peer review Assignment
natshi2
week_7_eng_215_paper.docxSolution and Advantages
Solution and Advantages
Antoine Norman
February 16, 2017
Strayer University: ENG 215
Professor Webber
There’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Cell phones play a large role in distracted driving which is why the use of cell phones should be standardized across state lines. Every day we live presents a new chance to make a change. It’s something simple as not using your phone behind the wheel as you are driving. This little action can make the difference between life and death. This may not seem like much but it can really save lives. With that being said every day, every minute, every second, someone uses their phone behind the wheel. Let’s think about this for a second. Are you one of those, have you ever used your phone while driving? One may say I can drive and text, I do it all the time. Ask yourself this, are your driving skills really that much better than anyone else’s. Can you really drive better while texting then the person next to you who’s not distracted? Taking your eyes off the road for even 1 second can mean life or death for you or someone else. Do you really want to be the reason someone loses a loved one?
Distracted driving is not just the use of cell phones while driving, distracted driving can be any number of reasons that causes you to take your eyes off the road while driving. Any form of distracted driving is dangerous, yet cell phone use is the most common form. “But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction” (distraction.gov). Even though we know the dangers and know of the problem there’s still no equal laws concerning the use of mobile devices while driving across state lines. There are clear danger and laws are too inconsistent from state to state
Distracted driving is a major problem in our society today. With more and more apps being created more people are glued to their phones. With Facebook, twitter, Instagram, snap chat, etc. gives us more things to do on our phones. According to 2017, Chicago Tribune “Drivers now are not just talking on cell phones — they're texting, using apps to follow directions, even playing Pokémon Go. Stopping this epidemic of distracted driving, safety advocates say, will take a societal shift to render such behavior socially unacceptable, But for now, experts warn, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. That's going to be really hard to enforce, said Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics for the Safety Council, based in suburban Itasca. The use of phones to the ear is decreasing somewhat, but drivers are more and more likely to do texting and social media and other apps, that is even more dangerous" (According to 2017). When Pokémon go launched that set off a Hugh problem with cell phone use while driving. There were people driving around trying to catch Pokémon, as well as trying to hatch Pokémon eggs. There were reports of people stopping on the road to try and catch Pokémon and hit the Pokestops. Distracted driving is a worldwide problem, According to The Japan Times LTD “Elementary school student Keita Noritake, 9, was killed at a pedestrian crossing in Ichinomiya when he was struck by a truck on Oct. 26. The driver, Nobusuke Kawai, 36, told police he was not watching the road carefully because he was playing Pokémon Go” (The Japan Times LTD).
There seems to be a concern among everyone who drives and uses the roadways, as well as our government officials. Yet From one state to another there are different laws and regulations concerning the use of devices while driving. “The first cellular phones became available for consumer use in the mid-80s. Widespread use was not marked for almost another decade. In the early 90s, less than 4.5 million people used cell phones. Over the last 15 or so years, the population of cell phone users has spiked to over 230 million, according to statistics from the Insurance Information Group” (cellphonesafety.org). As the use mobile phones became more and more popular, accidents numbers began to rise as a result. Today using cellphones is so common that we can’t even leave or homes without them. We are attached to and depend on them for our daily lives. Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, Google, Google Maps, Waze, YouTube, ECT just a few examples of the reasons we spend so much time on our phones
It is said that texting and driving are worse than drinking and driving. An example of this is that the University of Utah did a study of the use of phones and how it affects a driver’s reaction. This reaction was similar to having blood alcohol content of .08 (Issar, Obremskey, Jahangir, Sethi, pg. 24, 2012). Also an analysis was done proving that cellphone use caused accidents. According to Brain Injury Society © 2017 “Drunk Driving On The Decline. According to the NHTSA 2011 Traffic Safety Facts , laws passed by all 50 states and the District of Columbia lowering the threshold of illegal driving to .08 blood alcohol content have resulted in a decrease in drunk driving fatalities. In 2002, there were 12,405 drunk driving fatalities. That number dropped to 9,296 in 2011 – a 25% decrease” (Brain Injury Society © 2017). “While drunk driving fatalities have been decreasing, deadly accidents involving distracted driving are increasing” (Brain Injury Society © 2017). Texting & Driving On The Rise. Distracted driving resulted in approximately 2,600 deaths in 2002. The number of distracted driving accidents increased by 22% in 2011 and resulted in 3,331 fatalities. Texting while driving is a leading cause of distracted driving. However, the NHTSA reports that texting while driving is currently responsible for approximately 1.6 million accidents every year – about 25% of all driving accidents” ( Brain Injury Society © 2017). With stats like this, you can see distracted driving deaths are on the rise.
There are those that feel there are benefits to using cell while driving, and then there are those who don’t stop and think that they make a call or send a text message after reaching their destination. If the call or text is that important that it cannot wait find a safe place to pull over and park. Then once your call is completed continue on to your destination, this is a good alternative than trying to drive while being distracted. In order to push drivers to stop using phones while driving, one solution would call for policymakers to agree to pass restrictive legislation. The legislation should have the capability to be repealed or modified whenever information and or technology changes. These restrictions would help save lives.
Society today seems to be oblivious to the subject of distracted driving due to cell phone use while driving. The only way for this change to happen is to address the issue at hand. The general public needs to be made aware of how bad the situation has become. According to an article based on safe driving and standardization of cell phone regulations, “Representatives of each state should be written and urged to pass a bill forbidding Americans to endanger lives by using cell phones and mobile devices while driving” (Romero, 2012). One way to help spread awareness is to advertise the dangers and the impact of using phones while driving. We can also spread awareness Through legislative actions and ban the use of cell phones usage while “not only help in saving lives, but it also could be used in court to justify a more serious punishment” (Romero, 2012). As for punishments one could face jail time or lose their privilege to drive. Everyone seems to forget driving is a privilege not a given right. This little action has the ability to save many lives and make it less likely that people will break the law. According to Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories website, “India has a total ban on cell phones. Also, it is reported that this sentence is backed with a prison sentence” (2009).
Another advantage of a total ban of using phones while driving is that it could help with teaching and creating responsibility. As I stated before drunk driving is another form of distracted driving yet incidents involving cell phones are rising above drunk driving. This topic needs more attention brought about it. If cell phone related accidents are out number drunk driving accidents, yet we can’t drink and drive, why continue to allow using phones and driving?
Another important advantage of implementing a cell phone ban while driving would be assuring motorist and civilians that they would less likely be injured or even killed due to distracted driving. If this was being enforced in all states, it would prevent many civilians from using their phones while driving. Despite the growing use of cell phone usage today, millions of motorist’s safety should be considered more important than convenience of a phone call!
So I reiterate there’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed. “In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver compared to 3,267 in 2010” (cdc.gov). There is no such thing as a pro distracted driver. There no good drivers that’s distracted. As silly as that sentence sounds, is how one should feel for believing that can drive distracted. Age should not play a role in the ability to use a mobile device while driving.
In conclusion, regardless of what one may feel when it comes to texting and drive, we all need to Charis our lives and the lives of others. No one should have to lose a loved one over a simple text message. Here in America the states are slowly working on changes to try and stop the use of cell phones while driving. These changes hopefully will stop the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of civilians. Let’s hope that something changes before another serious unnecessary accident happen.
References
Cdc.gov Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdistracteddriving/
Cellphonesafety.org Retrieved from,
http://www.cellphonesafety.org/vehicular/accidents.htm
Brain Injury Society © 2017 Retrieved from,
http://www.bisociety.org/texting-while-driving-vs-drunk-driving-which-is-more-dangerous/
Nhtsa.gov Retrieved from
2017, Chicago Tribune Retrieved from,
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-traffic-fatalities-up-met-20160823-story.html
The Japan times LTD. Retrieved from,
