Irresponsibility puts you at risk, as well as others. This can cause injury or death. Distractions can be easily avoided by not being put in the situation of being distracted. When you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, it is the driver’s responsibility to focus on driving and the safety of others on the road. One type of distraction that is becoming a growing popularity is driving while texting or talking on a cell phone.
It has been argued that texting while driving should not be banned because it is just as distracting as eating, putting on make-up, or listening to music while driving. Most people do a lot of these activities, but do they measure up to texting while driving? Although, texting while driving is considered in category of car distraction, it is a more dangerous activity than the rest. The Editors say “Talking on a cellphone while driving makes a person four times more likely to be in a crash” (NY Times paragraph 4). Moreover, the chat on the cellphone is what distracts people.
Car manufacturers have taken heed to the need of limiting cell phone use while driving. Even with Bluetooth capability, the need to drive without distractions is and should remain a priority. All to often, teenagers seem to be the ones that are found guilty texting and driving. The laws put in place about banning handheld devices is often aimed to minors and ones who are new license holders. It has become hopeful that with such bans, new drivers and minors will put away cell phones and maintain their attention to the road.
The control's purpose as applied to this experiment, is to simply drive without talking on a cell phone. By having a control, the results are more valid. In this case, the researchers must be sure to reduce the amount of distractions that can affect the reliability of the overall results. How is this possible? The experiment must be conducted in a closed setting, where researchers have more control of distractions that could potentially affect the outcome.
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE: SHOULD DRIVERS OF AUTOMOBILES BE PROHIBITED FROM USING CELLULAR PHONES? COMPOSITION II WHITNEY TRIMBLE FEBRUARY 14, 2012 CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES DO CURFEWS KEEP TEENS OUT OF TROUBLE? DO VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES CAUSE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS? SHOULD DRIVERS OF AUTOMOBILES BE PROHIBITED FROM USING CELLULAR PHONES? When driving a vehicle, there is a great amount of concentration to perform to keep steady on the road and make sure ourselves are safe.
There are numerous studies on cell phone use which indicate that any type of cell phone use can distract the driver. One such study is from Carnegie Mellon University: according to researcher Marcel Just, drivers do not have to dial, hold or even talk into a cell phone to be distracted, simply listening attentively is sufficient to impair driving. A near crash experience is not as bad as an actual accident, but it is enough to make anyone put their cell phone away and focus on driving. This is exactly what Ana did when she was headed to pick up a birthday cake. Ana was texting as she drove and never thought that when she glanced down at
Hello, my name is Ethan Thompson. I’m here to warn you about the dangers of texting while driving. You’re sitting on the highway in traffic and your cellphone signals a message received. Hearing the recognizable text message tone may make you think, “Maybe it’s my friend telling me about the update on the party tonight, or my mother; what if something is wrong?” It doesn’t look like traffic is going to be moving anytime soon, and knowing that it would only take a minute to respond, you decide to text. Before you know it the car in front of you stops short and you’re in an accident.
Those who agree with the statement would view young drivers assuming under 18 years old and older drivers to be reckless and therefore would be more prone to traffic accidents on the road. Lack of experience, forgetfulness, carelessness and poor fitness condition may be reasons for limiting age of drivers. On the other hand, I would think that age is only a small determinant and we need to look at more effective measure such as reducing number of vehicles on the road through car pool, implementing more stringent regulations on alcohol drink driving and possibly to revise on the standard of driving test for young and old drivers on the road. Many drivers who are stuck in traffic jams also have busy lifestyles and therefore tend to become very stressed or distracted on the road. Thus I would think the government may have to look ways to improve road infrastructure and traffic jams to deter or reduce accidents on the road.
There is a higher risk of an accident becoming fatal if a mobile phone is used at the time of the collision. Drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident while using a mobile phone than those under the influence of alcohol or drug use. A study by Alm and Nilsson (cited in Cain & Burris, 1999, p. 11) found that using a hands free device while driving is just as dangerous because the phone conversation is given priority over the task of driving when not faced with difficult driving challenges. This study also proved that the driver’s ability to reduce speed was affected. A study by Redelmeier in 1997 (cited in Cain & Burris, 1999, p. 26) has received the most attention.
It has been proven that a conversation of light topics on a cell phone does not change a driver’s perspective to external road events or the driver’s ability to drive. Arguments of this issue support if cell phone usage does not have an impact on driving, therefore it should not be banned. Mobile phone use while driving is common, but widely considered dangerous. Due to the number of accidents that are related to cell phone use while driving, some jurisdictions have made the use of a cell phone while driving illegal.