Well, The Problem Is: Texting while driving has become a very serious problem with today’s generation, also knows as the age of modern electronics meaning that the majority of the population rely of technology for most every day tasks. Studies show that “Texting while driving increases the risk of accident 23.2 over unimpaired driving.” (Hagman 1). This growing problem mostly affects teenagers between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Since the ban on texting while driving in the summer of 2009 many awareness programs such as the SAJD, also knows as, “Stay Alive Just Drive!, Inc. which is nationally recognized for its prevention and education of texting while driving have grown and only worked closer to their goal of banishing distracted driving. Another study done showed that “A large percentage of the people said they know distracted driving is dangerous, but do it anyway.” That is a very scary thought to think about that most people are so careless, but I myself am guilty of texting while driving although I try not to make a habit out of doing it. I think that the major problem with today’s society is just mainly the addiction to cellphones and the usage of them all day every day, so the only way to prevent this dangerously fast growing problem is to break the addiction and to make people more aware not only of this problem but the problems and solutions to texting while driving.
Don’t Let This Be You: I began to do a search online about texting and driving and about all of the problems with it and stumbled upon many startling statistics such as, “A driver is twenty three times more likely to get into a car accident while driving and texting.” I became very interested about this topic and I came up with a summary list of the top reasons why texting and driving is such a big problem:
- Teenagers tend to think they are invincible. This poses as a problem because many teens think, “Oh, that will never happen to me”, but the reality is that this is a real problem and could happen to anyone.
- Our generation is “obsessed” with technology. This poses as a problem because people recently have become so obsessed with technology such as i-phones and all of the latest fads and are not even able to put them down if their lives depended on it.
- Texting while driving causes a delayed/slower reaction time. This poses as a problem because while texting and driving you are not paying attention to the road and most often do not have time to stop which is the cause of the many car accidents nation wide.
- High casualty rate. There are 1.6 million car crashes world wide due to texting and driving.
- They don’t know: This poses as a problem because often times people are not educated in the reasons why texting and driving is a serious crime and a danger to oneself and others.
- It can wait. There is no text message that can not wait just a few moments until you are stopped not only for the safety of yourself but others around you.
SOLUTIONS
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- Silence your Cell Phone.“Out of sight, out of mind”, this is basically saying to put your phone and silent and leave it alone which driving because if you don’t hear it then you will not be tempted to take a quick peek.
- Hands-Free devices.
This may not be completely safe but it does stop drivers from looking away from the road while operating a vehicle. Place a call instead.
- Put yourself on a “Cell Phone Diet”. Try to cut down time that is spent on ones cell phone.
- Remove Data plans from cell phone. Takes away the temptation of picking up your phone and using it at all times.
Click here to find out some of the ways you can help to prevent texting and driving.
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