Since the introduction of the first cell phone in 1983, the use of mobile devices has gone viral. Even with the growing danger of distracted driving, the laws are not the same in each state for all drivers. Teaching our young adults on the dangers involving with distracted driving, will empower them and give them the insight to make better choices while driving. The University of Michigan did a study on, ‘Reducing Teen Driver Distraction: Parents Play Important Role’ show a significant relationship between parent and teen behaviors behind the wheel.
Results suggest that parents play a significant role in modeling risky behavior on the road. Children look up to their parents for being a role model of what is acceptable,” said Ray Bingham, research professor and head of UMTRI’s Young Driver Behavior and Injury Prevention. The study also shows that texting while driving remains persistent. Our children are our future. Parents should be hands-on in their children lives when it comes to educating them on the do and don’ts of driving. There is program out there that every young adult needs to go to learn what they need not to do while behind the wheel of their car.
For example, in my state of North Carolina the regulation on distracting driving is as follows: Ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for bus drivers (Primary law) • Ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers (Primary law) • Ban on texting for drivers of all ages (Primary law) Note: North Carolina defines novice drivers as drivers of all ages under the age of 18. (distraction. gov) A primary law means that an officer can ticket the driver for the offense without any other traffic violation taking place. A secondary law means an officer can only issue a ticket if a driver has been pulled over for another violation (like speeding). (distraction. gov)
When you’re texting and driving, you’re unable to fully function on driving. Your brain operates on several levels to effectively drive a car. Your visual attention needs to be on the road constantly so that you can see the other drivers when they are signally to make turns, observe impending problems. Your physical attention needs to be directed to the wheel as you control the car. Unfortunately, texting interrupts all three processes: manually as your fingers work the buttons on your phone, visually as you look down at the phone, and cognitively as you think about the message instead of about you’re driving.
This divided attention can be costly. Each time you look down to answer a text message, you take your attention off the road for an average of 4. 6 seconds—even a split second is enough to get you into a potentially fatal car crash (impactteendrivers. org). On April 3, to kick-off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Secretary Foxx announced the Department of Transportation’s first-ever national advertising campaign and law enforcement crackdown to combat distracted driving (nhtsa. gov). With this kick, off campaign I hope it will bring awareness to this growing problem we have of staying off our mobile devices.
When all laws are finally in place, and everyone is punishing to the fullest, we can finally can take our hats off and say we tried our best to prevent the loss of life. The single question we all need to ask is, “What all can we do to help make changes to this growing problem and help save lives? ” One problem we need to do is to raise awareness in our communities. Being mindful that a change is needed will help many people make the right decision. Also the awareness about the pending danger of using a device while driving could touch an individual on a higher level and can cause them to make changes in their typical habits.
Using your cell phone can increases an accident by at least four times; texting can increases crash eight times (Focus Driven, 2014). These facts show evidence to support the changing cell phone regulations and laws. This can also serve as a motivation for drivers to become more aware of the major problem. Raising awareness provides a great opportunity educating our young adults. Education can create a reaction for each person can pass along information to the next person. Educating our children on the dangers involved with distracted driving is not only setting a good example, but it will help empower them.
It will help give them to make better choices. Parents who engage in distracting behaviors more frequently have teens who engage in distracting behaviors. Teens read or send text messages once a trip 26 times more often than their parents think they do (Teen Driver Distraction Study, UMTRI-Toyota, 2012). Here’s another example of inconsistency. Here, it is where education is concerned. In addition to education, the second advantage of awareness is its potential to make real changes where our laws are concerned. There is a massive amount of ambiguous data pertaining to crashes involving cell phones.
Some of crashes have not been reported so the statistics are not accurate. “Therefore, data cannot capture the full extent of the problem and policymakers should consider the issue is greater than the data shows when making decisions” (National Safety Council, 2014). If more drivers were forthcoming with the actual events leading up to an incident, our law makers may have more reason to implement change quicker. The result: consistent laws, enforcement and compliance. Add these together and more lives could be saved in a shorter period. The third advantage of awareness is more life, and less death.
Smarter drivers in general, makes smart decisions will liken leads to less fatalities. Preparing others and ourselves with the understanding that we are responsible for our own lives, as well as others could lead us in the right direction to a positive outlook. Drivers who decide to step up and make the right choice to hang up can actually save their life, and the lives of others. With more eyes on the road and more hands at the wheel, it is possible to prevent and decrease the loss of life. Awareness, education and knowledge are strong tools that we all can utilize.
Convince yourself that your life and the life of others have meaning and purpose. You will then see the purpose and point of hanging up. Once you have convinced yourself, convince someone else his or her life is important too. Appreciate our freedoms while simultaneously respecting and exercising the choice not to use them. Since we decide we need a cell phone tied to our hip we have been a distracted driving and it’s about time we need to start to pay for our consequences. “The first cellular phones became available for consumer use in the mid-80s.
Widespread didn’t happen for another 10 years. In the early 90s less than 4. 5 million people used cell phones. Over the last 15 or so years the population of cell phone users has spiked to over 230 million, per statistics from the Insurance Information Group” (cellphonesafety. org). The definition of a distracted driving is any activity that could divert your attention away from the primary task of driving. For example, adjusting your radio, laughing, and even talking to your passenger. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety” (distraction. ov). “But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction” (distraction. gov).
Despite the problems’ recognition, an inequality exists; a difference in how life itself is valued based upon representation of inconsistent laws, which are meant to protect that life. Though there is a “clear and present danger”, we say, through proof of these inconsistent laws, that a person driving on one side of the country is less likely to be distracted than a driver on the other side is.
A comparison of supporting evidence has been provided here to show that all states uphold seatbelts laws because it is what is best and safest for drivers. I using this seat belt law as an good example to how laws are not consistent when cell phones are involve. The need to regulate the use of cell phones while driving is imperative because it’s dangerous, and current laws are not sufficient to curb the problem. Mobile phones, now known as cell phones, have been around since the 1940s; however, they did not become main stream until the early 1980s.
The original mobile phone design was large and bulky, and was only capable of making phone calls. The third biggest problems we have as a society is driving while on the cell phone. The danger that we put ourselves through checking a tweet or texting somebody is so great, but at what cost? The casualties’ rate of distracted drivers on their cell phones went from 16% in 2008, to about 18% in 2010. Now we have Samsung 7 and the IPhone 8 which is faster, and most Americans cannot get off their phones. 11 % of young adults under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as being distracted by their phones.
The desire to be in touch with somebody, or even in the loop via Facebook or Twitter, puts all of us at a risk while driving. Using the internet on your phone had reportedly jumped from 29% in 2009 to 43% in 2011 while driving. Not one single driver is safe while driving on the motorway. Even if you aren’t checking your phone, and you’re behaving while driving doesn’t mean the people next you are. A fatal car crash can happen in a matter of seconds and the danger we put ourselves in while we driving are profound. We continue day after day in the same routine, but in a blink of an eye you could lose your life.
Just because you say you are a good driver and you do all the right things while driving doesn’t mean you are in the clear. Is there a solution to driving without being distracted by your cell phone? Probably not, but where there is a will there is a way. While many companies are trying to stop it, like AT&T with the pledge not to text while driving with the “It can wait” slogan on September 19 of 2012, there is still a rise in use. Unfortunately, the society we live in will not allow this to happen unless rules or laws are put intact to prevent the use of cell phones while driving.
If we get rid of this distraction, maybe another will become more dangerous, but we should try to not only make our lives safer but the lives of others as well. This brings hope that someday cell phone laws will become standardized. When at last, laws are consistent, and all drivers are treated as equals, then, and only then, can we say we have tried to change, and save lives? It is time for all drivers to take a stand and protest for tougher laws. Driving while talking and texting is very dangerous, and the laws should be change and they must be enforced nationwide.
