Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

In: Other Topics

Submitted By mirza0985
Words 482
Pages 2
Texting while driving

Today cell phones have become part of our everyday lives. People have become completely dependent on their phones. Cell phones do make communication easier with all there 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 cell phone feature discussed is the use of SMS (text messaging). Text messaging allows you 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 there busy life styles. People are now texting more rather then making the time to have phone conversations with others, this trend has lead people to check their phones or text while they are driving constantly because they are always on the go and there phones are accessible.
They believe that texting while behind the wheel is dangerous because it takes the drivers eyes off the road and while driving vision is the most important thing, being aware of all your surroundings is essential for safe conduction. No matter where their cell phone is placed in just a split second that 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 there 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 there message.
Studies 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 they are 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

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Texting While Driving The number one leading cause of teenage driving deaths and crashes is texting while driving. Texting while driving is teenagers’ number one driving distraction (Cell Phone). Texting while driving has not really been a big concern until recently. Law enforcement have realized that the percentage of texting and driving accident have risen over the past years. Texting while driving has been getting ignored but now it’s time to bring it to the light to save some lives. Texting while driving is the #1 wrong thing to do while driving than anything else (Cell Phone). Teenagers do not realize how dangerous texting and driving is; it can cause injuries, distractions, and even deaths. Texting while driving is a growing trend, and a national epidemic, quickly becoming one of the country’s top killers (Distracted Driving Laws). Every year there are one million six hundred thousand, accidents per year and of those accidents there are three hundred thirsty thousand, injuries per year (Distracted Driving Laws). Eleven teen deaths every day due to texting while driving (Distracted Driving Laws). Nearly twenty-five percent of all car accidents are due texting while driving (Distracted Driving Laws). Texting while driving is about six times more likely to cause an accident than driving intoxicated (Distracted Driving Laws). Texting while driving is the same as driving after four beers (Distracted Driving Laws). Texting while driving takes away your attention for five seconds...

Words: 943 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Texting While Driving When sending a text message while you are driving your eyes leave the road for an average of 5 seconds (stoptextsstopwrecks.org). It may not seem like much time, but a lot can happen in that small amount of time. In five seconds a car can travel the distance of a football field. In five seconds a small child can run out into the street to grab their toy as you back out of your driveway. Since they were first introduced, texting while driving has become an extreme problem in the United States, and it is getting worse year by year. But this doesn’t have to continue. Texting while driving should be illegal because it is a highly dangerous action, and by illegalizing it, it’ll bring the world one more step closer to being a safer place. In the book Cell Phones and Driving it stated, "6,000 people die a year due to drivers who are distracted by phones. That’s one hundred and sixty five people in one day, or another person every hour and a half …for example, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study of cell phone use in a moving vehicle and concluded that sending a text message while behind the wheel makes the risk of a driver getting into an accident 23.2 times higher than that of a non-distracted driver. When sending a text message, the driver looks away from the road for 4.6 seconds across a 6 second interval”(Kiesbye7-10). 6,000 is a very large number, especially when it’s placing a number on fatalities. And texting was the main...

Words: 1112 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...TEXTING IS TODAY’S MOST DEMANDED FORM OF COMMUNICATION AND WHILE SOME MAY THINK THAT IT IS JUST A SIMPLE TASK, THE ACT OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING CAN ALSO BE ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS AND POSSIBLY FATAL FORMS OF COMMUNICATION IN THE WORLD TODAY. FIRST LET ME GIVE THE PROPER DEFINITION OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING. TEXTING WHILE DRIVING IS THE ACT OF COMPOSING, SENDING, READING OR SENDING A TEXT MESSAGE, READING OR SENDING EMAILS OR MAKING OTHER SIMILAR USE OF THE WEB ON A MOBILE PHONE WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE. WE ALL HAVE SEEN THE COMMERCIALS WHERE A DRIVER TAKES HIS EYES OFF THE ROAD TO READ A TEXT MESSAGE AND IN AN INSTANT THE DRIVER’S LIFE IS SUDDENLY CHANGED BY A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT ALL DUE TO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING. I KNOW THAT I DON’T EVER WANT TO THINK ABOUT BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT THAT WOULD TAKE THE LIVES OF OTHER MOTORISTS OR PEDESTRIANS. AND I’M PRETTY SURE THAT NONE OF YOU GUYS WANNA WAKE UP EVERY MORNING WITH THE FEELING OF KNOWING THAT YOU WERE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING AN INNOCENT PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THEIR LIVES OR EVEN SHORTENING THE LIFE OF A SMALL CHILD ALL BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO TEXT WHILE DRIVING. USING A CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING IS DANGEROUS ENOUGH BUT TEXTING WHILE DRIVING WILL HAVE THE EFFECTS THAT ARE 100X MORE DEVASTATING. ACTUALLY RESEARCH SHOWS THAT 5 SECONDS IS THE AVERAGE TIME YOUR EYES ARE OFF THE ROAD WHILE TEXTING, AND WHEN TRAVELING AT 55 MPH THAT’S ENOUGH TIME TO COVER THE ENTIRE LENGTH...

Words: 1570 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Texting While Driving It only takes a few moments for anyone to open his/her phone and respond to a text, but it also takes only a moment for his/her life to be over with. Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous things that someone can do while driving. People only think about the excitement to respond to a text; but rarely do they think about the results. People shouldn’t be texting while driving for three reasons: it is illegal, it takes our attention off of the road, and it risks our life and others. Texting while driving is illegal. (Illinois Text Messaging and Cell Phone Laws) People shouldn’t be texting while they are driving because they could get into an accident and could face severe fines and possible jail time. Most states prohibit all drivers from texting and driving. Some people feel that it shouldn’t be considered illegal; that texting while driving is no different than drinking coffee while driving. They might feel that way because they don’t want to pay a fine but more so they don’t realize how dangerous it is. Texting while driving takes your attention off of the road. It takes your attention off of the road when you’re reading or sending a text. I sat down with a few friends of mine who have told me that they have texted while driving and some of their justifications were it didn’t take their attention off of the road because they only did it when they stopped at a light. According to a study by the American Automobile Association 46% of teens...

Words: 690 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Texting While Driving

...Texting While Driving 2200 words Texting While Driving In America, turning sixteen is a huge milestone for most teens because that is when they finally get to drive a car. You spend time studying for the test, even more than you would for your algebra tests. You endure painful driving lessons from your overprotective parents who are gripping on the passenger seats for dear life and lecture you just for going a little bit too fast. Finally, when you are ready, you take the nerve-wrecking driving test where, if you are unlucky, your driving examiner would be a grumpy looking man who looks so strict you lose your nerve and start making silly mistakes. However, after going through the pain and hardships, you finally do it. You get your license and you get a little taste of freedom. No more having your mother pick you up after school or getting a ride with your dad who might sometimes embarrass you in front of your friends. Unfortunately, once you start driving, everything you have learnt went out the window. You drive with your radio turned up, you rarely turn your head all the way to the back when changing lanes, and the worst habit of all, you start texting and even talk on the phone while you are driving. The advancement of technology has made different forms of communication so easily accessible. Social media is such a huge part of us and it is all in the palm of our hands. Sure, it is a good thing that it is so convenient for us but doing all that while behind the wheel...

Words: 2227 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...2014 Why Should Using Your Cell Phone While Driving Be Banned? It is no question that the number of cellular device users is dramatically growing in the United States. Between the years of 1995 and 2010 cell phone subscriptions increased by a whopping 82%. In turn, people are no longer confined to their location. We can essentially communicate with anyone, anywhere, and anytime thanks to the cell phone, including while driving. While we can all agree that cell phones are much more convenient than the days of the home phone, cell phone pose a major safety threat when used while operating a motor vehicle. If you’re using a cellular device while driving not only are you causing your brain to multitask, it has been proven to be just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Here’s the shocking part! Even though most people are aware that the use of a cell phone while driving is just flat out dangerous, they choose to do it anyway; did I just describe you? Many people have the ability to multitask, in fact most of our jobs require some degree of multitasking. However, multitasking while driving is extremely unsafe as operating a vehicle requires full undivided attention. When multitasking our brains will pay more attention to one stimuli over the others, for example, texting while watching T.V. In that moment you are typing a text your brain will naturally pay more attention to texting than it will to the T.V. in the background. While you still may be listening your attention...

Words: 855 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Texting while Driving How many devastating stories have you heard about texting and driving killing someone?After hearing the stories, did you put your phone away? Did you stop texting while driving? Mostly anyones answer would be a simple "no." Texting and driving has become a fatal problem that could cause death and we must enforce a solution for it. Some states though, disagree and don't see it as a problem. There is never a valid enough reason to text while driving and risk yours and others lives. Can that text wait? It always can. The risk and regret is never worth it. As technology goes up and people are now texting more than ever, there is no doubt that texting while driving has become even more common. It has become a national epidemic. In 2011, at least 23 percent of car crashes involved cell phones. Texting while driving puts not only the driver in danger, but also everyone on the road. Texting while driving is a big temptation for teens and some don't even see it a problem. They justify it with all different kinds of things. Teens are obsessed with socializing and though they have seen the danger of texting while driving, they can't seem to find enough willpower to put their phones down. According to United States Department of Transportation, texting while driving makes a driver twenty three times more likely to crash. Using a phone takes the driver's concentration away from the road which can cause swerving and crashing putting you and others at risk for...

Words: 776 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...are many people who are somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving and yet there are so many people getting in car accidents or even dying over this problem. There are many people who justify their phone use by increasing following distance between cars; they hold the phone near the windshield for better visibility and only text at a stop sign or red light. There are a lot more people who own a cell phone than there were in the past decade. Most states in the US have already begun to put laws on phone use and text messaging for any one driving in those states. Many people have their ideas about why cell phone use should be banned or not and if it can be safely done with new technology. Laws against texting while driving...

Words: 1564 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...More than one trillion text messages were sent world-wide last year. Texting while driving has become more common in today’s society than it has ever been. I would like all people driving behind the wheel of any vehicle to stop using their cell phones while driving because it is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. People need to be against texting while driving because it causes a large number of car accidents every year. Many of them are fatal. While driving, teenagers and adults cannot resist the urge to pick up their cell phone and text. As soon as the driver’s eyes look down at their cell phone, the focus on the road is drawn away. About 6,000 are killed because of some kind of distraction while driving and about 1,000 of those accidents reported cell phone use as the distraction. If you think you can’t wait five extra minutes to “lol” in response to your friends joke, you’re dead wrong – pun fully intended. The University of North Texas says others were so wrong that it cost 16,141 people their lives during the 2001 to 2007 time frame. Texting while behind the wheel can even be more dangerous than a drunk driver. A texting driver travels 25 more feet than a normal driver when required to stop. Typically, a drunk driver travels four more feet than a non-impaired driver. It is a scary thought that texting while driving is worse than drunk driving. According to the University of Utah, cell phone distractions can increase reaction time as much as if you had a...

Words: 548 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Kassandra Vera Part 2: Texting While Driving Professor: Jolanta Kiurshanoska English 215 Nova University 18th August 2013 PART 2: TEXTING WHILE DRIVING Texting while driving didn’t become a global issue overnight, but quickly, one fatality after the next, led to alarming statistics that cannot continue to go ignored, and while some families are asking for justice, that could never replace the loved ones they’ve lost. Others are demanding a solution to the growing epidemic. In the United States alone, “over 6,000 deaths and half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers each year.” (Edgar Snyder and Associates, 2013). Cellphone usage has been identified as the number one distraction. Is there a real solution to this issue? The answer is yes, but it will require continued efforts from manufacturers, law enforcements, along with the drivers themselves before this issue can be solved, diminishing the economical, social, and political disturbances it has stirred up in the past decade. Our phones have become smarter, thanks to innovators like Steve Jobs and his contributions to technological advancements during his leadership with Apple, while he was still alive. Not only did he predict the needs of individuals before they knew the need existed, but as he designed each Apple iPhone he brought consumers one step closer to safety. These electronic devices are so intelligent and sensitive, that the voice of a human can be used to perform commands that are directed...

Words: 1702 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...There are many ways a driver can be distracted but a recent phenomenon has made texting and driving the greatest cause of accidents. About 35% of teens know the dangers of texting and driving but admit to continuing to do so. Another 55% say that texting and driving is an easy task. The article "Texting while driving" states, "Texting while driving is the act of sending and receiving text messages while operating a motor vehicle." Whether or not people are texting while driving, it is easy to say many people use their phones while being behind the wheel. "At 55 mph, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover a football field." If you are able to cover 120 yards of a football field in...

Words: 399 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...over one hundred texts per day. That adds up to be more texts per day than there are people on the planet. Wow! Of all the time spent driving, the chances are that someone will receive a text while driving. The law passed in the last few years has made sending a text while driving illegal.Texting is a distraction for the driver. It affects the driver as much as the impairment of the effects of alcohol. It was recorded that there were at least 200,000 accidents due to drivers who were texting. This is the main reason that the law prohibiting texting was passed. Even if an accident does not occur, several drivers may be unfocused and breeze through an intersection when a light is red. In general, distractions impair driving and are being fixed to the best of the state’s ability.True, distractions are bad and need attention. Yet there are still so many distractions at hand such as: adjusting the air-conditioning, turning radio knobs, opening/closing windows, changing CDs, talking on a phone. Why has nothing been done about these nuisances? Are these not just as bad of hazards as that of texting while driving? A fix should be assigned to each of these issues also since if they are as bad as texting.However, texting is a useful tool for communication. It is just as important as a phone call. Readers are right, if they think that texting and driving is dangerous, and I will even agree. If you are getting a text including instructions as how to get to a location or where to go, it is...

Words: 449 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Using your phone while driving is selfish. You and possibly other people could be injured, or killed. You could simply put the phone down and possibly save lives. There are thousands of deaths every year because of distracted driving. There are an estimated 3,000 deaths, because of distracted driving, each year. That means one out of four car accidents are caused by texting while driving. And research shows that there are around 424,000 injuries caused by these accidents each year. This adds up to costing a grand total of 871 billion dollars per year on injuries and deaths. Also, 94% of teens know the dangers of texting while driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway. 11 teenage deaths are caused by texting while driving every day. Almost 70% of 16 to 64 year aged drivers admitted to texting while driving.Over half of these accidents are caused from teenagers and young adults. You could easily put down your phone and save lives....

Words: 517 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Imagine yourself driving down a street, it could be any street,a highway or just right out front of the school. now imagine yourself listening to music while driving, you get a little distracted but not to the point where you cant drive straight on the road. but now I want you to imagine yourself getting a notification from your cell phone. could be a text msg , a phone call or just app notifications from facebook, twitter and so on. and (snaps fingers) just like that your distracted from driving, usually when you've been texting before you get in the car , you have the phone close to you, some of you have the phone on your lap, some of you have the phone in the cup holder, and some of you have the phone on the passenger seat. doesnt matter where you are, you should always be focused and alert while driving. So basically my main purpose is to make you to become more aware of the dangers of texting and driving or using the phone while driving. But really my ultamite goal is to persuade you to persuade your friends or others not to text while driving. and I know its hard, its so hard to deal with, you just want to answer that important text from your friend that only says "hey" or it says "where are you", you get that urge , that itchy feeling, you know that itchy feeling you get when you want to do something so bad, that OOH I want to want to text back feeling. while all this is goin through your mind, your driving and your not focused on driving at all, you Driving and trying to...

Words: 675 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...Chapter 4 Civil liberties; the protections of citizens from improper governmental action. what government cannot do. Civil Rights; the legal or moral claims that citizens are entitled to make on the government. obligations. what government must do. The federal constitution provided such rights as representation in Congress (article 1 section 2) established who can serve in congress and become president and guaranted the privilege of habeas corpus for all people (article 1 section2). The Contstitution banned the importation of slaves after 1808, but permitted the practice of slavery to continue. Dred Scott v. Sandford, supreme court ruled that a former slave was not a citized under Missouri law, could not bring suit in cort, and was his master's personal property. slavery could not be excluded from the territories. helped provoke Civil War. Equal protection clause; aa quest for civil rights in turn inspired other groups to seek new laws and constitutional guarantees of their civil rights. aided by the simplicity of the clause, guarantees to any person. Amendment 1; limits on congress Amendments 2,3,4; Amendments 5,6,7,8; limits on judiciary. Amendments 9,10; limits on the national government. The bill of rights did not become a vital instrument for the extension of civil liberties for anyone until after a civil war and 14the amendment intervened. Strict scrutiny; the most stringent standard of judicial review of a government's actions in which the government must show...

Words: 2268 - Pages: 10