Before the invention of cellular devices, there was no danger of the concept of texting while driving. But now, due to the advancement in technology, that risk pop up. Texting during driving is famous as it causes much damage and produces many dangerous situations. Texting while driving now becomes more hazardous even than driving under the influence of alcohol, which makes it very disturbing and deadly for many persons who are on the road. My argument about this is that it is riskier than driving under the influence of alcohol. Laws should need to be strict in these situations. Moreover, people should be cited for doing this as they are not only putting them at risk but also others who are around them. In our society today, texting while driving has caused a lot of accidents and even the deaths of the persons. Because of these risks and certain casualties, eight states of the United States of America have banned the use of cell phones while driving.
There are many distractions found that can divert a driver’s reactions while using the cell phone, as much as someone has a concentration of alcohol at the legal limit of 0.8 per cent found by the Nationwide Insurance company record. The primary source of Driver inattention is the use of cell phones, as they are more likely the cause of crashes and injuries while driving (NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Texting while driving is the main reason behind 25 per cent of police-reported crashes. Moreover, the usage of a cell phone while driving reduces the activity of the brain associated with driving by almost 37 per cent (Horwitt, 185).
One should need to be focused on the road even with one eye, and it doesn’t matter where they put their phone, on their lap or on the dashboard. The driver can lose his focus even by a single vibration or a ring, and all the concentration may get lost from the road. There is a possibility of an accident even when a person is using the cell phone without looking at it while driving. Although reading and then replying to it takes a few seconds, these few seconds can even cause crucial accidents. Most people ignore the fact that they are breaking the law by using their cell phones while driving and that they are putting themselves and others at risk as well. One should realize that none of the text or phone calls is more precious than the life of a person who can get killed by your actions. As the states banned the use of phones while driving, so many people, instead of leaving this, are using cell phones by hiding them, whose results can be fatal.
Many statistics have shown that in transportation, many deaths are caused when the driver is texting or using a cell phone. In the last five years, there are about 1700 car crashes that were caused because the drivers were using the cell phone as stated by the Texas Department of Transportation. In contrast, 700 crashes were only caused by the usage of a cell phone in 2009. A report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has shown that about 16 per cent of drivers who were under the age of 20 admit that they got distracted by cell phones at the time of crashes.
Work Cited
Horwitt, Dusty. “Driving while distracted: How should legislators regulate cell phone use behind the wheel.” J. Legis.28 (2002): 185.
