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Driver Education Round 1 – Preventing Deaths from Texting and Driving

Name: Hannah
 
Votes: 0

Preventing Deaths from Texting and Driving

The Best Solution for Deaths from Texting & Driving: Equipping Cars with a Device That Disables Texting

 

One out of every four car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving, and you could be one of them if you text and drive (“Texting and Driving”). Many people believe that it is not that bad to be on their phone while driving, but in reality, it is very dangerous. There are limits to how much we can multitask, and the combination of cellphone use and driving exceeds the limits (Healy). Every car that is sold should be required to have a device that disables phone use to keep drivers safe.

Distracted driving continues to be a major problem on the roads, especially for younger drivers (“Che”). It is becoming harder for teenagers to ignore their devices on the road, and as a result, 11 teenagers die every day from texting while driving. In 2012, one-fourth of teenagers say they respond to at least one text message every time they drive. While 20 percent of teenagers say they have multi-text conversations while driving (“Texting and Driving”).

However, it is not just teenagers that are struggling with having their phones in their hand while behind the wheel. Adults are also remarkably guilty of it too. In 2012, 10 percent of parents reported having multi-text conversations while driving. In all, 3,328 people were killed from distracted driving and 424,000 were injured in 2012. (“Texting and Driving”).

In fact, a survey was done to see how many parents use their phone to text while driving. Overall, “About 68% of the parents said they read texts while driving, and 54% said they read and send texts while behind the wheel.” This is a scary thing to discover about parents because everytime they look at their phone, they put themself and their child in danger of being in an accident. Then, every time a child sees the example of their own parent texting and driving, they become more likely to do the same when they learn to drive. For the safety of the children, parents should consider focusing more on the road while driving and not their phones (“Cell”). In addition to putting you and the other people in the car in danger, it also affects the safety of those around you whom you share the road with.

Writer and editor, Mark Borgard, talks about the two reasons he believes people use their cell phone while driving. The first is multitasking. In this day and age, we are programmed to multitask, and many even try to do it when it is the most unsafe, behind the wheel. The second reason is inconsideration. We just do not consider the safety of the people around us or even in our own car, or people, especially teenagers, think they are invincible and it will not happen to them. This lack of care causes people to do as they please even if it may potentially harm themselves or another person (Borgard).

Research has found that cell-phone use increases the odds of getting into an accident so much that it is comparable to that of driving with blood alcohol at the legal limit. Because of the risk of texting while driving, 39 out of 50 states have bans on texting while driving. For most of America, it is illegal to text and operate a vehicle at the same time. Although we have these laws, there still has been no evidence in studies that show that these laws are effective. The rate of accidents is still the same as before these laws were passed because so many people text while driving. People can get away with it by simply hiding their cell phones so they are not in the view of law enforcement. The steady rate of incidents involving texting and driving indicates that enforcing the rule is important to our safety and that maybe we should take a different approach in order to ensure that we are safe on the road (“Texting, Driving,”).

As can be seen, texting and driving is persistently a danger, especially for teens. Recently, car manufacturers have added other features, such as touch screens and Bluetooth. Car companies have begun coming up with new ways to keep the drivers’ attention on the road and away from their phones. However, the question is, “Are these devices helping or just creating more distractions?” (Che).

Although cell phone use is not the only distraction behind the wheel, it is a major one. Many people firmly believe that Bluetooth and hands-free technology are a much better option. These options allow the driver to use the talk-to-text feature, and it prevents the driver from having to hold a phone up to his or her ear. By using these features, the driver has the ability to keep both hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, for the most part. The question still remains, is this enough to keep drivers safe and free from the distraction of their cell phones, or is it necessary to take even more drastic measures, like having every car equipped with a device that disables texting? (Canwest News Service).

In contrast to the many people who believe that hands-free technologies are enough to keep a driver safe, studies show that phone conversations typically decrease reaction times, travel speeds, and increase lane deviations and steering wheel movements. This happens whether or not people are texting or calling behind the wheel, because even without taking your eyes off the road, a conversation can still distract you (Edmunds.com). In fact, David Strayer, a University of Utah psychologist, who has studied cell phone impact for more than five years, found that, “Drivers talking on cell phones are more dangerous behind the wheel than those who are drunk, whether the conversation is carried on by handset or headset.” Stayer’s lab, which uses high-fidelity driving simulators has discovered scientific evidence that cell-phone use disrupts driving performance. Human attention has a limited capacity, and studies seem to suggest that using the phone causes a kind of inattentional blindness (Healy).

Most people think they are super multitaskers. But the reality is 98% of people’s driving ability and conversation get worse when they multitask. Also 50% of people miss details when they are focused on one thing. When you continually go back and forth between the road and your phone it causes breaks in your visual memory. Breaks in your visual memory cause you to lose sight of details that are actually there. You’re only aware of the things you notice, not of all the things you miss when you have your eyes on your phone. This can make it very easy to not see a pedestrian in the road, not realize how fast you’re going or not realize if you’re veering off the road” (Healy).

Furthermore, “According to research, the type of phone or mobile device and even the type of conversation had while driving is statistically irrelevant. Only technologies that lock phones once the vehicle starts moving, or shut off cell phones while driving, are effective ways to prevent crash fatalities.” David Strayer also says, “There are limits to how much we can multitask, and the combination of cellphone use and driving exceeds the limits.” This study answers the question of whether or not hands-free technology is enough to keep drivers safe. The answer is no. The safest option is for our phone to be completely disabled while driving (qtd. in Healy).

Magazine author Ted Kritsonis, introduces a device that helps keep drivers, specifically teenagers, safer behind the wheel. These devices are things you can install in your car to disable a driver from using his or her cell phone and to avoid things like texting which can be dangerous. When this device is enabled, it does not allow texts and calls to be sent or received until the car is no longer being operated. Some of the devices, depending on the maker, can even disable you from using any of your apps or your phone in general. These types of devices are becoming more common, and a great deal of parents have begun to purchase them for their teens (Kritsonis).

For example, inventor John Douglas Thomson, invented a device that has “portable communication terminals with improved user interface to control a main telephone operation mode or to indicate the communication status with means for adapting by the user the functionality or the communication capability of the terminal under specific circumstances according to a geographic location” (“Safety System”). All things considered, the question we should be asking ourselves is, “Is it a good idea to have a law that states that all of the cars that are sold already have this device installed?” We should also be wondering, “Would this help reduce the amount of accidents due to distracted driving?”

In conclusion, all cars should be equipped with a device that disables texting because it is the only sure way to keep drivers safe on the road. Considering how many people are injured or killed from distracted driving, and the fact that it is nearly impossible for law enforcement officials to enforce it, this type of device being installed in every car is more likely to reduce accident rates and keep drivers safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Borgard, Mark. “Cell Phone Use Is a Danger to Others.” Cell Phones and Driving, Christine Nasso, 2011, pp. 14-17.

Canwest News Service. “Hands-free Devices Keep Drivers Safe.”  Cell Phones and Driving,

Christine Nasso, 2011, pp. 37-40.

“Cell Phones and Distracted Driving.” NYTimes.com Video Collection, 15 May 2019. Gale In                  Context: High School,                                                                                                                        https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CT586340712/SUIC?u=mish66395&sid= Accessed 9 Feb.     2020.

Che, Jenny. “How Car Companies Are Combating Texting While Driving.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 9 June 2015,                                         www.huffpost.com/entry/how-car-companies-are-combatting-texting-while-driving_n_55771263e4b0317a2afd3fdc.

Edmunds.com. “Cell Phone Use Distracts Drivers.” Cell Phones and Driving, Christine Nasso, 2011, pp. 9-13.

Healy, Melissa. “Hands-Free Devices Will Not Make Drivers Safer.” Cell Phones and Driving, Christine Nasso, 2011, pp. 41-46.

Kritsonis, Ted. “Text blockers – read all about it.” Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 18 Feb.           2011, p. D16. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,                                                                    https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A249360279/OVIC?u=mish66395&sid=

Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.

“Safety System to Disable and Activate Functions in Smartphone’s, Mobile Phones and Portable Communication Devices While Driving.” Google Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/US8526973B2/en.

“Texting and Driving Accident Statistics – Distracted Driving.” Edgarsnyder.com, www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html.

“Texting, Driving, and the Law” Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2013. Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/RTLRWW923510476/SUIC?u=mish66395&sid=S

Accessed 5 Feb. 2020.