Think Twice about Texting and Driving
Think Twice about Texting and Driving
“In 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver” (Distracted Driving). Many people do not realize that texting and driving causes so many injuries and deaths. People believe that looking down at a phone for three seconds is okay and will not cause harm. They are wrong; texting while driving causes more accidents than other distractions while driving. There are also laws that forbid the use of a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Texting and driving is an action that kills more people than expected. Due to the lack of concentration on the first-hand action; a slowed reaction is brought upon the driver.
Texting and driving is a problem because of the delayed reaction time of someone who is driving a car.
“Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s handheld or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent” (2009, University of Utah). Driving while texting is similar to driving while intoxicated because of the delayed reaction time, but texting while driving is much worse. When a person is driving under the influence of alcohol, they are, for the most part, still focusing on the road; whereas a person who is texting is paying more attention to their phone than on the road. Therefore, most accidents are caused from texting while driving.
When going through Drivers Education, or a driving school, drivers are taught to keep their hands at the ”ten and two position” on the steering wheel and their eyes on the road. With texting being more common, now people try to multi-task texting while they are driving. “49% of drivers with cell phones under the age of thirty-five send or read text messages while driving” (2011, Harris Poll). Accidents from distraction can be caused by any person who owns a cell phone and drives.
“In 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver” (Distracted Driving). Many people do not realize that texting and driving causes so many injuries and deaths. People believe that looking down at a phone for three seconds is okay and will not cause harm. They are wrong; texting while driving causes more accidents than other distractions while driving. There are also laws that forbid the use of a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Texting and driving is an action that kills more people than expected. Due to the lack of concentration on the first-hand action; a slowed reaction is brought upon the driver.
Texting and driving is a problem because of the delayed reaction time of someone who is driving a car.
“Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s handheld or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent” (2009, University of Utah). Driving while texting is similar to driving while intoxicated because of the delayed reaction time, but texting while driving is much worse. When a person is driving under the influence of alcohol, they are, for the most part, still focusing on the road; whereas a person who is texting is paying more attention to their phone than on the road. Therefore, most accidents are caused from texting while driving.
When going through Drivers Education, or a driving school, drivers are taught to keep their hands at the ”ten and two position” on the steering wheel and their eyes on the road. With texting being more common, now people try to multi-task texting while they are driving. “49% of drivers with cell phones under the age of thirty-five send or read text messages while driving” (2011, Harris Poll). Accidents from distraction can be caused by any person who owns a cell phone and drives.