One Life After Another – Into the Dangers of Texting While Driving

1051 Words5 Pages
One Life after Another – Into the Dangers of Texting While Driving “I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” This is a famous quote from the American musician Jimi Hendrix, however on September 12, 2008 the train conductor of a rush hour Metro link commuter train in San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown Los Angeles had different plans when he ran red a light and collided head-on with a union pacific freight train, killing 25 people and injuring more than 130 others. It was the deadliest train accident in Metro link’s history and the worst in the nation since 1993 (Steinhauer). Investigators discovered that the commuter train’s engineer failed to break before the accident and that he had been sending text messages on his cell phone moments before the collision. While majority of Americans perceive texting while driving to be resourceful it also serves as a means to put in danger the lives of innocent citizens. To begin with, some argue that under some circumstances texting can be regarded as safe and helpful. This is definitely true in cases where one finds his or herself stuck in traffic and in dire need of urgent help. For example, if Mr. Anderson is has to communicate to his colleagues that he will be late for a board meeting it seems appropriate for him to alert them by text that he would be late. While this might appear to be a great idea, it undoubtedly takes away the driver’s attention even if it is for a few seconds thereby making him unaware of his surroundings and this could prove to be detrimental. Paying little to no attention while in traffic could cause minor accidents and the use of a phone should certainly be avoided at all cost. Also, texting while driving gives people the opportunity to communicate with friends and family members. It givesevery person a chance to catch up on one

More about One Life After Another – Into the Dangers of Texting While Driving

Open Document