Distracted Driving

Distracted driving accounted for more than 3,100 deaths in 2013. The U.S. Department of Education has taken several steps to control the number of distracted driving incidents. The organization has held summits and pushed to enforce strict texting and driving laws. Technology manufacturers are starting to get involved in the nation’s effort to save lives. The ComSonics company is currently producing a device that can potentially track a person who is sending texts from a cell phone while driving.

Nearly 6,000 people are killed connecting to the outcome of cell phone use while driving, according to Edmunds.com (7). Texting and talking on the phone throughout the time that a person is driving can have deadly consequences, but people still don’t seem to want to give up risking their life. There are many issues that can happen while on the road related to the usage of cell phones. It is important to stop people from looking at their phones while driving, because it is extremely distracting and not safe. Even hands free devices are not as safe as they seem to be. There have to be consequences for people using their cell phones while driving in order to improve the people’s safety. According to Edmunds.com, cell phones are known as distractions everywhere in the world and have created several concerns to several countries (9).

Using a handheld cell phone could be one of the deadliest decisions you could make while operating a motor vehicle. The dangers and impact of using a cell phone while behind the wheel are numerous. One of the main reasons people still use their cell phones while driving is that there is no consistency in the laws across the country. Certain states have legislation that bans cell phone use, while other states only ban certain usage situations. Tough federal legislation is the only way to decrease the use of handheld cell phones while driving. The tougher the laws are, the less likely people will be to use

One sunny day on a Houston road, the driver of a pickup truck collided with a church minibus. 13 people died, and the driver admitted he was texting and driving. Yet this happens very often. Over 330,000 car accidents happened from texting while driving in 2015. Distracted driving is very risky, because attention is drawn away from the road,

Kratsas stated that according to the National Safety Council’s Annual injury and fatality report, 26% of the accident in the United States are caused by the use of cellphones. Using cellphones while driving has been a chronic problem in America. The U.S. government of transportation have been trying to make laws that forbid using cellphones behind the wheel. According to an article by Marino, “10 states plus D.C prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones, 32 states and D.C. prohibit novice drivers from cell phone use, and 30 states plus D.C. prohibit all drivers from text messaging.” Even though there are laws that forbid

Imagine you’re on your way to work and you get a text message from a friend or family member. Although you know that it is wrong to check while you are driving, you still check it anyways because you have done it plenty of times and got away with it. Then you look back up and realize that you are on the other side of the road and there is a car heading your way. You swerve back into your lane just in time to miss the incoming car and you realize how those three seconds could have completely changed your life. This is an experience many young and older distracted drivers have at least once in their lives. Now if you are wondering what are the risks that comes with distracted driving, what is the hype surrounding this social problem, and want learn how problem can be solved, you have come to the right place. Throughout this paper I will introduce to you what distracted driving is. Following that I will reveal the claim makers and their strategies to gain awareness about distracted driving. After that I will give the proposed solutions including direct cost, indirect cost, and the money estimated money needed carry out these costs. Finally, I will reveal what I have learned about this problem

Many states prohibit texting while driving. In fact, laws have been established that prevent drivers from using their cell phone unless it is an emergency. About 73% of drivers say it is easy to text and drive, however 1.3 million car crashes are caused by texting and driving. An effort to band texting and driving in Texas is at limbo in the Senate and was one vote shy of having enough members agree to bring it to the floor. (Tinsley 1) Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo states that they are so very close and will prevent death, injuries and reduce property damage. Furthermore, she finds it difficult to believe that anyone is opposed to this. Some of the statistics of texting and driving: approximately 660,000 drivers are using cellular phones while driving. Unites States’ drivers are reported as 20% of teens using the cell phone and 10% adults using cell phones while driving. Driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Distracted Driving 1) The Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood states distracted driving is a deadly epidemic. The most recent survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows just how widespread it is in almost 2/3 of the survey respondents had seen drivers in vehicles texting or on the cell in the previous 30days. Almost, 94% had observed motorist talking on a hand held phone. (Driving distracted 1) There are many

Turning off one’s cell phone while driving is a good way to not be tempted to use it. Although it is inevitable to want to change a radio station or speak to a passenger in the car, a driver should do so in moderation so that their main focus will still be driving. Currently 46 of the 50 states have banned texting and driving, though how many states legitimately enforce this ban? The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that texting while driving is responsible for approximately 1.6 million accidents every year, which is 25% of all driving accidents (U.S. Dept. of Transportation N.A.). During the day, an estimated 660,000 drivers are using cellphones while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010 across America. Of this estimation, how many drivers are pulled over and given a ticket? The first offense, in New Jersey, texting while driving consequence is a fine of $200-$400, not including legal fees. Only on the third offense does a driver receive a possible suspended license in addition to $600-$800 fine and 3 motor vehicle points (NJ Dept. of Law and Public Safety N.A). By a third offense, one could suspect that a driver could have already caused an unreported accident due to distracted

Saying things are dangerous is meaningless without the evidence and statistical support that backs the claims. A Federal Communication Commission to the House of Representatives produced multiple revealing statistical studies to present to the House in order to start considering a national law. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2008 that driver distraction was the cause of 16 percent of all fatal crashes (Julius). In the 5,800 crashes created by distracted driving in 2008, 21 percent of those crashes resulted in a basic injury, and 515,000 people were wounded in serious injuries (Julius). Since 2008, more recent studies have been completed to more accurately show that distracted driving is truly a growing problem. A study by Virginia Tech Driving Institute revealed that those who resort to texting while driving are 23 time more likely to meet with an accident. According to a report by the National Safety Council, talking or texting while driving causes 28 percent of car accidents. The researchers at Virginia Tech also concluded that of all cellphone related tasks including talking, dialing, or reaching for the phone, texting while driving is the most dangerous. The large number of accidents and injuries are not surprising considering when texting, the driver’s steering capability goes

As many people may know, distracted driving has become more of an issue as the years pass. There are multiple different things that you may not even know could be causing you a distraction while you are driving. These things could include loose object rolling around on the floorboard, change jingling in a console or in a cup holder, radio turned at a high volume causing you not to hear other car horns or sirens, children or pets in the car, fixing hair and or makeup, too many passengers, making adjustments to things in on your vehicle, such as adjusting the mirrors or the seats, texting, or attempting to eat and drink.

Car wrecks happens each and every day. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gauges distracted driving by collecting data on "distraction-affected crashes," which focuses on distractions that are most likely to affect crash involvement such as dialing a cellphone or texting and being distracted by another person or an outside event. In 2013, 3,154 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes, and 424,000 people were injured. There were 2,910 distraction-affected fatal crashes, accounting for 10 percent of all fatal crashes in the nation, 18 percent of injury crashes and 16 percent of all motor vehicle crashes in 2013 (NHTSA). (http://www.rmiia.org/auto/traffic_safety/Cost_of_crashes.asp.). Texting while driving is completely banned in 46 states plus the District of Columbia. According to the governor’s highway safety association.

It is known that the use of cell phones while driving decreases driver awareness and overall road safety, and in response to this knowledge, some states have passed laws that have prohibited the use of handheld devices. However, there are no laws banning hands free cell phone usage, despite research claiming hands free devices are just as dangerous handheld devices, but does their usage distract drivers enough to the point where states should legally ban the total use cell phones while driving? The following will introduce arguments for both sides of this topic, one for hands free cell phone usage and the other against cell phones usage entirely.

On any given day, millions of Americans are driving on the roads. There are truck drivers; family’s going on vacations, and many other people that share the roads. Everyone just wants to get to their location safely, but sadly, this always doesn’t happen. Each year thousands of Americans are killed due to distracted driving, even more are injured. It’s a dangerous problem that is getting larger by the day. One type of distracted driving that is more prevalent is talking on the cell phone. Everyone is affected by this type of distracted driving because they are exposed to it every day. The use of the cell phone while driving has the ability to dramatically impact a person’s reaction time. It takes a person’s eyes off the road, which is something that should never happen. In turn, this could increase the risk of them causing a car crash. The public does want the roads to be safe for themselves and their families. The United States government and other state agencies have been studying ways to reduce this destructive trend. One way they have been discussing is making talking on a cell phone while driving illegal. This is a very straight forward way of attacking the issue. By doing this, they can effectively help to prevent further injuries or deaths. This is an enormous task to accomplish, but doing this is better than doing nothing. Banning the use of cell phones while driving is advantageous for citizenry because eliminating anything that distracts a person from driving has

So, have you even used your cell phone lately while driving, wither it was just a quick glance down to see who sent that text, or see who just liked your Facebook status? I know I have, at least once or twice. Right now as we talk about the dangers of using a cell phone while on the road, there are other people using cell phones while they drive putting people’s lives at risk every second. Every day accidents occur while you’re driving, sleeping, or at work. “Nearly 25% percent of all automobile accidents are related to the use of cell phones” Web Site: http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/.

It is known that the use of cell phones, specifically handheld use such as texting, while driving decreases driver awareness and the overall safety of roads. In response to this knowledge, some states have passed laws that have outlawed the usage of handheld devices, and while there should be laws that definitively outlaw handheld usage, is there enough empirical evidence to outlaw hands free usage of cell phones? In other words, does handsfree usage of cell phones, via bluetooth, speakerphone, etc., distract drivers enough to the point where states should legally ban the total use cell phones while driving. The following essay will introduce arguments for both sides of this topic, one for hands free cell phone usage and the other against cell phones usage entirely.