but not nearly as much as adults seem to.
Furthermore, texting and driving causes many accidents year round opposed to other distracted driving. In the U.S. alone, "660,000 drivers use cell phones while driving," (Smith, 11). There are many teenage drivers that use their phones when driving to text, Snapchat, get on social media, or watch videos. Some people do survive the accidents from distracted driving, but there are many who do not. "In November, 20-year-old Onasi Olio-Rojas was live-streaming on Facebook while weaving in and out of traffic and speeding at more than 100 miles per hour on a crowded Rhode Island roadway... his Honda Civic smashed into a garbage truck... he was critically injured, but managed to survive," (Smith, 11). Onasi was one of the lucky drivers that survived an accident from texting and driving.
Unfortunately, many drivers will not come out of these accidents alive. A few days after Onasi's accident, another distracted driving accident occurred. "18-year-old Brooke Miranda Hughes wasn't as lucky. She was also live-streaming on Facebook when a tractor-trailer slammed into the back of her Suzuki Forenza on Pennsylvania highway. Hughes and her 19-year-old passenger were both killed," (Smith, 11). These horrific accidents are evidence of how dangerous distracted driving is. Whether you're texting, live-streaming, or even talking on the phone, you're putting your life at risk.
Many people put their lives at risk everyday in a vehicle. Any time a person gets behind the wheel of a car, they are putting their life at risk. It is normal for anyone to get into a car accident without using a cellphone, but many car accidents are caused by distracted drivers. The driver may not even be using a device and become distracted by something outside of the vehicle. "Only 5% of cellphone-related crashes occur because the driver is texting. The majority of the accidents involve drivers distracted while talking on handheld or hands-free cellphones," (Kratsas). Any kind of distraction can cause an accident, but when the person is distracted by a hand-held device, they have a bigger risk.
There are many ways that people are trying to stop texting and driving in the United States. Many states have banned texting while driving, while there are still several states that only ban handheld devices or only ban it until a certain age. "Your State legislature and governor make the laws regarding distracted driving. Many States now have laws against texting, talking on a cell phone, and other distractions while driving," (NHTSA). The laws are enforced, but they have not been very successful. Many companies like Geico and AAA have tips online and brochures that tell people how to prevent and avoid distracted driving.
Additionally, there are tips for teenagers on how to stop their parents from driving distracted as well. The NHTSA is just one campaign that promotes driving safety and pushes towards and end to distracted driving. "NHTSA’s campaigns and public service announcements make the case to Americans that safe driving means driving without distractions," (NHTSA). These campaigns promote safe driving by posting resources for people to look at and information for people to read on the consequences. Fortunately, authorities are looking for other ways to detect distracted driving and put it to an end.
Although the efforts being made to put distracted driving to an end are becoming difficult. Even authorities are trying to find new ways, but they are not sure if the actions they would like to take are legal. "In 2014, the Supreme Court (in Riley v. California) ruled that police can’t search the contents of a cell phone without a warrant, even after an arrest," (Smith, 13). Also, there are many programs and administrations that help towards stopping texting and driving among teens and adults. These programs have made small progress to help save the lives of people driving.
In conclusion, people continue to drive distracted and take those risks. When people see the ads, they think, "that will never happen to me," and assume it could never happen to them. According to most surveys, people know the dangers of distracted driving and think it's ridiculous for others to do it, but then they admit to doing it as well. Even with distracted driving being deadly and fatal, people will put their life at risk for technology, alcohol, and drugs.
There are ads, videos, signs, and documentaries about texting and driving. Texting and driving is a serious issue in the United States and all over the world. What is distracted driving? Why is it so horrible? "Distracted driving is any activity that diverts …show more content…
attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving," (NHTSA). There are consequences of being distracted in a vehicle and some of the consequences are life-threatening.
In addition to the consequences of distracted driving, there are many statistics that prove that this action can be deadly. "In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers," (NHTSA). The United States has much more accidents than many other countries around the world, and the accidents are caused by distracted driving. "An astounding 69% of drivers (aged 18-64) in the U.S. admitted to using their cell phone while driving during the previous month. Compare this to a European low of 29% in the United Kingdom," (Helbock). On the other hand, these accidents happen everyday, everywhere, and to anyone.
Even though people are distracted by their phones, there are many other distractions that cause accidents. First off, there is visual distraction, which is when the eyes of someone are not focused on the road. A person can be distracted visually by almost anything. People can get distracted by something on the side of the road, animals, looking at the radio, or even doing something much more dangerous, such as putting on makeup. Visual distraction is just as dangerous as any other distraction, but happens more frequently.
The second distraction is called, manual distraction. This is caused by the person taking their hands off of the steering wheel. For example, changing the radio station or reaching for food. Many people get manually distracted by their phones, which is why it is illegal to text and drive. If radios were removed from cars, manual distraction would probably lessen, but even rolling up a car window can be distracting.
The third distraction is called cognitive distractions. This is when your mind wanders off and you get mentally distracted. Cognitive distractions include, having road rage, being upset while driving, or having a conversation with someone else in the car. Cognitive driving is just as dangerous as the other two, but it happens a lot in people that are stressed. When someone is stressed and they start to worry about things, their driving can be influenced by how they are feeling.
In continuation, there are many other things people do behind the wheel than text and drive. Several people get distracted by a GPS, their radio, billboards, etc. Technology helps many people, but it is also at fault for many accidents. Although many people do text in the car, they also get distracted by talking to other people on the phone. The Internet also has a lot to do with distracted driving. "According to State Farm, 29 percent of drivers surveyed access the Internet while driving. That compares to just 13 percent who admitted to surfing the Web while driving in 2009," (LeBeau). Although people are constantly distracted by their phones, they get distracted by many aspects of their phone.
In the same way, driving under the influence is a huge distraction to many. "Every day, 28 people in the United States die in an alcohol-related vehicle crash—that's one person every 53 minutes," (NHTSA). Driving under the influence is illegal, but many people still tend to do so. "Use of marijuana and prescription drugs is increasingly prominent among drivers on America’s roads, which raises a new safety challenge," (NHSTA). Anyone that drives under the influence is putting their life in even more danger.
Regarding to this, drinking and driving is a huge thing that happens often behind the wheel.
"Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely," (NHTSA). Many people are against drinking and driving and treat it as if it is more dangerous than texting and driving. "Many public safety advocates say the current crisis with distracted driving is similar to the challenge the nation faced tackling drunk driving in the 1980s," (Upfront). Both of these distractions are dangerous, fatal, and should be treated equally.
Similarly, driving while tired is dangerous as well. According to NHTSA, "It claimed 846 lives in 2014," (NHTSA). When someone gets in a vehicle and they are tired, they are putting their life at risk and others' lives at risk. There are many ways to avoid driving while drowsy, such as, getting rest, avoiding alcohol before driving, drink coffee, and to take naps in between rest stops. Although all of the distractions listed above our sometimes fatal, there are many ways to avoid every one of
them.
Also, when many people hear about an accident caused by texting and driving, they automatically think that the person who caused the accident was a teen driver. Although, many adults drive distracted as well. "Adults are just as likely as teenagers to text while driving, according to a report released Friday by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project," (Vasquez). According to statistics taken for texting and driving, "almost half of all adults admit to texting while driving in a survey by AT&T provided to USA TODAY, compared with 43% of teenagers. More than 98% of adults — almost all of them — admit they know it's wrong," (Copeland). The thing with adults texting and driving is that they know it is wrong to do and still do it constantly, not being good role models to their children. Teenagers do text and drive as well, but not nearly as much as adults seem to.
Furthermore, texting and driving causes many accidents year round opposed to other distracted driving. In the U.S. alone, "660,000 drivers use cell phones while driving," (Smith, 11). There are many teenage drivers that use their phones when driving to text, Snapchat, get on social media, or watch videos. Some people do survive the accidents from distracted driving, but there are many who do not. "In November, 20-year-old Onasi Olio-Rojas was live-streaming on Facebook while weaving in and out of traffic and speeding at more than 100 miles per hour on a crowded Rhode Island roadway... his Honda Civic smashed into a garbage truck... he was critically injured, but managed to survive," (Smith, 11). Onasi was one of the lucky drivers that survived an accident from texting and driving.
Unfortunately, many drivers will not come out of these accidents alive. A few days after Onasi's accident, another distracted driving accident occurred. "18-year-old Brooke Miranda Hughes wasn't as lucky. She was also live-streaming on Facebook when a tractor-trailer slammed into the back of her Suzuki Forenza on Pennsylvania highway. Hughes and her 19-year-old passenger were both killed," (Smith, 11). These horrific accidents are evidence of how dangerous distracted driving is. Whether you're texting, live-streaming, or even talking on the phone, you're putting your life at risk.
Many people put their lives at risk everyday in a vehicle. Any time a person gets behind the wheel of a car, they are putting their life at risk. It is normal for anyone to get into a car accident without using a cellphone, but many car accidents are caused by distracted drivers. The driver may not even be using a device and become distracted by something outside of the vehicle. "Only 5% of cellphone-related crashes occur because the driver is texting. The majority of the accidents involve drivers distracted while talking on handheld or hands-free cellphones," (Kratsas). Any kind of distraction can cause an accident, but when the person is distracted by a hand-held device, they have a bigger risk.
There are many ways that people are trying to stop texting and driving in the United States. Many states have banned texting while driving, while there are still several states that only ban handheld devices or only ban it until a certain age. "Your State legislature and governor make the laws regarding distracted driving. Many States now have laws against texting, talking on a cell phone, and other distractions while driving," (NHTSA). The laws are enforced, but they have not been very successful. Many companies like Geico and AAA have tips online and brochures that tell people how to prevent and avoid distracted driving.
Additionally, there are tips for teenagers on how to stop their parents from driving distracted as well. The NHTSA is just one campaign that promotes driving safety and pushes towards and end to distracted driving. "NHTSA’s campaigns and public service announcements make the case to Americans that safe driving means driving without distractions," (NHTSA). These campaigns promote safe driving by posting resources for people to look at and information for people to read on the consequences. Fortunately, authorities are looking for other ways to detect distracted driving and put it to an end.
Although the efforts being made to put distracted driving to an end are becoming difficult. Even authorities are trying to find new ways, but they are not sure if the actions they would like to take are legal. "In 2014, the Supreme Court (in Riley v. California) ruled that police can’t search the contents of a cell phone without a warrant, even after an arrest," (Smith, 13). Also, there are many programs and administrations that help towards stopping texting and driving among teens and adults. These programs have made small progress to help save the lives of people driving.
In conclusion, people continue to drive distracted and take those risks. When people see the ads, they think, "that will never happen to me," and assume it could never happen to them. According to most surveys, people know the dangers of distracted driving and think it's ridiculous for others to do it, but then they admit to doing it as well. Even with distracted driving being deadly and fatal, people will put their life at risk for technology, alcohol, and drugs.