Distracted Driving Research Paper

Words: 902
Pages: 4

At the young age of seventeen, many individuals feel invincible, thinking they have the rest of their lives ahead of them; not thinking it could be cut short. On July 22, 2019, a young girl, Jordan Braund, was reminded of life's fragility. Jordan was on her way home from lifting at her school when halfway, a girl was distracted and swerved into her lane. The other driver's distracted driving caused Jordan's car to roll and burst into flames, leaving her trapped in her car upside down. Thankfully, Jordan survived, but had to have both legs amputated. This life-altering moment could have been avoided if the other driver had not been distracted. Distracted driving has become a significant problem in our society due to deaths and financial harm; …show more content…
Out of these, use of cell phones, specifically texting and calling, is the leading cause of distracted driving crashes (Lurhsen Goldberg). Many families lose family members to distracted drivers, or their family members being distracted. A study in 2022 illustrates the severity of the issue, 3,308 individuals who were killed in crashes involving distracted driving (NHTSA). 3,308 deaths that could have been prevented. 3,308 families that can no longer see their lost family members. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is estimated to be involved in 38-52% of all car crashes. Where 8-9% of those crashes result in fatalities. 8-9% may seem like a small percentage of fatalities just for distracted driving. However, an alarming statistic of every 2 hours in Wisconsin alone states that there is a crash due to distracted driving, and that percentage leads to a large number of preventative deaths. Distracted driving does not only cause fatalities, but it also causes financial harm to the driver and possibly all parties involved. Distracted driving increases your risk of crashing into not only other cars but stationary objects as