The Perils of Texting

Which of the five moral dimensions on the information system identified in this text is involved in this case?
My conclusion in this case is that people have the right and freedom for acting as they want (in this case texting while driving) but at the same time they have the obligation to consider the lives of other people that have the immeasurable right to be safe and sound while driving. Therefore, when drivers get involved in car accidents they must be held accountable and liable for the harm done to other individuals. Cell phones may be a valuable tool of communicating, but there are limits for the use of them as far as safety. There must be control for their use so people’s lives are not put at stake. The processes involved and the quality of the system must be analyzed by the authorities and all the industries involved, auto and telephone, in order for new values to be introduced or preserved for everybody to maintain a good quality of life.
What are the ethical, social and political issues raised by this case?
The average American spends 101 minutes a day driving (according to the 2007 Harvard Health Watch). Living in an era where time is money, the ethical issue raised is how you can deny individuals the right of communicating for their business while driving, hence creating a problem to their economic wellbeing by banning a useful and vital tool. On the other hand, the statistics are clear; the use of the phone while driving can be deadly. Therefore, the government must implement and enforce laws that must regulate the situation. But banning will not provide a solution to the problem by itself. Maybe it is time for the authorities not only to implement and enforce laws to individuals, but for new regulations to be imposed to the auto industry (like the safety belt) and demand the installation of communication devices, that will be safe to use while driving, to every car. Back at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, Ford and Microsoft took the stage and announced Ford SYNC, which forced the entire industry to get serious about mobile phone integration for drivers. Now five years later, CES is expecting record participation from automakers with the “connected car” as a major theme. Once again there is a lot of anticipation about the car joining people’s connected lives, and automakers are racing to safely deliver web content to the driver’s seat. Therefore, all the stakeholders involved have realized the problem and are now trying to provide a solution. The only concern now is how they can implement this type of technology promptly and make it economically reasonable for consumers and manufacturers by suppressing the sociopolitical bureaucracy involved. Which of the ethical principles described in the text are useful for decision making about texting while driving? The Golden rule; do unto others as you would have them do unto you, applies in this case. Putting yourself into the place of others and thinking like the person that will suffer the consequences helped me create a conclusive analysis about this case.