How Does Distracted Driving Affect Society

Distracted driving; most of us are guilty of it without even knowing it. Distracted driving is doing anything else unrelated to driving while behind the wheel. This could include: using a cell phone, changing the radio station, eating food, and even having a conversation. The most distracting of them all is using a cell phone because it requires the user to manually input information. The laws surrounding texting while driving are far too lenient when compared to laws on drunk driving, yet both can end in a car crash. People texting while driving should face steeper penalties than what is already in place because they are a danger to anyone around them. The small fines are not enough to deter people. While banning cell phones from being allowed in vehicles is not an effective approach to the problem, stricter laws should be put in place to make the roads a safer place. Texting while driving penalties should be treated with a similar severity that DUI charges are. The penalties for texting and driving need to be increased because it would make the roads safer, increase the government’s revenue, and help solve the problem of texting while driving.

Car and Driver Magazine conducted an experiment comparing the dangers of texting while driving and drunk driving. The magazine tested the time it would take to hit the brakes when sober, when legally impaired at a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08, when reading an email, and when sending a text. In the most ideal conditions and sober, focused drivers took an average of 0.54 seconds to brake. For legally impaired drivers, an additional four feet was added. A concerning additional 36 feet was necessary for reading an email, and adding 70 feet was needed for sending a text. Another test conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory found that drivers who texted had slower response times and generally drove worse than drivers who were under the influence of marijuana. Several studies continually show that distracted driving is as or more dangerous as drunk driving and today, most states have banned texting while driving. It would seem like common sense that texting while driving be outlawed, but what is astonishing is that it is not illegal to text while driving a school bus in Montana, Missouri, and Arizona. Even though most states outlaw

According to Ashley Gaddis from Counterpoint, “From 1999 to 2008, nearly fifty-two thousand people were killed in car crashes caused by distracted drivers” (n.pag.). Distracted driving started when technology became mobile and handheld. Many people have died and gotten injured from people not paying attention to the road. This problem has been growing as technology advances. Distracted driving is a big problem and there needs to be stronger penalties and laws in place to deter people from distracted driving.

According to kelly (2012), about “six billion messages are sent a day and over 2.2 trillion in the US, (Kelly, 2012). The worst violators are high school seniors, 58% have said they have texted while they were driving within the month before the study (Bratsis,2013).” That is a lot of teens that are texting nowadays. The majority of teenagers argue that “texting and driving is a “common” thing to do.” but when not only their lives but also other

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.

Distracted driving is an increasing problem in the United States and among younger drivers. According to reports, distracted driving is similar to drunk driving because it diverts the person’s attention away from driving. Every year, thousands of people die from distracted driving. With laws, education, and campaigns could reduce the amount of deaths per year ("Facts and Statistics").

“In a split second, you could ruin your future, injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you.” -Sharon Heit, mother of the victim of distracted driver. (https://www.pinterest.com) Texting while driving increases the risk of crashes and reduces one’s awareness and performance, also causing diversion of attention and decreases the ability to focus. As the use of devices while driving can be severely dangerous, there are countless ways to discourage this practice. For instance, being educated on the importance of safety, stricter laws and or punishments, or furthermore, using handheld free technology. By these taking place, texting and driving would become an important priority preventing drivers from causing

Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing problems in the United States.   It is starting to be considered as serious as drunk driving based on the dangerous outcomes.  According to the Department of Transportation (2012), “distracted driving was a cause of roughly 450,000 accident-related injuries and nearly 5,500 fatalities in 2009 alone” (para. 1). Drivers who allow themselves to become distracted while driving are not only endangering themselves, but other innocent bystanders.

Many people admit to texting while driving on a daily basis. Mostly everyone has either received, read, or responded to a text in their lifetime. In 2014, there were 3,179 people killed in an accident involving texting. (“The dangers of texting while driving”) Multiple people have died due to texting while driving or someone who was texting while driving. In the past 10 years texting while driving has been getting out of hand. Texting while driving should be illegal in every state because it can cause a fatal accident, texting while driving is getting worse every year, and it can take the life of an innocent person.

Recently, a nationally representative survey of distracted driving attitudes and behavior found that drivers under 25 are far more likely than older drivers to send text messages or emails while driving. Among 16-25 year old respondents, approximately 70% admitted to sending text messages or emails while driving compared to 14% of all respondents. And, while almost all drivers believe that sending text messages while driving is very unsafe, young passengers are more reluctant than older passengers to speak up if the driver is texting behind the wheel (Mayhew, 2013). A lot of scientific studies show that the human brain has trouble focusing on more than one thing at a time., but people stubbornly continue to do so and even believe that this shows we are exceptional individuals, and that we are fully capable of handling the stress of multitasking because we are all so important and indispensable. With this in mind, people really need to stop doing other tasks while

As mentioned, distracted driving is a rising epidemic caused by the rapid growth of smartphone addiction caused by social media. While operating a smartphone, drivers are physically & cognitively distracted. Multitasking is in impossible because the brain can only fixate on so much. Undeniably, young adults and teens are more likely to handle their phone without reservation while they are driving, creating a high risk for the effects of distraction. Despite the convenience of hands-free devices, it is not a solution and is a serious distraction that causes a delay in reaction time, consequently putting these and other drivers at risk for a crash.

Distracted driving is much more than texting or talking on the phone. It involves alcohol/drug usage, speeding, reading, putting on make-up, focusing on other places rather than safe driving. Unfortunately many people do not fully appreciate the possible consequences of unsafe driving. A vehicle

The two most common way people are dying these days is from texting while driving. Statics shows that 1.6 million car accident happens per year. 300,000 injuries per year, so 11 teen death every day. That’s nearly 25% of all car accidents. The article “Distracted Driving” written by the CDC states, “Every day in the United States, more than 9 people

Distracted driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. We’ve all been schooled in the dangers of drinking and driving, but no one really thinks about the effects texting has on a person behind the wheel. A comparison shows that, “The relative risk of being in a traffic accident while using a cellphone is similar to the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit.” (Crouch, 2006) The use of mobile phones by drivers may cause about 2,600 deaths, 330,000 moderate to critical injuries, 240,000 minor injuries and 1.5 million instances of property damage in the U.S. each year. (“Higher risk of traffic fatalities linked to cellphone use,”2002). At highway speeds, we can travel the length of a football field in the time it takes us to send a