The Need For Texting While Driving Ban

Texting while driving has become a big issue in our nation that needs to be addressed. Distracted driving has always been an issue with drivers, particularly young drivers, but has perhaps never had the attention it now currently receives. Almost daily, there are stories in the mass media about the destruction and death that has been caused by distracted driving. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than 9 people are killed every day in the United States and 1, 060 more are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. Texting and driving is leading to be the number one reason for car accidents. Decreasing the act of texting while driving will save close to three thousand people a year.

My brother has been confined to the wheel chair for some years now because of texting while driving. I remember my mom receiving that heart breaking phone call from Police Officer Grant on that fateful Friday night. The confusion, heartbreak and tears on her face shocked everyone in our living room as to what was going on in her mind. Her only biological son was involved in a deadly car crash with a big truck. He was responding to a text from his over-possessed girlfriend which read “call me now” and lost control of his car. His came as a big blow to the family as my brother was always seen as the responsible one and the love of the family. I have then learnt that there is no text message that is worth one losing his or her life for. People are continuously obsessed with their phones, checking Google, Twitter, Facebook, text messages etc. We’re expected to be constantly plugged in and it looks as if our self-esteem feeds on social responses. Some people also think they’re superheroes and can do anything better than anyone else. The excessive use of cell phone while driving is extremely distracting and hazardous to the person behind the wheel, and everyone else who are on the road as well.

Texting is wildly popular: the number of monthly text messages has increased more than tenfold in the past three years according to the wireless industry trade organization CTIA. But texting while driving is unsafe: Not only are a driver's eyes off the road, one or both hands are off the wheel. According to the American Society of Safety Engineers, drivers who are texting are twice more likely to crash than those driving under the influence of alcohol, and, fewer teens drink or take drugs before driving than text or talk while driving. So as part of the Impact Teen Drivers program, Brian Pennings (California Highway Patrol officer) gives presentations at high schools to raise awareness among teens about their own risky behaviors. I think more people have to join in if we really want to combat this behavior. According to results of a National Safety Council (NSC) public opinion poll, 73% of respondents think enforcement of texting laws should be stronger, while 22% think enforcement is okay as is. “For years, there has been widespread opposition to texting behind the wheel, ” says NSC’s Deborah Hersman. “Today, the polls show the public is behind stronger penalties because most people recognize that it will take more than awareness campaigns to stop this dangerous behavior. ” Despite people’s beliefs that they can multitask, NSC says, studies show that hands-free devices are no safer than handheld; the brain is still distracted when talking on the phone. A survey was completed by120 college students to evaluate how often they send and read a text message while driving. Based on that information, students were assigned to one of two groups: 20 students who frequently text while driving and 20 students who rarely text while driving but were similar in gender, age, years of education, and years driving. The groups were then compared on the degree to which they differed in self-reported measures of executive function and impulsivity. The groups were also compared on a behavioral measure of impulsivity: the extent to which they discounted hypothetical monetary rewards as a function of the delay. For this measure, the students made repeated choices between smaller monetary rewards available immediately and larger rewards available after delays ranging from 1 week to 6 months. The results showed that the group of students who frequently text while driving showed significant lower levels of executive function and higher levels of self-reported impulsivity, although the groups did not differ significantly on the behavioral measure of impulsivity. The results supported a general conclusion that drivers with lower levels of executive function and higher levels of impulsivity are more likely to text while driving.

Currently, Texting while driving is banned for all drivers in 47 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in two states (Arizona and Missouri) according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Most school bus drivers are banned from texting and using hand-held cellphones by state code, regulation or school district policy. Technology could supplement the new laws, said Illinois Rep. John D'Amico, who sponsored his state's texting ban. "I would hope it's not necessary, " he said, but added, "No matter what you put in place, somebody can break the law. " U. S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he supports a ban on texting while driving but has said that such laws would be hard to implement. His agency plans to host a distracted-driving conference with state regulators. CTIA, whose members include carriers like AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless says it supports banning texting while driving altogether. "We think it's incompatible with safe driving, " said John Walls, CTIA's vice president of public affairs.

Until recently, most cellphone safety measures - such as voice dialing and hands-free headsets - were focused on keeping drivers' eyes on the road. Now, various technology companies are competing to bring texting-safety apps to market. Many of the apps will simply block texts from being sent or received while the owner is driving. In conclusion, it can be remarked that the problem of texting while driving is increasing day by day particularly among young generation. It is time to take radical moves to prevent distracted driving of vehicles on the roads. Although many efforts have been done by authorities to stop this problem, yet human beings are still confronted with it. I think there must be more restrictions and regulations regarding careless driving due to the usage of phones. It is also the time for the traffic authorities to take hard step against the reckless drivers, which includes strong penalties and banning of their licenses if they are accountable for violating traffic laws. Texting while driving must be stopped at every cost.