...It’s fast and it’s easy. We respond to that buzz of our phones spontaneously and tune out of our surroundings. A large number of drivers don’t hesitate to both read and respond to test messages while driving. Unfortunately texting has also become a huge safety concern when it occurs while driving. Texting while driving is a serious health issue. Multiple cases have confirmed that texting while driving is becoming a rising problem across the nation. The crashes are happening far too frequently involving both teens and adults. It has reached the point where many states have banned text messaging while operating a vehicle. While talking on a cell phone, a given user can still keep their eyes on the road and at least one hand free, where as text keeps the user’s eyes on and sometimes even both hands on the phone. Texting while you are driving takes one thing away, your vision. Everyone’s eyes are supposed to be on the road at all times. A crash could take place in just a second of you reading the message. Your eyes are the most important thing that you need while driving, a lot of harm could be caused. People today think that texting someone else is fun and necessary. When a person decides to text he or she does not realize the potential dangers that could happen. Texting while driving is not only dangerous, but it is also costly. People are not only putting their own lives at risk but they are also risking the lives of everyone else on the road. You...
Words: 2383 - Pages: 10
...One of the most common occurrences in a person’s everyday life is driving a vehicle but do you ever take a second to think about what harm you can possibly cause. I am sure at one point or another you have been driving and seen another driver and then asked yourself “what is this person doing. “ At the age of 16 Americans are required to take an exam to show they have the knowledge required to operate a vehicle as well as six months of driving with a guardian. Most see this test as satisfactory but with the driving seen on the roads every day I tend to believe otherwise. No matter the age of the driver there are bad skills being demonstrated whether it be the older gentleman going slow in the fast lane or not using the proper turn signal it would be the young kid who just got their license speeding everywhere they go. It is not everyone who has poor driving skills and for the people who drive safely a switch in how we regulate who is allowed behind the wheel could decide how we look at vehicles from now on. What needs to be changed so that safe driving will be a more frequent occurrence is not the way we issue licenses but how the general population is never re-examined on their driving skills after the age of sixteen. Would you be willing to take a re-examination test of your driving skills knowing that you would be saving lives by creating a safer driving environment? A re-examination of all drivers can make the roads safer for everyone. Currently there is only a re-examination...
Words: 1589 - Pages: 7
...that even I cannot control. Imagine something so dangerous that it can take away everything and/or everyone you have in mere seconds, regardless of how safe you are. No matter what safety precautions anyone has taken, statistics show that teenagers, more specifically, sixteen year olds, are the most dangerous drivers on the road. Not only are they a danger to themselves, but even more frighteningly, they are a danger everyone around them. Because of this, I believe the driving age limit should be raised to eighteen and sixteen year olds should not be given a “graduated” driver’s license. Driving is a task that requires the utmost attention to detail. Multitasking is perhaps one of the most important things that any driver has to do when he or she gets behind the wheel. You have to pay attention to your speed, other drivers, pedestrians, road conditions, and much more. Because teenagers get distracted so easily, they are often poor at multitasking. This, in addition to the complexities of driving, makes teenagers, specifically sixteen year olds, the most dangerous drivers on the road. In fact, motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of teenagers, with an estimated 5,000 deaths attributed to it every year. (Schlachtenhaufen, 2008). Even more startling, sixteen year olds have a five to one ratio of being in fatal vehicle crashes when compared to drivers twenty years old or older. In 2003, there were 937 vehicle accidents in which the driver was sixteen years...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...considerable debate is the legal age to consume alcoholic beverages. “Most cultures where alcohol consumption is legal have a mandated threshold age at which buying and/or consuming alcohol becomes permitted” (International Center for Alcohol Policies, 2011, para. 5). Currently, the United States has set the legal age to drink at 21. The age was once 18; however, society has changed its views concerning this issue. Because the legal drinking age changed to 21 there was an increase in mortality rate at age 21, increase in motor vehicle accidents, and increase in suicides. Even though 18 is considered an adult and a person should be able to make his or her own decisions, the drinking age should not be lowered because teens lack the maturity to handle alcohol and teens are at a higher risk of alcohol-related deaths. This debate has two sides as some people are for lowering the age to 18 again and some against. Many will argue that the average drinking age around the world is 18. According to International Center for Alcohol Policies (2011), “Minimum drinking and purchase ages in countries around the world range from 16 to 25 years of age, with 18 being the most common age limit” (para. 6). Others say that if a person age 18 is old enough to serve and die for his or her country, he or she should be permitted to consume alcoholic beverages. Should the drinking age be lowered to 18? This paper will weigh the pros and cons as well as identify potential issues associated with this...
Words: 2686 - Pages: 11
...The video demonstrate that the new generation of games (the virtual world games) are heavily being addicted by the young adults and teenagers, the new generation of games could have uncountable consequences after they are being drawn into worlds that looks much similar to the real world. Some of the teenagers committed a suicide because of an addiction to a virtual world game, these new generation of games make the teenagers addicted to the game, less sociable, lazy, and psychological problems. As these games are increasing dramatically in the market and online, more teens are becoming addicted to it by spending tremendous time of their life's playing these games .As these games have no end , they are driving out the young adults as well as the adults into another world of fantasies and illusion ,which make a totally new perception in the gamers heads ,and this could lead the teenagers to be unrealistic ,thinking only in the terms of the game, and as a conclusion, it will cause the teenagers and also the adults to stop thinking about their education or work which is the more important thing in this age, wasting time on a useless things instead of reading a book for example or doing an activity like playing a sport physically. These games could a severely impact their behavior and personality, the teenager and especially the young children's might become more violent, love to hurt other people ,and might give them the motivation to make illegal things since these games stimulates...
Words: 418 - Pages: 2
...As teens you continually await and look forward to the day of your 16th birthday. On your 16th birthday you are legally allowed to get a driver’s license and drive on the roads without parent supervision. You are finally free from having to ask your parents to drive you and your friends around. But what if someone took this freedom away from you or postponed it? Many states are putting restrictions on 16 year olds drivers, like limiting the amount of people you can have in your car, and how late you can be on the roads. Other states like New Jersey have raised the legal driving age up to 17 or even 18. They believe that by raising the legal driving age will minimize the amount of crashes and make the roads safer. But no matter what the...
Words: 415 - Pages: 2
...use the Internet. 66% The percentage of children ages 3 to 17 using a computer at home in fall 2003 to complete school assignments. This was the second most common home computer use for children, behind playing games. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/007108.html Teens, Cell Phones and Texting http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messages Text Messaging Becomes Centerpiece Communication by Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist, Pew Internet & American Life Project April 20, 2010 The mobile phone has become the favored communication hub for the majority of American teens.1 Cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, with cell calling a close second. Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004. Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens2 -- or 88% of teen cell phone users -- are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. More than half of teens (54%) are daily texters....
Words: 3717 - Pages: 15
...Technology: It’s Effect on Our Youth Growing up I remember playing outside all day, enjoying the outdoors, and riding bikes down the dirt roads, trying to find some new adventure to get into. Looking around now, I notice teenagers glued to their phones when they are out eating, walking around and even while driving. It seems like a lot has changed since I was a child. Technological advances have made our way of life easier by making communication faster than ever before, improving production rates, and making it easier to access information. However, with the good also comes the bad. I have noticed an increase in the time children spend inside, as opposed to outdoors, the changes in behavior of children and teenagers, and the decline in personal interaction. I believe that technology, if not used in moderation, could have a negative influence on our youth. I have noticed the significant change that has occurred in technology in just a generation’s time. As a child, I remember when people were purchasing their first personal computers, usually for everyone in the household to share. These computers were not nearly as fast and advanced as computers are today. Now, nearly every home in America has a personal computer, laptop or some other way of accessing the internet, like a smartphone or tablet. While access to the internet can help educate children if used in an educational way, misuse of technology, like playing violent video games, could cause a setback...
Words: 889 - Pages: 4
...growing percentage of the population, and thus an increasing proportion of people on the road (Katherine Mikel 2008). Driving helps older people stay independent and mobile. And family members of these elderly parents and relatives usually feel too pushy and domineering to insist that their loved one is no longer able to remain independent. However, some older drivers do recognize their personal and civic duty to be responsible and take precautions when getting behind the wheel, such as only driving during daylight hours, taking well-known roads, and traveling a safe distance behind other drivers. In 2012, there were almost 36 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase noticeably starting at age’s 70‒74 and are highest among drivers age 85 and older. These octogenarians have a higher collision rate per mile traveled of any age groups except for teens, and their rate of fatal collisions per mile traveled is the highest of all drivers. The risk of injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases with age. An average of 586 older adults is injured every day in crashes. In 2012, more than 5,560 older adults were killed, and more than 214,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes. That amounts to 15 older adults killed and 586 injured in crashes on average every day (CDC 2015). The task of driving requires the ability to receive sensory information, process the information, and to make proper timely judgments and...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...Drunk driving and devising ways to prevent it have been a long standing issue in our society, and rightfully so. However, there are individuals far worse dangerous to have behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. As reported in the American Journal of Public Health, a journal dedicated to the publication of original work in research, research methods, and program evaluation in the field of public health, Dr. Fernando Wilson and Jim Stimpson, in collaboration with the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), affirm that a person that is texting while driving is 23 times more likely to be involved in a car crash than a drunk driver (2010). Between 2005 and 2008, distracted driving fatalities increased more than 28% nationwide (Stimpson & Watson, 2010). Driving while texting has become an undeniable danger as these figures support. It is for this reason, as reported in the Dallas Morning News, that Texas lawmakers recently passed a bill, 124-16, to ban texting while driving (Hoppe, 2011). This bill has now gone on to seek much needed approval from the governor, Rick Perry. With so much support coming from the Texas House, it is expected for the bill to pass. However, one must keep in mind that Governor Perry has a penchant for vetoing bills, as was evident back in 2000 when he vetoed a record 83 bills in one day (CBSDFW.com, 2011). As of right now the state of Texas currently has a no-texting policy for licensed drivers under the age of 18 and anyone driving in a school zone (Hoppe...
Words: 1781 - Pages: 8
...readers about what the general public can view on television and how it affects the minds of children. Reality TV shows such as Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant, Intervention, and The Real World all are bad for kids because they show inappropriate and explicit behavior, they send a bad message, and they humiliate people. For these reasons, parents should make sure their kids do not get the wrong message of how life should be. Reality TV shows are inappropriate and explicit. In Jersey Shore, Italians are portrayed as partyers and classified as Guidos and Guidettes. Actual Italians are disgusted since they think it is an insult to their Italian culture. Furthermore on MTV, young girls can be seen struggling with teen pregnancy. The show 16 and Pregnant follows expectant teens and their partners at a young age with a baby on the way struggling to maintain basic needs for themselves and their babies. The show Intervention presents addicts abusing drugs and alcohol, and it even shows how the addicts take their drug. Since kids are able to see how drugs are used, it can stay lodged in their head and that information can be used later on if they are faced with the same situation. For example, when an addict would “shoot up,” the producers will keep recording the...
Words: 1067 - Pages: 5
...Page 2 GAMBLING The United States has had a long history of allowing some forms of legal gambling and a degree of tolerance of illegal gambling. Casino’s were built as early as the 1800’s in the United States but gambling in general took place far before that. One of the most popular places to gamble took place on river boats traveling throughout the Mississippi river and other major waterways. In the 1800’s Professional gamblers were frowned upon by the majority of people and blamed for limiting economic growth, interfering with business, endangering the streets, and committing crimes. Gambling was brought to California by The Gold Rush making San Francisco the capital of gambling in the United States. It soon became outlawed throughout the country but not eliminated due to underground gambling. In 1931 gambling was legalized once again in the state of Nevada. In today’s society gambling is everywhere around us. People are able to walk down the street to almost any convenient store and buy lottery tickets. Anyone with a credit card (even if they are underage) can get on the computer and gamble on casino websites, poker websites or place a bet on sporting events. There’s different opinions about gambling and how it effects people and the community. The gambling industry offers benefits to the community and can build a cities economy. They offer thousands of job opportunities from anywhere such as waiters/waitresses and casino workers to law enforcers to keep the...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...Underage Drinking Introduction Underage drinking has long been, and continues to be, a serious public health concern. “Teen alcohol use kills more than 4700 people each year and high school students who use alcohol or other drugs are five times more likely to drop out of school” (MADD, 2014) than kids who do not. There have been years of underage drinking prevention programs to curtail the use of alcohol by those under 21 years of age and yet alcohol is the most widely used drug by adolescents in the United States (Wagoner et al. 2012). Underage drinking is a real problem in all 50 states, even though there are laws in place to prohibit anyone under 21 years of age from drinking alcohol. Parental involvement might be the missing link to decrease underage drinking for good. Statement of the Problem This study proposes that if parents are involved in prevention and intervention programs too, underage drinking will significantly decrease, in addition, age of onset will increase and more adolescents and young adults will abstain from alcohol use until legal age. Access to alcohol for underage drinkers comes from various sources. Many students are aware of local stores that sell alcohol to underage customers, know people who will purchase alcohol for them, and many utilize fake identification cards to purchase alcohol (Phipps, 2013). Surprisingly and sadly, a large provider of alcohol to underage partakers are parents themselves. When individuals become parents...
Words: 1376 - Pages: 6
...Continually captivates experts, why prescription drug abuse is on the rise? One driving force can be attributed to the broken insurance reform to mandate all Americans to carry health insurance. This has quickly increased the availability of prescription drugs to the masses; the opportunity for abuse is greatly expanded. Health care providers report they are writing more prescriptions for patients than ever before, the variety of kinds, and uses, is endless. Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) are state run electronic databases used to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled prescription drugs to patients. Evidence continues to accumulate that prescription drug monitoring programs are effective in improving clinical decision-making, reducing doctor shopping and diversion of controlled substances (PDMP...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
...diseased condition resulting from the excessive use or persistent use of alcoholic beverages.” Alcoholism has divided into two major forms--alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence (Goodwin 1998). Alcohol abuse is the excessive consumption of alcohol which has detrimental effects on the people and situations surrounding an individual; whereas, alcohol dependence is a physical attachment to the alcohol. Alcohol abuse leads to hazardous behavior, such as drunken driving and continued drinking despite negative consequences on family, work, or social functioning. Alcohol dependence involves withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not used, and lack of control over drinking despite serious social and medical problems (Goodwin 1998). Various studies have been performed to show the relationship between alcoholism and genetics. New research on male twins show that genes play a critical role in the development of milder forms of alcoholism, such as, occasional abuse that can land the drinker in dangerous circumstances, particularly while driving (Goodwin 1998). The genetic similarity between twins makes them the perfect subjects on which to perform testing. Previous research has shown that people with an alcoholic family member have a two to four times higher risk of becoming alcoholic than...
Words: 1594 - Pages: 7
