02 – 21 – 2014
At any given time during the day, 660,000 drivers in the United States use cell phones. Whether its texting, taking a phone call, or sending emails, cell phone use is associated with higher rates of dangerous or fatal car crashes. Accidents involving drivers using their cell phones are avoidable but many people put everyone’s safety at risk by ignoring laws against distracted driving. Should driving and using your phone be banned, I say yes. Governor Rick Perry vetoed this law stating, “Overreach, a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults”. I believe passing this law will raise awareness in teen drivers which are in the highest amount of accidents involving cellphone usage. Passing this law will also save lives, and enforce severe punishment for driving using the phone.
There should be more advertising about the dangers of texting and driving. You see plenty commercials and ads about the dangers of drinking and driving. There are also ads about the importance of using your seat belt, yet only half that amount of ads for driving and texting. This is just as dangerous because the driver eyes are off the road at least five minutes; if going 55mph that’s the same length of a football field. According to Texting and Driving .com, in 2011 at least 23% of auto collisions involved cellphones, which is 1.3 million crashes. There should be more ways to informing society the dangers of driving and texting.
According to Injury Prevention and Control of the CDC, each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 are injured daily. In 2011, an average of 3,300 people were killed in crashes involving a driver that were distracted by using their phone while driving; compared to estimated 3,600 in 2010.
The passing of the law will help to reduce these numbers because most people who causes these accidents while they’re on their phone get just a slap on the wrist. Fining people for causing accidents from their cellphone should be fined to the max with the maximum jail sentence also. Americas hate to spend money on tickets but giving them jail time would help stop these distracted drivers.
This law should be voted on and passed on banning texting and driving, banning generally cellphone usage while driving. If we put awareness to this subject, we’ll soon save lives. Possibly scaring these drivers with higher fines and more jail time will help put a stop to this non sense.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
As modern technology has advanced over the years, the number of distractions to driving have increased. It is not only a phone call, or a conversation with a passenger, that can take attention from the road- but more contemporary forms of inattention, which stem from texting and driving. Being distracted while driving can lead to fatal results. Attempting to juggle operating a vehicle and typing out a text message is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than driving while intoxicated. Research has even found that the probability of a driver crashing is twice as likely if the individual was texting than if they were driving intoxicated. Many cities and states have implemented ordinances and laws in an attempt to ban electronic device use…
- 192 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Adults and teenagers are making a choice everyday to take their eyes off the road, their minds off of driving, and their hands off the wheel when they text and drive. The dangers of texting while driving are known nationwide, but the numerous deaths and accidents don’t seem to be stopping anyone from texting while behind the wheel. Several major corporations have launched campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of texting and driving. Many states have enacted laws against texting while driving. Will making laws and educating the public stop this dangerous and deadly distraction?…
- 1783 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
Currently laws in 30 states and the district of Columbia make it illegal to text or send email while driving.Dot says the number of child deaths is down sharply from a few years ago(Distracted Driving#22). Teens who have authoritative parents were 27 percent less likely to talk or text on their cell phone.(Teen driving#56) I agree that states should have strict laws against texting and talking on the cell phone while driving because it keeps people safe. NC has a ban on cell phone use(online Distraction.gov) It means that NC has strict laws on people…
- 613 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The number of people who have been affected by texting and driving is dramatically increasing. Clearly the laws, punishments, and education up to this point have not done much to change how people view texting and driving. Due to the facts that have been revealed about texting and driving, it is imperative that the government takes strong action to fight this rising epidemic. Although it may be near impossible to keep people off their phones, it is vital that stricter laws are put against it. Law enforcement, including police and the judicial system must put their foot down and stand by it. All ages must be targeted as well. Even though older people may think they are more experienced behind the wheel, accidents can happen and they should not be able to use their phones either. It should also no longer be a question whether it is a safe time to pick up the phone and send a quick text. The punishments must be toughened, forcing people to face harder consequences if caught texting while driving behind the wheel. License suspension would be a strong preventive in order for people to keep both hands on the wheel. On top of the new laws that should be put against texting while driving, drawing attention and focus to people who have suffered tragedies from texting and driving could be a key part to prevent more from happening. Making sure people are fully educated, enforcing stronger laws, and following through with stricter punishments are the first things that need to be done in order to keep people off their phones. Do you want the last thing you see before flying off the road to be “What r u doing? LOL”? There is nothing so important in a text message that cannot wait until later. Do not let any more young individuals lives be taken from texting and driving. Do something about…
- 1592 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
Accidents happen everyday on the road. Some are from bad weather conditions, others are because the driver is under the influence of alcohol, and many are caused by distracted drivers on their cellular phone. If people were more aware of how many people are injured or killed by someone who was using their phone while driving , then they wouldn't use their own phone while driving. If making a law that says it is illegal to use a handheld phone and drive will make people stop becoming distracted while driving, then it should be put into effect. A solution for a driver who wants to use their phone while driving would be to use the hands free option on their phone, or to purchase a tool to hold the phone while driving.…
- 622 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Texting and driving affects everybody in a threatening way. It only takes a maximum of five seconds for someone's attention to get taken off the road while texting. Texting makes a crash twenty three more times likely to happen. If one is dialing, texting, or listening on a phone behind the wheel, the likeliness of an accident happening is 2.8 times greater for every minute that goes by. For even just reaching for your phone an accident is 1.4 times more likely (“Texting and Driving Statistics”). Since this situation has the ability to create all of these accidents, then the consequence should clearly be…
- 705 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Of all these crashes, over 3,331 people lost their lives with another 387,000 injured. These people who either killed or injured were mainly the drivers of the vehicles. In these crashes, 385 died and five percent of the injured were hurt because someone was on a cell phone. Cell phones account for twelve percent of deadly crashes with teenagers the most likely to cause them (Distracted Driving 2011). Talking on the phone is like drinking and…
- 649 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Most people know it is dangerous to use phones while driving the drivers knows their putting their lives and other lives at risk, but they still do it. Over the years people have tried to come up with solutions to texting and driving. People have tried…
- 1461 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
State, Federal, and local lawmakers have placed laws into effect to ban the use of cell phones while driving. No state bans all cell phone use (handheld and hands free) for all drivers, but many prohibit all cell phone use by certain drivers. Even with laws permitting laws enforcement to ticket individuals who are caught texting, people continue to ignore the laws. Here are some solutions we can try: (1) Create cars that block texting while the vehicle is running. (2) Use technology such as Bluetooth headsets. The other solution would be like DWI’s, after the 2nd offense, suspension of driving privileges. With teenagers being the biggest offenders of texting while driving, we need to get their attention and help them understand the important issues at hand, “texting and driving takes lives.…
- 538 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Hope is not lost however; legal consequences have been shown to impact usage behind the wheel. States who universally ban texting and driving, and make it a primary offense have seen on average an 8% decrease in fatalities within the first three months. After this period the decrease is less notable, which has been attributed to poor enforcement after the initial adoption of such legislation. With a relatively new technology that’s rapidly changing, such as telecommunications, it should be no surprise that some of the best ways to discourage cell phone use are related to technological changes. Newer cars are more and more being equipped with in-vehicle devices that make it safer for drivers to access their cellular device and many applications that are often abused while driving. Some in-vehicle devices move the focus of the driver to the dashboard of the car instead of their phones, therefore not completely diverting the driver’s attention from the roadway, but not fully maintaining complete focus on the…
- 594 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
A reason why texting and driving is a serious issue is because it causes a disproportionate amount of accidents every year. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were injured in distraction-affected crashes (NHTSA). It’s a shocking realization that so many lives are taken every year over something that could have been simply avoided, yet the number of accidents still continue to rise. Part of the reason that so many lives are being taken away is because driving while using a cellphone is a distraction that can inevitably hinder…
- 603 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Day after day, everyone has seen a driver who texts and calls while driving. In fact, texting while driving has become an epidemic for people of all ages in the United States, and sadly, I am a part of this social issue. According to Ann McFeatters, a writer for The Scripps Howard News Serive, “The White House, learned that 6,000 people were killed last year because of distracted drivers.” This figures into a serious problem. Therefore, I do believe that no driver should be sending text messages or using phone while operating a vehicle because it distracts the driver and people die.…
- 899 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has tried to ban people from using their phones on the road. It improved pretty much better in some states. People are now used to have their phone with them anywhere they go; it’s not so easy to ban them all at once. However, it is a fact that if people stop using their phone while driving, they will focus more on the road and there is going to be less car…
- 304 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
First texting and driving is very hazardous and causes lots of damage to people and property. There are a lot people against texting and driving because it causes a great amount of car crashes each year, many of those being fatal. People just can’t resist, not responding, to someone if they feel the vibration of their phone, they just have to check. In 2007, 5917 people died, and 448,000 people were injured all because people made the decision to drive distracted. Too many innocent lives have been taken because someone made the decision to text and drive. Each state has different laws set in place for texting and driving. As of April of 2012 ten states have banned teenagers from texting driving and there are strict laws to enforce it (Hossansky). As hard as it is to take your eyes away from your phone while driving, it needs to happen; otherwise far too many people will lose their lives from this act.…
- 659 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
It’s cited as the number one reason for motor vehicle accidents. While distracted driving is defined as “any activity that diverts attention from driving,” the rising cause of distracted driving related accidents has become using cellular devices while behind the wheel. 64% of all road accidents in the United States have been caused by cell phones. Like my friends, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving daily. Yet despite these mass amount of crashes the occur every year, as of March 2016, on 14 US states and districts had banned handheld cell phone use while driving, while only four states have all-driver texting bans.…
- 667 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays