The increased technology has made cell phones an ordinary commodity in the marketplace today. Statistically, the number of deaths and life-altering accidents for our young nationwide drivers are not pleasing. According to statistical information from National Transport Safety Board (NTSB), texting while driving alone causes 11 teen deaths on a daily basis. That means 11 schools, families, and communities that are forever missing classmates, children, teammates and community members. The presumption that ever individual needs to check mail get answered, receive or send text messages, and update Facebook may be harmless until the time they are seen causing accident on the roadways. Surprisingly, cell phones use while driving causes distraction to the young and elderly drivers on the road leading to injuries and accidents. Therefore, the government should legislate laws that ban using the cell phone while behind the wheels.
II. Body of Presentation
A. Worse than Drunk Driving
Pioneer researchers have conducted myriad studies using volunteers who drive simulators while using their cell phones. According to a study by Hosking and Michael (2009), that used both drunk drivers and drivers using cell phones for comparisons provided that driving while using cell phones is more dangerous than drunk driving. The drunk drivers utilized in the study purposefully were for comparing their reactions to the people that were talking while driving. In the study, Hosking and colleague (2009) established that individuals that drive while using their cell phone for texting, checking mail, or surfing on the internet are as impaired more than when they drive intoxicated at legal blood alcohol limit. In fact, not surprisingly, the study established that some of the participants crushed in a virtual vehicle while sober and chatting, yet none of the subjects’ crashed while drunk. These results provide shocking truths about the possible dangers of using cell phone while driving for any individual. Fellow citizens, talking on a cell phone while driving is extremely dangerous, and it is significant to avoid it totally. Indeed, driving while using cell phone taxes our brain cognitive skills at the expense of driving at hand. Besides, if the information displayed on the cell phone is stressful, our reaction time is reduced substantially.B. Distracted driving is a National Epidemic
Distracted driving due to operation of a mobile phone operation is emerging as a key contributor to cases of car accidents on our major highways ending in fatalities (United States National Transportation Safety Board, 2013). Accordingly, distracted driving is a nationwide epidemic and dangers of its increase are a national threat to the lives of our drivers and other people using vehicles. Statistics from the National Transport Safety Board indicates that distracted driving contributes to approximately 8, 000 car accidents every day across the nation. The use of cell phone by someone behind the wheels for up to 10 minutes before a car crash is related to a fourfold elevated likelihood of crashing. Besides, there is increased the risk of crash irrespective of whether the cell phone is used. In comparison with the drivers that avoid the use of cell phones while driving, NTSB depicts that the drivers are talking, texting, or checking mail on their cell phones miss twice as many traffic signals. Thus, they are more likely to swerve into a wrong lane and increase the likelihood of causing a crash. Distracted driving is becoming a new DUI, according to National Transport Safety Board member, Robert Sumwalt. The investigators of accidents routinely seek protective orders to preserve the use of smartphones for investigating accidents. However, since a distracted driver may not all the time own up to their actions, or die in case of a crash, distraction during driving as a result of cell phone use has been validated to potentially cause accident.C. Time: How Dangerous is Cell Phone Use While Driving?
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (2009) provides estimation that at least 1.6 million car accidents each year involve drivers using their cell phones for texting or talking while driving. Furthermore, 72 percent of the individuals that drive and own cell phones admit that they use them while driving. We are losing needless lives on our highways, and for what? Convenience? Death is not and will never be convenient my fellow students. So we can become more connected or keep in touch with our loved ones and families? Surely, a fatal accident disunites that connection. Cell phone use while behind the wheels is extremely dangerous, and not even one study has refuted that. As another evidence, in 2013, a study by Tison, Julie, Neil Chaudhary and Linda from Harvard discovered that cell phone use while driving, in overall, resulted to 6 % of the U.S clashes translating to 2, 600 deaths and 330, 000 injuries annually (Tison, Julie, Neil Chaudhary & Linda Cosgrove, 2011). Indeed, my absolute mission is to ensure that everyone listening to me will leave here committed to assisting the pledge by acting as an example to the rest of the nationwide citizens.
Conclusion
Measures needs to be taken because the epidemic promotes a serious risk to the lives and overall health of the public based on the evidential studies that shows drivers who use their cell phones while behind the car wheels are four times likely to cause a crash. These data alone emphasizes the significance of banning cell phone use while driving. Therefore, the lawmakers of our nation need to more swiftly and act responsively to enact measures for preventing the loss of valuable lives caused by cell phone distractions. Additionally, as the national transport safety board puts it, cell phone laws alone may not adequately solve the problem. Yet, it must be coupled with strict enforcement and aggressive educational campaigns. Likewise, the electronic industries should manufacture cell phones that would discourage their use while driving and would also identify a car occupant’s location so that the passengers could use the devices. Enforcement of laws should also include the establishment of national and state surveillances centers using the developed technology to monitor drivers using cell phones while driving and prosecute them accordingly.
References
Hosking, S. & Michael, A. (2009). The Effects of Text Messaging on Young Drivers. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 51(4), 582-92.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2009). Distracted Driving 2009. Report No. DOT HS 811 379.Tison, Julie, Neil Chaudhary and Linda, C. (2011.) National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors. (Report No. DOT HS 811 555), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. U.S. Census Bureau. www.census.gov/.Last accessed on June 15, 2012.
United States. (2013). National Transportation Safety Board. Washington, D. C: National Transportation Safety Board.
