The state of Florida is in need of a law that prevents drivers from texting and driving. As the state of Florida we are considered the 46th state to have received this law. Texting and driving is considered illegal in the state of Florida because it’s better to have safe drivers that distracted drivers who can put others at risk. Yes the act of texting and driving is illegal but we don’t do too much to actually stop drivers from still doing breaking this law. In early October of 2013 Florida was alongside the rest of the states that were prohibiting texting while driving.
According to the National Safety Council (as cited in Copeland, 2013); “motor vehicle crashes involving cellphones are vastly underreported in national statistics on fatal automobile crashes.” For example, in January, 2010, 17-year-old Kelsey Raffaele from St. Marie, Michigan, lost control of her vehicle while talking to a friend on her cell phone. Kelsey’s friend later contacted Kelsey’s parents and told them “I’m going to crash” were Kelsey’s last words. Unfortunately, Kelsey did not survive her injuries, and cell phone use was not documented as a possible cause of the accident. The under-reporting of accidents is an effect of not having reliable methods to verify the number of crashes that are caused by cell phone use (National Safety Council,
SP180.0.2 Principles of Public Speaking Assignment 6_07 Why Banning the use of cell phones while driving should be mandatory nationwide March 23,2014 Banning the use of cell phones while driving should be mandatory nationwide Our phones today have gotten to smart for our own good . Most citizens own a smartphone and are always on them. Playing games, texting, emailing etc. But the biggest problem I see are people using their phones while driving down the road causing serious distractions! There putting in more time and attention to there cell phones and not the road causing fatalities.
D. Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 %. 1. driving while distracted is a factor in 25% of police reported crashes.
Besides leaving hours before traffic starts to avoid traffic jams there has to be another solution. Some solutions include: employee parking cash-out, tolls for single use carpool lanes, and tolls during high peak hours on freeways. An employee cash-out can reduce the amount of vehicles on the road by giving an incentive not to drive (Bullokk, 2011). Companies would give a certain amount each month to the employee who participates in the program. Through data mining, the decrease in the demand of parking can be obtained.
Their parents will not have control of their children the way they want. And they will no longer able to guide them the way they want anymore. Matt Sundeen, an attorney and program principal in the transportation program of the National Conference of State Legislatures, reported that "When the children are at the age of 15 or 16, they do not have enough experience in life, and without their parents' guidance, these young people can easily go in wrong directions; to drugs and alcohol, for example." For example, Alicia Betancourt, sixteen years old high school girl, got her driving license. Then she started to go out without her parents knowledge.
The man told me that if I cried he would shoot my mother. Luckily the man had to do errands so he took our car, left us on the side of the street and standing a block away was a police officer who quickly caught up with the man and arrested him. This was my first real experience of fear. I wasn’t sure if I was more scared of losing my life or losing my mom. Just like the Lieutenant Cross, I suffered the fear of losing not only myself but a loved one as well.
Currently 30 states, plus the District of Columbia, ban all drivers from texting while driving. Nine states, plus D.C., have banned talking on a handheld phone. LaHood, who has made distracted driving a top priority, would like to see all states pass such laws. The DOT is working with interested states and has drafted a sample law to prohibit texting while driving that states can use as a blueprint for their own legislation. But LaHood would like to go further.
In most states, police officers are not allowed to pull drivers over for texting while driving. There must be some other infraction (GHSA, 2013). Since implementing higher fines, Alaska distracted driving fatalities have steadily declined. In 2004, 101 fatal crashes were reported compared to only 50 in 2013. This validates, harsher penalties can make a difference and save lives (Alaska DOT, 2014).
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did some research in 2009 and found that nighttime drivers’ percentage on the weekend with a BAC of .08 had dropped from 5.4% back in 1986 when there was a lower drinking age, to 2.2 %. This shows that having a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21 does really have an effect on overall alcohol consumption. An MLDA of 21 helps prevent underage