Register to read the introduction…
When the eyes are focused down on the phone, they have to be taken off the road. This leaves plenty of time for the driver to swerve off course just enough to hit a pedestrian, or fail to take notice to a red light or approaching car. This distracted driver could hit an innocent bystander walking down the side walk, run a red light and cause an accident, or slam into the back of another car because another (more attentive driver) stopped at the red light. The differing situations go on and on, and luckily more and more states are realizing this terrible trend as well. As noted by Kara Rose, “Nine states made texting while driving a primary offense in 2010, and four more have done so this year, including Nevada, which will issue warnings until the law is in full effect Jan. 1, 2012” (pg. 03a). Now, there are fifty states in the United States and only nine of them have come to the realization that texting while driving is a very serious offense; however, that is not to say it's such a bad thing. If almost one-fifth of the nation has come to the realization, then it is almost assured that this is but the first stepping stone towards a more safe future. More than that, it means that more and more people are truly understanding that texting while driving is in fact a distraction, and is right to be banned! If this pandemic is not controlled quickly, the accident and death rate will continue to rise steadily as texting becomes more popular and newer generations begin driving. With the age of technology, younger generations are using cell phones at younger and younger ages. These generations are taking those phone using habits on the road with them as they learn to drive, and are helping create unsafe roads for themselves and others. This must be
…show more content…
In a study by the State Farm Insurance company, “In the November survey, more than 19% reported accessing the Internet on a cellphone at least once a week while driving. That compares with 74% who reported making or receiving calls at least once weekly while driving and 35% who reported sending or receiving text messages at least that frequently” (Copeland p 03a). These numbers are huge! Drivers are admitting to doing what they know they shouldn't be doing, yet they do it anyway! Sean Black, 38, of Springfield, Ill., even admitted, “'I don't read in-depth stuff, but I Web and drive,' he says. 'I'll check different stuff about sports. I'm not saying it's the smartest thing in the world ... but I guess I just do it anyway.'” Would it be safe to assume this is the same logic possessed by everyone else who accesses different functions of their phone while driving? They willingly acknowledge that “it's not the smartest thing in the world;” however, they “do it anyway.” Returning back to the annual six million car accidents a year, with roughly half of them being due to drivers using their phone; is it accurate to now state that many, if not all of them, were “just doing it anyway,” even though they knew the consequences? The thought process here is so imbalanced and broken that it can hardly be called a process at all. Black went on to say that he just doesn't know what it would take to stop, “'The easy answer would be an accident or near-accident,' he says. 'But part of me wonders, depending on how bad it would be, if even that would do it. I think it's one of those things where you just don't think anything's going to happen" (Copeland p 03a). Again, is this how all of these distracted drivers are thinking? That, maybe, even if they were in an accident because of their bad habits, they might still engage in them? This clearly illustrates their
In a study by the State Farm Insurance company, “In the November survey, more than 19% reported accessing the Internet on a cellphone at least once a week while driving. That compares with 74% who reported making or receiving calls at least once weekly while driving and 35% who reported sending or receiving text messages at least that frequently” (Copeland p 03a). These numbers are huge! Drivers are admitting to doing what they know they shouldn't be doing, yet they do it anyway! Sean Black, 38, of Springfield, Ill., even admitted, “'I don't read in-depth stuff, but I Web and drive,' he says. 'I'll check different stuff about sports. I'm not saying it's the smartest thing in the world ... but I guess I just do it anyway.'” Would it be safe to assume this is the same logic possessed by everyone else who accesses different functions of their phone while driving? They willingly acknowledge that “it's not the smartest thing in the world;” however, they “do it anyway.” Returning back to the annual six million car accidents a year, with roughly half of them being due to drivers using their phone; is it accurate to now state that many, if not all of them, were “just doing it anyway,” even though they knew the consequences? The thought process here is so imbalanced and broken that it can hardly be called a process at all. Black went on to say that he just doesn't know what it would take to stop, “'The easy answer would be an accident or near-accident,' he says. 'But part of me wonders, depending on how bad it would be, if even that would do it. I think it's one of those things where you just don't think anything's going to happen" (Copeland p 03a). Again, is this how all of these distracted drivers are thinking? That, maybe, even if they were in an accident because of their bad habits, they might still engage in them? This clearly illustrates their