The Issue Of Texting Or Phoning While Driving

“Text messaging … had the longest duration of eyes-off-road time of 4.6 seconds at a six second interval. This equates to a driver traveling the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour without looking at the roadway.” This statement was made by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute when they did a texting while driving study (“Skip Menu”). Texting while driving has become a large problem in the United States and it is growing. There are about 1,600,000 accidents per year as a result of texting while driving. Texting while driving has become a bigger problem for teenagers than drinking while intoxicated. In an article Delthia Ricks wrote for Newsday, she says:

Hey, LOL, TTYL, and more are texts that are not worth your life or others as we can can see in the Don't Text and Drive image. This powerful image lacks color and life which conveys the heartache and misery it can bring to one's family. Texting while driving proves to be hazardous in that it is a distraction, causes many accidents, and endangers your life and the lives of others. This monster has no age limit and no gender. Everyone at anytime could be subjected to a terrible accident due to you texting and driving or somebody else not paying attention while they are texting and driving. Texting while driving proves to be an epidemic that negatively affects teens and society as a whole and should be avoided at all costs.

South Carolina is among the very few states that do not have a statewide ban on texting or cell phone use while driving. There is no hand-held ban or an all cell phone ban in South Carolina. However, all drivers are prohibited to text while driving but the enforcement of this is secondary.

Texting and driving is the cause many accidents, in 2016 there were nearly 123,131 car crashes with 37,461 of them causing fatality. People need to understand the dangers of texting while driving. Texting and driving is dangerous to all motorists.

Hey, LOL, TTYL, and more are texts that are not worth your life or others as we can can see in the Don't Text and Drive image. This powerful image lacks color and life which conveys the heartache and misery it can bring to one's family. Texting while driving proves to be hazardous in that it is a distraction, causes many accidents, and endangers your life and the lives of others. This monster has no age limit and no gender. Everyone at anytime could be subjected to a terrible accident due to you texting and driving or somebody else not paying attention while they are texting and driving. Texting while driving proves to be an epidemic that negatively affects teens and society as a whole and should be avoided at all costs.

According to Winfrey, how is texting while driving similar to driving while drunk? How is it different?

Nowadays, it is a common occurrence to see people messaging from their cellular devices in the midst of driving. Many drivers, across the globe, engage in the practice without contemplating about the potential detrimental effects of their actions. Notably, researches have depicted that texting while driving is one of the major causes of road accidents. As a matter of fact, accidents caused due to messaging while driving has superseded those, which are instigated by drunk drivers. Drivers are inclined to the belief that they can send some messages without negatively impacting on their driving abilities. However, studies have revealed that drivers are not as capable of multi-tasking as they believe they are. Researchers have discovered that drivers who text while driving look at the road 400 times less compared to those who do not message. After all the research it shows that texting and driving increases the risks of accidents and could even be deadly. Texting and Driving is a widespread problem that is killing Americans across the country. Nearly everyone agrees that texting and driving is dangerous. Most people do it anyway. Texting and driving falls under a category of safety risks called distracted driving. Distracted driving covers any non-driving act that keeps drivers from safely operating their vehicles. Texting and driving is particularly hazardous because it takes the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods of time. Texting and

Currently, there is a law regarding the use of devices while driving in the Commonwealth of Virginia. According to the state agency, Department of Motor Vehicles drivers under the age of 18 years old are outright banned from using cell phones or any sort of personal communication devices while driving. In fact texting is banned for all drivers. In Virginia, it is considered a primary offense, meaning the police can pull you over if they suspect you of texting while driving. The first time this happens the fine is $125 and $250 for offenses thereafter. A website titled “Virginia Decoded” shows the use of devices while driving specifically defined as:

The use of cell phones while driving has become a serious threat to society. Texting is especially dangerous because of the attention it demands from our eyes, hands, fingers and brain. Despite laws, media campaigns and prevention awareness programs, texting while driving still, raising the question of “Why do people do it?” Society has become aware of the social problem and that this behavior exist and labels them as social problems. Texting while driving will be discussed in a functionalist perspective, criminal deviance: functionalist’s view, interactionist perspective and prevention and programs.

Is it really important to send that text or check that email while you are driving? Since 2013, texting while driving has been a threat to every driver on the road through the United States. Charles Moore says in “Texting While Driving Is More Dangerous than Driving under the Influence” that texters’ reaction times deteriorate by 35%, and their steering ability decreases by 91%. In 2010, about 4,000 people died from cell phone distraction related crashes. Most of these crashes were related to teens. In 2009 American Life Project published a report that focused on teens and distracted driving. This report showed that 75% of teens own a cell phone, and of those, 34% admit to texting while driving, 48% say they were a passenger of a car when a driver was texting.

I believe that the driving while texting should be not only treated as not only reckless driving, but also as an addiction. Yes, I said addiction, because the matter just gets worst when driving while texting, but even the idea of not being aware of your surroundings can be just as hazardous as one is driving while texting. Only difference is that a person operating a vehicle presents danger to the road and other people and a person even walking while texting also puts one’s self in danger in public places.

Since the technological phenomenon towards the end of the 20th century, text messaging has been widely used by cellphone users, specifically teenagers, in order to get their conversations across easier and quicker in a very convenient way. In the modern technology world, people have become so accustomed to the idea of

Texting in cars and trucks causes over 3,000 deaths and 330,000 injuries per year, according to a Harvard Centre for Risk Analysis study.

Driving is an everyday activity for most Americans, it is one of the major forms of transportation along with planes and boats. The major difference between cars and other forms of transportation is while driving a car people are 80 % more likely to be in a deadly accident, then if they were on a plane or boat. When someone is just starting to drive they are taught to follow all the rules of the road, including traffic signs and speed limits; however, driving is more than just following all the rules. It takes reaction time along with defensive driving skills to become a good driver. Most people believe that car accidents happen because of bad drivers, but statistics show that distractions like cell phones, passengers, and incoherencies have more of an effect on people’s driving.

Distracted driving is an epidemic in the United States. Distracted drivers are dangerous because they are not only hazardous to themselves, but others as well. In 2015, 3,477 people were killed because of accidents that were caused by distracted driving, and 217 of these deaths were from Florida. Even though there are rules against texting whilst driving in Florida, they are not strong enough to deter teens and other drivers from using cellphones while driving. Currently, the state of Florida does not do enough to prevent distracted driving.