In addition to the vision, texting takes away both hands off the wheel. As with hands the concentration of the driver may also wander off the road as they concentrate on reading the text on the small screen and thinking about how to reply to the message. These factors ruin the reaction time and ability of the driver to control the vehicle. Texting increases the risk of an accident while driving more than having consumed alcohol or drugs (Hughes).
Furthermore, there are some people that are able to text without looking at their phones, and they might think it is safe, but it isn’t. Just because someone’s eyes aren’t on the phone doesn’t mean their mind isn’t. There is a saying that goes, “Just because you hear me, doesn’t mean you’re listening to me.” This is also true for sight. Just because someone is looking at the road, doesn’t mean they are paying attention to what’s going on. Similarly, while texting people’s eyes might be on the road, but their focus is on what they are saying in the message. While they are trying to make sure they hit the right key on their phone, they’re not realized they’ve increased their chances of cars drifting out of its lane.
Several studies have been done that prove that the most frequent cause of accidents is by texting while driving than drugs, alcohol and speaking on a mobile phone. As a matter of fact, texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in accidents than driving while being intoxicated (Strayer, Drew). I have seen many times that people are texting while driving on the highway and at stoplights. An estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, and these drivers mostly include individuals between 18 and 24 (Human Factors). As a teen driver, I know the temptation to text and drive at the same time is very high. Even a quick glance at the phone can distract you just enough that you can cause an accident.
The reasons why texting and driving is so dangerous may seem obvious, but several studies put it in perspective. A study was done in July of 2009 by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, where several study’s participants eyes were analyzed while they texted, dialed, and talked while driving. The purpose of the study was to see how long their eyes were off the road while they were performing the abovementioned tasks. As a result, Texting had the longest duration of eyes off the road, with an average of 4 seconds during a 6 second period. The study states that, "This equates to a driver traveling the length of a football field at 55 mph without looking at the roadway." (Box). Not only that, the study also proves that cell phones delay our reaction times, especially those that are hand held. Some people get into the habit of allowing their cell phone to overcome their reflexes and spontaneous reactions to certain situations, which cause death-defying circumstances to traffic and pedestrians.
While an overwhelming majority of Americans think texting while driving is a bad idea and that it should be outlawed, some people do not acknowledge the actual dangers of cell phones. The rate of fatal accidents are slowly rising within our nation and we, as citizens and drivers should take a stand and approve for a law to uphold the initiative of rejecting the use of phones while driving. After all, it not only endangers the driver, but other people as well.
As a preventive measurement many states are tackling their texting while driving problems. There are currently only six states that prohibit texting and driving and those are California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington (Cell Phone Driving Laws). Many cell phone companies, Sprint and CTIA (The Wireless Association) among them, support a ban on Driving While Texting (DWT) but also feel that the most important issue at stake is to educate drivers about the risks that come with driving and texting. Public service announcements, ads, videos and online courses have been promoted to show the dangers of driving and texting in the hopes that teens and adults will understand just how unsafe it is to use a phone while operating a vehicle.
Knowing the risks is one of the first steps in avoiding it; researchers and legislators alike agree that texting while driving is a dangerous practice. Working to get the information out that will help drivers make safer decisions in conjunction with the legislation that will enforce it is one way in which the roads will be made safer for drivers.
A headline, from the newspaper from New York’s newspaper The Journal, that texting and driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving is changing many peoples lifestyle but still several amongst those are not willing to change take no action. Furthermore, people are not as outraged when it comes to texting and driving as they were for drinking and driving - probably because many of them have done it and/or are still doing it. The media is helping the cause by reporting the number of deaths involved in such crashes. Kayla Preuss, a sixteen year old girl, died because of a car accident that occurred because of her texting on the phone and not paying attention on the road (Drew). Sadly, it will likely take more accidents and more deaths to change the attitude of many who do not raise their voice against such usage of the cell phones. There are countless stories of teens dying in accidents because the driver was texting while driving or they were texting and driving. Unfortunately, there will be more. Too many people have become too accustomed to checking e-mail or sending a text while behind the wheel, even though it's as dangerous as drinking and driving. We as Individuals should realize the effects of such habits and try to improve them, as it will eventually cause our benefit.
