Theoretical Framework For Texting And Driving
ntroduction
Driver distraction, and its implicit effects on hazard recognition and vehicle control, has been a prominent topic on highway safety agendas, as well as for the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, the media, and the public at large (Stutts, Feaganes, Reinfurt, Rodgman, Hamlett, Gish, & Staplin, 2001). Much of this attention stems from the enormous increase in cellular telephone use by drivers and the prospect of similar growth in other in-vehicle technologies such as vehicle navigation systems, wireless Internet capabilities, and wireless messaging (Stutts et al., 2001). Driver distraction has been identified as one of the main causes of road traffic incidents (Patten, Kircher, Östlund, & Nilsson, 2004), estimated to account for …show more content…
Theoretical Framework
The idea of the texting and driving law is to make Michigan’s roadways safer. Unlike Michigan, other states have seen a decrease in accidents involving cell phone usage. Perhaps these states are tailoring their laws to all around cell phone usage and not just primarily texting. Also, perhaps the penalties of violating this law aren’t severe enough to deter people from using them. For example, in Germany, a driver can lose his license for up to a month for simply talking on a phone not affixed to the vehicle. The idea behind the law in Michigan is a good one, but it needs to be changed to make a difference.
Research question
Although Michigan has enacted an anti-texting while driving law, why are accidents rates increasing? What are other states doing regarding their texting and driving laws that Michigan could do in order to see the desired result of fewer …show more content…
The first study was an observational study of Michigan’s text messaging restriction law was conducted to determine the effects of the law after it was instated in July of 2010 (Ehsani et al., 2014). The study was conducted across the state using crash and licensing data obtained from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Michigan State Police UD-10 crash tracking system from 2005 through 2012 (Ehsani et al., 2014). Crash rate trends were monitored monthly per 10,000 license drivers aged 16, 17, 18, and 19, 20-24 and 25-50. Analyses were adjusted for crash rates of drivers aged 65-99 years of age, the unemployment rate and gas prices. Crash severities were broken down into three groups; fatal/disabling injury, non-disabling injury and possible injury/property damage only (vehicle accident with no injury). Non-injury related crashes resulting in damage under $1000 were not able to be analyzed into the study, as Michigan law does not require the crash to be reported (Ehsani et al., 2014). Changes in crash data and trends across age groups after the introduction of the texting law were surprisingly small (Ehsani et al., 2014). However, significant increases were found in the fatal/disabling and non-disabling category, while significant decreases were found in possible injury/property damage only crashes (Ehsani et al., 2014). The study concludes that
Driver distraction, and its implicit effects on hazard recognition and vehicle control, has been a prominent topic on highway safety agendas, as well as for the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, the media, and the public at large (Stutts, Feaganes, Reinfurt, Rodgman, Hamlett, Gish, & Staplin, 2001). Much of this attention stems from the enormous increase in cellular telephone use by drivers and the prospect of similar growth in other in-vehicle technologies such as vehicle navigation systems, wireless Internet capabilities, and wireless messaging (Stutts et al., 2001). Driver distraction has been identified as one of the main causes of road traffic incidents (Patten, Kircher, Östlund, & Nilsson, 2004), estimated to account for …show more content…
Theoretical Framework
The idea of the texting and driving law is to make Michigan’s roadways safer. Unlike Michigan, other states have seen a decrease in accidents involving cell phone usage. Perhaps these states are tailoring their laws to all around cell phone usage and not just primarily texting. Also, perhaps the penalties of violating this law aren’t severe enough to deter people from using them. For example, in Germany, a driver can lose his license for up to a month for simply talking on a phone not affixed to the vehicle. The idea behind the law in Michigan is a good one, but it needs to be changed to make a difference.
Research question
Although Michigan has enacted an anti-texting while driving law, why are accidents rates increasing? What are other states doing regarding their texting and driving laws that Michigan could do in order to see the desired result of fewer …show more content…
The first study was an observational study of Michigan’s text messaging restriction law was conducted to determine the effects of the law after it was instated in July of 2010 (Ehsani et al., 2014). The study was conducted across the state using crash and licensing data obtained from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Michigan State Police UD-10 crash tracking system from 2005 through 2012 (Ehsani et al., 2014). Crash rate trends were monitored monthly per 10,000 license drivers aged 16, 17, 18, and 19, 20-24 and 25-50. Analyses were adjusted for crash rates of drivers aged 65-99 years of age, the unemployment rate and gas prices. Crash severities were broken down into three groups; fatal/disabling injury, non-disabling injury and possible injury/property damage only (vehicle accident with no injury). Non-injury related crashes resulting in damage under $1000 were not able to be analyzed into the study, as Michigan law does not require the crash to be reported (Ehsani et al., 2014). Changes in crash data and trends across age groups after the introduction of the texting law were surprisingly small (Ehsani et al., 2014). However, significant increases were found in the fatal/disabling and non-disabling category, while significant decreases were found in possible injury/property damage only crashes (Ehsani et al., 2014). The study concludes that