Stance position: Because most people think it’s safe to text while driving, it is essential for them to know the consequences that will happen while texting and driving. Nearly all states in the United States consider distracted driving as a critical safety problem. According to available statistics, distracted drivers caused 3,477 deaths and 391000 car crash injuries. Therefore, federal governments have passed strict regulations to curb the menace of texting and driving. All states consider texting and driving a distracted driving offense that attracts various penalties depending on an incident’s severity. For instance, an individual can be subjected to a jail term, license withdrawal, fines, or traffic citation. Monetary fines in Alaska, for example, can be as high as $10,000.
However, consequences such as jail time and monetary fines may change depending on various present aspects. For instance, they may increase when the incident resulted in severe injury to other road users, if it was not the first incident, and when the distracted driver was drunk at the time of the event.
Despite the inherent difficulty that has characterized the implementation of anti-texting while driving legislation by law enforcers, the steps that have so far been taken have assisted in reducing the number of accidents across states that have enacted such statutes. Law enforcers have also become creative in bringing the offenders to book. For example, Tennessee law enforcers adopted the use of semi-truck trucks on their roads to enable the officers to look into the underlying vehicle cabins to check on the offenders.
Texting while driving is dangerous. It risks the life of the driver and other road users, including passengers and drivers, to an unwarranted danger. The massive statistics showing deaths and injuries that have resulted due to this practice show that no text message or email can be compared to the cost of lives. Therefore, I support the promulgation of statutes and legislations that confer stricter penalties on the offenders as a consequence, considering that the likely impact of texting while driving poses deadly consequences not only to road users but also to the nation in general. The breakages that need to be repaired using taxpayers’ money and hospital bills, among others, are financial obligations that require the nation’s attention. It is, therefore, necessary for drivers to be patient until they reach their destination before looking into their inbox. If adopted, this will save them license, money, time, and their lives.
Plan to support stance: I will provide the underlying information about texting and driving and its effects on road users and the government. Besides, I will give some of the means that law enforcers can use to enforce the legislation that has been enacted to curb the vice. I will describe the legal consequences as well as the likely impacts of texting while driving. Moreover, I will also give brief information on why road users must avoid this practice.
Research Methodology: I plan to identify five peer-reviewed journals from the Internet to support my stance. I also plan to use the University library to look for articles and other sources that can assist this research. Finally, I will seek information from authorities charged with road safety.
