Assignment 4: Persuasive Paper Part 2: Solution and Advantages
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eng-215_assignment_3_part_1.docxRunning head: STANDARD REGULATIONS 5
Persuasive Paper Part 1: A Problem Exists
ENG 215
Professor
August 7, 2016
Standard Regulations for Drivers’ Cell Phone Usage
In today’s high-tech world, every day new technology is introduced to improve human life, like mobile phones devices. A cell phone is a very useful technology as it is a communication tool to bridge businesses, friends, and families anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, it has been misused collectively, and every other person is using a cell phone while driving on the road. Virtually every state has considered legislation concerning cell phone usage by drivers; however, the conflict between particular types of standard laws in every state is an issue. Therefore, if the federal government and states work together on this matter and restrict cell phone usage while driving by passing the standard bill, following implementation and education of the drivers can create a solution to the problem.
Driving a vehicle needs attention and any distraction especially talking, surfing the Internet, sending text messages on the cell phone while driving can be very dangerous particularly for novice drivers because anything can happen within the blink of an eye. According to the ABC news, Christal McGee was driving the car around 100 miles per hour when she struck her car with Wentworth Maynard’s car so violently that crash left Maynard with severely traumatic brain injuries. According to the report, Christal McGee was trying to use Snapchat speed filter on her cell phone at the time the of car accident. (ABC The News Station, 2016).
The first mobile phone was introduced in 1980 and was not properly marketed for an extended period, but in 1990 nearly 4.5 million people start using the cell phones. (Cell Phone Safety, 2016). According to the Insurance Information Group (Cell Phone Safety, 2016; Insurance Information Institute, 2016) statistics from last 15 years or more, the mobile phone user has jumped over 230 million in early 2007. Also, “100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study” was evaluated by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute regarding usage of a cell phone. For example, calling a friend, answering a call or sending text messages are dangerous activities and cause a distraction while driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 43 states have passed the law to ban the text messaging for all ages while driving. (Cell Phone Safety, 2016). Also, 12 more states passed the law altogether to prohibit the usage of mobile phones or handheld devices while driving and 37 states including D.C banned cell phone usage for all ages. Overall, it is a great effort but not useful because of inconsistent laws regarding mobile phone usage between different states. On the other hand, seatbelt laws are standard for every state, and the driver must wear a seatbelt while driving a vehicle because our society accepted that driving without a seatbelt is dangerous and life threatening. Similarly, usage of cell phones or handheld devices while driving legislation must be standardized for every state. Also, it is our social responsibility as a community to encourage such laws implementation to drive safe, without inequity no matter what state we visit in (Ucles, 2014).
The three most important issues could be in our current social, economic and legal system are describe as following:
Social Problems: Since 2007, the entire world changed when Apple introduced its first iPhone to the world. This iPhone was not just a traditional cell phone. It was a whole laptop, which had many modern features and apps that a mobile user could imagine at that time. For example surfing the internet, texting messages, using social media and sending emails and using Google Maps became on the tip of the user's hand. Therefore, a new trend of the virtual world immersed in our society, and this trend upscales the lifestyle of an ordinary person. Also, this trend gave the convenience to an average person who can carry the entire world in his hand everywhere, even while driving a vehicle is quite compelling and addictive. Therefore, as a society, we are not active or ready to leave this cybernetics system. As well, we are not prepared to support the implementation of standard legislation across the states (Grossman, 2007).
Economic Problems: According to USA Today, in 2013 four major cell phone companies AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint jointly advertise to spread the awareness to their customers to stop texting while driving but on the other hand they promote their hands-free cellphone equipment for drivers. Standard legislation can not achieve without industry lobbyists, and it is time to rethink that cell phone companies really in favor to implement standard laws for every state that stop mobile phones and handheld devices usage while driving (Kratsas, 2014).
Legal Problems: Cell phone usage while driving is a complex issue to legislate because few state has preemption laws, which exclude the local authorities from legislating the cell phone usage while driving laws. Meanwhile many safety groups, government agencies have conducted surveys to analyze the core issues related to the cell phone usage while driving and address to these states. Also, in 2007 Nationwide Insurance company published facts reports which are substantiated evidence regarding cell phone usage while driving is a complete distraction. The federal government and stakeholders should help to implement a standard law for every state to ban the mobile and handheld devices usage while driving (Cell Phone Safety, 2016; GHSA, 2016).
References
(Cell Phone Safety: Let’s Talk Prevention. 2016). Does cell phone use lead to auto accidents?: An incomplete controversy. Retrieved from
http://www.cellphonesafety.org/vehicular/accidents.htm
(ABC The News Station, 2016). Teen being sued after crashing car while allegedly using snapchat’s ‘speed’ filter.: CNN Wire. Retrieved from
(Insurance Information Institute, 2016). Distracted driving. Retrieved from
http://www.iii.org/issue-update/distracted-driving
(Ucles, J., 2014). NHTSA. U.S. DOT Launches first-ever national distracted driving enforcement and advertising campaign. Retrieved from
(Grossman, 2007). Grossman, L. Invention of the year: The iPhone. Time International (South Pacific Edition), (45), 44-45. Retrieved from
(Gabrielle Kratsas, 2014) USATODAY. Cellphone use causes over 1 in 4 car accidents. USATODAY. Retrieved from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/03/28/cellphone-use-1-in-4-car-crashes/7018505/
(Cell Phone Safety: Let’s Talk Prevention. 2016). Cell phone safety legislation.: Legislation a quick fix for a bigger problem. Retrieved from
http://www.cellphonesafety.org/regulation/legislation.htm
(GHSA, 2016). Distracted Driving Laws. Preemption laws. Retrieved from
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
