Essay On Distracted Driving

Several factors contribute to distractive drivers of any age. Cell phones would rate the greatest threat to teen drivers. Incoming calls and text messaging would rate the greatest threat would instantly distract most teens. Any inattention to the road could cause a serious or lethal accident. A few months ago in Casa Grande, AZ an accident involving a teen who was texting lost his life with another passenger seriously injured in the opposing car. “According to the American Automobile Association, almost half of teens admit to texting while driving.” (Distracted Driving 253) Other distractions would include programming global positioning system, smoking, eating, drinking, and applying make-up.

“Distracted driving refers to any nondriving activity that takes motorists ' attention away from the safe operation of their vehicles” (Leone). Every time a driver gets in a vehicle and decides to use a cell phone to have a conversation, either talking or texting, they put themselves and others lives in danger. The convenience a cell phone and the capabilities they offer have made them a substantial distraction and a cause of significant source of vehicle accidents and fatalities. There are three different types of distractions: visual, manual and cognitive. Cell phone use is the most dangerous distraction because it involves all three different types of distraction and plays a part in the increasing issue of distracted driving. Even

Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in America, followed by speeding, then drunk driving. A study performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTAS) found that 80% of car crashes were a direct result of distracted driving. There are three types of distractions for drivers: visual, cognitive, and manual. Cell phone usage whilst driving meets all three criteria for a distracted driver. When a person is using a phone they will take their eyes away from the road to look at the device (visual), they will think about the content of what they are looking at and take their mind off of the road (cognitive), and they will also take their hands off of the wheel to use the device (manual). There are many other reasons that can be attributed to distracted driving, like applying make-up or loud passengers in the car, but cell phone usage is becoming a rapidly growing concern, especially with younger drivers. The NHTAS identified that drivers under the age of 20 make up the highest proportion of distracted drivers that were involved in fatal crashes.

Although distracted driving is a problem for all drivers, it specifically is a major problem for teenagers. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for American teens. When it comes to distracted driving, young people are the most likely to text and talk behind the wheel ("Distracted Driving Facts"). In Idaho between the years of 2010 and 2014, the age group 15-19 experienced the most crashes, with the age group 20-24 coming second. Teenagers also contributed to 10% of fatal car crashes and a little over 15% of serious injury car crashes ("Distracted Crash

A large number of accidents, whether severe or not, usually occur within a blink of an eye, and most these accidents are caused by using the phone while driving. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Some may say that their families may call for something urgent and they have to answer. Although it may be urgent but answering may put the driver in such a bad situation that he will not be able to help the person calling. Remember, a crash resulting from texting and driving can happen to

The risks of distracted driving are great and lead to unfathomable results. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), there are three main types of distracted driving. The first is visual - taking your eyes off of the road. The second is manual- taking your hands off of the wheel, and the third is cognitive - taking your mind off of driving (CDCP). While all of these exist amongst distracted drivers, the major distraction for most people is visual and manual. For example, whether an individual is changing the radio or the most common and dangerous thing, texting; particularly because texting involves all three forms. It involves

1). Texting and using a cell phone are the two most common distractions while driving (“Distracted” para. 1). It Can Wait campaign has started to stop drivers from using handheld devices (“Distracted” para. 3). Distractions affect one’s driving performance (“Distracted” para. 5). Drivers are distracted around half the time they drive (“Distracted” para. 5).15% to 25% of crashes on all levels are caused by distraction (“Distracted” para. 5). Texting increases the driving risk, even more than regular cell phone use (“Distracted” para. 5). When cops fill out crash reports, the states should keep track of them (“Distracted” para. 6). There are many distraction while driving that may cause the driver to take focus off the road (“Distracted” para. 8). Some distraction that everyone does is : changing the radio or a CD, talking to passenger, and observing the event outside the vehicle (Distracted para. 8). There are effects on telematics on driving behaviors (“Distracted” para. 9). Some say that the electronic device companies need to inform the public about the real use of these devices (“Distracted” para.

Plenty of people are losing their daughters, sons, or other family members because of either distracted driving or drinking and driving. Both are a big issue. Not only are people getting hurt, but parents also suffer when their children get into an accident. People do not think about the people they are hurting because of their actions. People need to take care and drive safely each time they are behind the wheel. Five seconds is the average time someone’s eyes are off the road while they are texting (“Facts and Statistics”). The majority of teens respond to a text message at least once or more every time they drive. Teens have the tendency of responding to a text message when they are driving or even when they are on their social media. Cell phone use while driving might be as or more dangerous than driving under the influence of

Distracted driving has been the most recent cause of accidents on the road presently. Of course there are many other reasons why drivers get into accidents, but it is mainly because they get distracted. Police in El Cerrito, California even gave more than 600 citations in April to drivers for distracted driving violations (“El Cerrito”).Also,“nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in the U.S. due to drivers being distracted”(“Distracted”).Distracted driving today causes many accidents through the use of technology, eating and drinking, and children in the backseat.

WARNING!! There is currently a dangerous epidemic outbreak of accidents caused by distracted driving all across the United States. Many believe that this outbreak only affects teenagers. Although, according to The Texas Department of Transportation in 2015 there has been over 105,000 of these accidents deals with teenagers and adults as the driver due to distracted driving. Safe driving is described as a complex procedure that requires 100 percent of focus and concentration. While, distractive driving is defined as any time the driver takes their eyes off the road for even a split second due to any distraction. These distractions can range from eating to using any electronic device and even talking to others inside and outside the car. There are countless of cases after cases about drivers being distracted and getting into fatal car

involved in over 12,300 crashes statewide in 2016, 79 of which were fatal. Cellphone use

Distracted driving has proven time and time again to be a leading cause of accidents. From eating to texting and driving, distractions on the roadway are apparent every day. Because roadway travel is inevitable in daily activities, precautions should be taken in order to stay safe. The debate concerning distracted driving lies in the preventative measures by the state government. Our state does provide enough information through awareness events, public service announcements, and programs to prevent distracted driving. While one could argue that the state does not actively prevent distracted driving, the state does provide resources to combat distracted driving. Florida’s various published resources in accordance with enforcement work

In 2014, 2,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. This trend is being continued by the younger and newer generation, as distracted driving has been a big temptation for teens. Eighty-six percent of the eighty-two percent of American teens who own cell phones have admitted to either being on a call or responding to a text while driving. It’s even more alarming that as of 2014, seventy-seven percent claim that they are confident that they can handle distractions while driving. Distracted driving is pretty explanatory; the process of being distracted while driving any motorized vehicle. Anyone can be part of a distracted driving incident; it can be the driver, the passengers in the vehicle and even other people in surrounding vehicles. There are a few ways to make sure drivers would be able to drive and give their complete attention to the road, such as educating the public, and restricting the inattentiveness of the driver. However, it is necessary for the states to enforce laws that reduce distracted driving because frequent multitasking can have a negative effect on the brain’s ability to focus, and distracted driving puts the safety of the driver and the people around them at risk.

Therefore, we want to inform you about three deadly distractions found with cell phone use. One article (CDC et al., 2015), explains in simple terms, “There are three main types of distraction; visual, (taking your eyes off the road), manual, (taking your hands off the wheel), and cognitive, (taking your mind off of driving).” (para. 1). There are six variables with cell phone driving behaviors; all of which have a bleak end. According to researchers and predictors of distracted cell phone driving, Tian and Robinson (2016), “The data suggest that the attitude variable predicted intention to engage in all six distracted driving behaviors (reading and sending text message, making and answering cell phone calls, reading/viewing social media), and posting on social media while driving.” (para. 1). These behavior variables can lead to unsafe driving. Moreover, the law would be enforced on DWD violators.

Advancing technology in wireless communications is presenting a growing concern for distracted driving due to using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle as some states have will not resolve the issue. In fact a ban on cell phones and driving may very well increase the accident and fatality rate because drivers are now more involved with concealing their illegal behaviors. More citizen participation and drivers safety management should be more carefully considered in a transpiring situation such as this. More Americans should be