Texting while driving

Introduction

There are many important issues in today's society go unnoticed or ignored. One of these issues is cell phone use while driving. This is a major controversy in today's society, nationally and internationally. This issue is important to residents of Texas since Texas is a state in which this is a big issue. It is estimated more than 100 million people use cell phones while driving. This is issue should not go unsolved.

Drivers who use cell phones are a major cause of car accidents. According to the article “III- Cell phones and Driving” 80 percent of all car crashes are related to non-attentive drivers. There are certain activities that may be more dangerous than talking on a cell phone. However, cell phone use occurs more frequently and for longer durations than other, riskier behaviors. Drivers who use cell phones are four times more likely to be in a crash while using a cell phone. The main reason for this is distraction. Cell phone use does not necessarily completely distract a driver's attention, but it definitely impairs it. And even though laws are being made to ban hand- held cell phone use and promote hands- free use, there is no difference in the cognitive distraction between hand-held and hands-free devices. No state in the U.S. completely bans cell phone use while driving, however many laws have been placed. Handheld cell phones are banned for all drivers in 5 states (George, 90).

When people receive or send a text, they have to think about everyone else around them and not just themselves. That text message maybe important to the person who is receiving it, but how important is it to the person who was severely injured or worse? Some ways the nation can prevent accidents from happening while on their phone is to be smart. You can either pull off the road to read and answer a text or wait until you get to your destination. If the person cannot wait and do not want to pull over, then they should make a phone call to that person and have the conversation that way. Another way to prevent texting while driving is if you have a passenger, give them your phone, and have them respond to the text, that way people do not have to look down for a couple seconds to respond. Yes, some people can do it without looking, but there are times people need to look down to make sure something is correct, and at that very moment it could be a life changing moment.

Discussion and Analysis

A study in April 2006 showed 80 percent of crashes are caused by disctractions. One of the biggest distractions and the most dangerous is texting while driving. Many states and people are trying to ban it. Some states have also succeded in that act.

There have been many studies on car crashes that involve cell phones. Such as, A widely cited study from the herrard center of rusk analysis calculated that cell phones likely ...