Texting while Driving Essay

Texting While Driving Everyday someone around the world is affected by texting while driving, whether it is a commuter who is exhausted after a long day at work or a passenger alongside their friend hoping to get home quick enough to catch their favorite television show. Most people are unaware of the fact that most car crashes that are not a result of alcohol or drug use are because of cellular devices. If a driver is texting while behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle it clearly shows that they are unfocused on the road and their attention is diverted elsewhere. Their eyes are concentrated on the screen and their attention to operating their vehicle safely and successfully. This is also an endangerment to everyone on the road and that moment. Texting while driving is a danger to everyone on the road or in the vicinity of the individual using the cell phone while operating the vehicle. Texting while driving should be illegal because death rates for driving will go down, driving will become safer, and there would be less distracted drivers on the road. The amount of deaths due to texting while driving is steadily increasing; something must be done to ensure the safety of those on the road. “Young drivers aged seventeen through twenty-four, using a simulator, found that reaction time was slowed by thirty-five percent when that person is either writing or sending a text message” (Nicole). Some believe that in order to be fully confident that everyone on the road is safe there should be a mandatory driver’s class to improve driving skills. Classes such as these would illuminate why it is extremely important to always drive safely while operating a motorized vehicle. It is hard to disagree when approached with the fact that: In 2009 5,474 people were killed in the U.S due to distracted driving, while another 24,000 were injured. 995 of those deaths were all due to the use of a cell phone (Freeman). People on the road get hurt every single day. It is upsetting but inevitable when vehicles are being driven at speeds of sixty to eighty miles per hour. But it is still shocking to see the amount of accidents and deaths caused by something that could be as simple as a message sent to a mother to make sure that an extra gallon of water is picked up. But while it may seem that it is no big deal, it is proven that “If you look down to text for just a few seconds at fifty-five miles per hour, your car travels the length of a football field while you’re not looking at the road” (Freeman). With information such as this it is hard to believe that some still continuously use their devices anyway. It would not be too difficult to depart from a blackberry for a few minutes to guarantee the safety of every single person on the road. It may seem that the importance of the message warrants a glance down at the screen, but it really does not. That glance could make the difference between life and death. Keeping the phone away is the best possible decision possible. Keeping it away can save a life. In order to be safest while operating a vehicle cellular devices ought to be powered off and put in a safe position so the driver will not be tempted to send one quick message. Miles Austin performed an experiment and in the results it was concluded that “When using cell phones it is a proven fact that a driver is more likely to drift out of their lane” (Austin). Virginia Tech also did an additional experiment that proves that people who send text messages while driving are twenty-three times more likely to be in a crash, or a near-crash event, than non distracted drivers. Using a cell phone also slows your reactions down to the same as a seventy year olds. It is safe to assume that if a driver is above the age of seventy years old that their reaction time would not be improved. Of all the things that can be done with a cell phone, texting is the leading cause for crashes. This statement is backed by the fact that for every six driving

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