Texting and driving

Texting and driving

Texting is any distractive activity on the road that draws the concentration of the driver from the way. These activities are talking on the phone, replying to emails, and visiting other social sites while in the streets (Hayashi). Vehicle involved accidents resulting from texting while driving has been on the rise in the past decade. It is absurd for people to think they can drive and text at the same time and guarantee their safety and that of other road users. Our government should take measures both to the offenders of these crimes to ensure reduced cases of text induced accidents. Laws and regulations that prevent individuals from texting while driving regardless of age, are set. It is also vital for the government to put in place educational programs warning people about the dangers of texting while driving. Some of the measures taken by the government to curb this issue are way beyond the extreme. Some of these measures work perfectly well with all the road users.

Texting is prevalent and widespread in our internet-connected society, where even just the Americans send up to 100 billion text messages every month (Bazargan-Hejazi 56). The reasons why people prefer to text while driving can be difficult to note down, but it is majorly due to its convenience use. Texting is an easy way of communicating rather than calling. This mode of communication prompts the driver to think about just replying to this just one message and keep on with his or her driving, which could turn out to be a fatal distraction. Among the youths, there is an expectation in the culture to always replying faster to messages sent than wait to communicate later. Many drivers today have busy schedules, and getting everything done in one day becomes hectic. This fact pushes them to get their work done on the road as they check their emails frequently and other incoming messages. Texting on the way is majorly about distractive driving, and this activity leads to carelessness on the street (Hayashi). Texting and driving divide the attention of the driver leaving him or her distracted from his main objective of the road, which is to focus ahead.

These expectations and need to deliver texts faster pressure the driver to respond more quickly to messages, which may turn out to cause distractions on the road and accidents. Texting and driving is a significant distraction to drivers from the way. A study by the Virginia tech transportation institute concluded that drivers who texted while driving were more likely to cause accidents 23 times more likely than the drivers who made phone calls (McCraw 213). The fatalities of texting while driving are accidents that lead to severe injuries to road users and inevitable deaths. Several governments have put in place penalties for drivers caught texting while behind the wheel.

At any moment throughout the day, we find that 660000 drivers are trying to reach for their phones while behind the wheel of a vehicle (Ferdinand et al. .748). The emergence of smartphones has enabled faster and efficient communication, which has, in turn, posed to cause fatal safety risks on the roads from road users, including the driver. The national safety council reports that mobile phone use while driving causes at least 1.6 million accidents every year, where 390,000 people were injured (McCraw 211). While drunk driving is also a significant cause of road accidents, texting and driving reported a count of one in every four accidents that occurred annually in the United States.

Texting and driving cause six times more accidents than drunk driving, which spearheaded several past disasters in the late 20th century (Cades 1020). When traveling at a speed of 55mph and the attention of the driver is distracted for about 5 seconds. The distance covered in the same amount of time taken to cover the length of a football pitch. This distance is enough time to miss many details on the road, which could, in turn, cause fatal collisions and accidents. It is positive to note that most drivers are not in support of texting and driving, where 94 percent support a ban on texting while driving, and 74 percent of drivers support the restriction on handheld cell phone use (Bazargan-Hejazi 56). Pedestrians are also involved in the texting habit, where they are likely to cause accidents on the roads. Texting pedestrians are four times less likely to check before crossing the street where their eyes and concentration are on cell phones. These pedestrians also take an average of two seconds more to cross the road than a pedestrian, not on the cell phone.

Banning of cellphone usage while controlling an automobile has come about by different governments to deter cellphone usage on the roads. Some governments only prohibited texting while on the wheel, while other governments have generally banned cellphone usage. If a driver is pulled over for driving while texting, he or she pays a fine, and even insurance companies may overcharge on insurance due to this on the next policy renewal. Texting and driving is any activity that distracts the driver from doing his or her primary role on the road. The fundamental purpose of the driver is to drive and pay attention to the way. Many states in the United States prohibit talking on the cell while driving unless when using a hands-free device. These devices enable the driver to communicate on the phone without the need to be distracted by holding the phone.

Commercial drivers face a significant ban from using handheld mobile devices. This ban is because of their constant communication, and their vehicles are handset free enabled to ease communication. Uber drivers communicate with their clients before picking them. The driver can keep concentrate on the road as he converses with the client. The government is well aware of the dangers of texting while driving and has taken measures to help curb the rise of accident-related cases. Those found guilty of the offense are fined and charged.

Most drivers have the inflated perception of their skills behind the wheel, and most often know they are not the problem. It is common for people to believe they are so good at what they do and think they can text while driving. The government has imposed consequences for texting while driving and may depend upon the extent of the offense and the history of prior offenses (Bazargan-Hejazi 56). With a lot of ignorance on the roads, the government has imposed monetary fines to drivers caught in the act of texting while driving, and other drivers could face criminal charges. For those with the prior road, offenses could meet possible jail terms or in the events of fatal accidents which have resulted in injury or death.

Many states in the USA have come up with bills that regulate texting while driving, but the laws aren’t precisely preventing people from using their phones. Many teenage related accidents are due to texting while driving with more than 3000 fatalities estimated each year. Introduction of bills to use peer to peer prevention to educate teens about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving. These bills also encourage the states to adopt a graduated system of issuing licenses to new drivers (Ferdinand et al. .748). The efforts taken in the use of seatbelts in the past decade corresponds to that of texting and driving.

Emerging technological developments are in place to help curb the issue of texting while driving. Cellphones that automatically shut down when a user is driving are designed and redirecting non-emergency callers to voicemail. Some smart vehicles will transmit a clear message to the driver when it realizes the driver’s eyes have been away for far too long.

The nation’s addiction towards continuous communication has led to significant problems on the roads where the texting drivers and mobile phone chatters have become the new drunk drivers. With the coming generation in mind, it is up to the government to ensure that the upcoming drivers know correct road usage. With technology on the rise and teenagers adapting quickly to technological shifts, the government must provide sufficient education to the youth about text driving to sensitize the issue in due time (He et al. 220). The government doesn’t take this issue as seriously as it should be, and this will turn out to we wish we knew the story.

Cases of accidents caused by texting and driving are on the rise from the previous years. These cases will keep on rising if the correct measures aren’t in place. With even the drivers being overly confident in their driving skills, the government must sensitize on the importance of personal health and life and that of others. It should not be commonplace to hear of cases of children’s deaths on roads due to a careless cyclist who could not keep his phone in his or her pocket.

The government should be very ruthless in enforcing the rules and regulations in different states. Individuals of states like Arizona believe that it is against their rights to ban the use of mobile phones while driving and imposing fines on drivers caught in the act. Some of the bills and legislative efforts by some committee members have died in committee, and the bans on cell phone use have expired even faster. Ninety percent of the public believe that cell phone use by drivers should be banned. Some individuals see this as a battle between the government and personal rights and only view drunk driving as the sole cause of recklessness (Cades 1017). It should be sensitized, and bills passed to control the first rising rates of accidents due to texting while driving.

The government should also lead by example in trying to reduce cases of accidents related to texting while driving. Police officers tend to be the most ignorant on the roads when delivering duties to the road users. It is not an uncommon practice to see police officers busy communicating with his or her phone while on the way. They should lead by example, and everyone else won’t be reluctant and ignorant to follow.

Conclusively, texting while driving is a big issue affecting every member of society. We do it every day without realizing how much we are putting our lives at risk and that of other road users. It is up to every individual and the government to ensure the safety of everyone on the road. The government has taken several measures to help curb texting while driving issues, but some are just not sufficient. It is up to the government to sensitize and educate the population more on the effects of texting while driving. These are the long-term solutions to help solve this issue, especially with the increased levels of technologies and the widespread use of cell phones.