Ignoring the Dangers of Texting While Driving May Lead to Serious Consequences
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In today’s world, cell phones have become as necessary as the air we breathe and the food we eat. The desire to be connected to others on a 24/7 basis, however, does not come without its dangers. Almost everyone is guilty of using their cell phone while driving, and most people do not take the time to heed the warnings of the thousands of studies carried out each year to try to curb this bad habit.
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) recently conducted a study to demonstrate just how dangerous operating a vehicle while using a cell phone may be. It used high tech cameras in personal vehicles to provide an accurate portrayal of each person’s elevated level of distraction while texting. Although all cell phone usage seems to be hazardous while operating a vehicle, the institute found that texting was the most dangerous activity. The increased danger in comparison to other cell phone activities is caused by the driver’s need to focus his or her eyes away from the immediate roadway in order to read or respond to messages. Just a second’s glance at a text message increases the risk of an accident by over 20 times.
The institute believes that by encouraging additional studies into cell phone dangers, the public at large will be able to better understand the risks they are taking behind the wheel on a daily basis. For the full press report on the findings of The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, click on the following: http://www.vtti.vt.edu/PDF/7-22-09-VTTI-Press_Release_Cell_phones_and_Driver_Distraction.pdf
Roadways are distracting enough as they are, without the additional diversion of a mobile phone. On almost every road in America there are construction areas, potholes and people who lack the ability to drive in a proper manner, among other things.
Although this is all common knowledge, or should be at this point, most states have failed to pass any laws that prohibit cell phone use.
Only New York, Washington, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Connecticut and California have complete bans on cell phone usage while driving. To find out if your state has implemented any part of a cell phone ban, click on the following link: http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/
I’m sure that most people can recall a time or two when they have checked their cell phone while driving and suddenly ended up veering partially into either the opposing lane or into the curb. Everyday I see people who just barely avoid bumping into the back of another car because they found it necessary to finish typing out the text message that they began writing only moments earlier. Apparently the basic knowledge that a traffic light requires all drivers to stop becomes new information when one is in the midst of texting. Therefore, it’s ironic that most people need these kinds of studies with numerical evidence of deaths and accidents in order to convince them to ban their poor cell phone habits.
As an American who also likes to stay connected with friends, family, business partners, ect., I can honestly say that I value the ability to use my cell phone when I desire to. Nevertheless, although it may be inconvenient not to have the ability to respond or look at my cell phone while driving, I do believe that a ban is necessary.
At the proper age it is a parent’s responsibility to teach their children to drive appropriately on the roadways. Since the time that children are young, they are told to wear their seatbelts. I remember my mother making it absolutely necessary for me to be buckled in before the car was even moving. This was to ensure my safety in the possibility of a wreck. The lesson of not texting while driving should be taught alongside this fundamental knowledge. After all, both lessons have the ultimate goal of roadway safety.
Teens that are just receiving their permits or licenses need to focus on learning the patterns of the roads and those of other drivers. It is difficult enough for a beginner driver to concentrate on the road with music, other vehicles and endless activity, without the added distraction of a cell phone. At the very least, the government should step up and ensure that drivers under the age of 21, who are just becoming acquainted with the transportation system as a whole, be banned from any cell phone activity while operating a vehicle.
Several other suggestions have been made in order to stop the unnecessary accidents and ignorance plaguing the roadways. People need to encourage their politicians to make a change to the federal laws of the United States. There are many countries where cell phone use in a moving vehicle is completely banned. This list can also be accessed through the cellular-news link appearing above.
Many of these countries are ions behind the United States in their technology and knowledge, yet they understand that a ban is necessary to protect their people. A possible explanation for this lack of implementation may have something to do with the cell phone company’s ties to the government of the United States. The government has avoided making public the outright evidence of the dangers of mobile use while driving. Why should we let our government put a lower value on our lives than those of people living in other countries?
The bottom line is that a change needs to be made sooner rather than later. One must ask themselves a series of questions in order to clarify the situation at hand. Is the text message that you just received really worth the possibility of shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars in vehicular damages to either your car or someone else’s? Greater yet, is that cell phone conversation more important to you than your life and the life of others on the roadway? I’d hope that the answer is ‘No.’