Texting and Driving

Texting and driving Sitting on the highway in traffic and the cell phone goes off. Hearing the familiar text message ringtone a person starts to think, “Maybe it is my friend telling me about the update on the party tonight, or my mother, what if something is wrong?” It does not look like traffic is going to be moving anytime soon, and knowing that it would only take a minute, if that, to respond, they do. Before they know it, the car in front of them stops too fast and there in an accident. Texting while behind the wheel takes your eyes off the road, you lose your focus, and it has a high risk factor. Not only do you put your life at risk but others as well.
Texting while driving is very dangerous and can cause serious harm. Texting takes away something that everyone needs behind the wheel, vision. It does not matter whether your cell phone is placed on the dashboard, in your cup holder, or even in your lap; your eyes belong on the road. When texting you lose your focus and you do not pay attention to the road. It does not matter how fast you think you can text that person back there is always that possibility of something going wrong. While reading that “important” text message for one split second, a crash could happen. Focus and vision are the two most important factors needed when driving.
People may think that they are able to text without looking at the keyboard. Some may think that this is safe, but it is not. Just because someone’s eyes are not on the phone doesn’t mean their focus is not. There is a saying that goes, “Just because your hear me, does not mean you are listening to me.” This can also be said about vision. Just because someone is looking at the road, does not mean they are paying attention to what’s going on. That is exactly how it is with texting. A person’s eye might be on the road, but their focus is on what they are saying in that “important” message. While they are trying to make sure they hit the right key on their phone their not noticing on what is going on around them and their surroundings. A recent study has shown that texting and driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. Texting while driving results in longer response time than even drunken driving while an unimpaired driver can respond quickly to changes in traffic and begin braking within half a second. A legally drunk driver needs four additional feet to begin breaking, while a driver who is texting needs seventy (Chairman Julius Genachowski,Federal communications commission,2009) In simpler terms, this means by the time you look up from typing that so called important text it could be too late to respond. In that quick second your life could be taken or you could be seriously injured. Since texting has become popular, there have been many cases that have proved that texting and driving is becoming a major problem across the world. In everyday news, they show that car crashes are happening to frequently in teens and young adults. Texting and driving has become such a problem, that they have banned texting while operating a vehicle in many states. (Joan Lowy AP / December 8, 2011 Washington).Many individuals are losing their friends and family members everyday over a text message. Now law officials are trying to do anything they can to prevent accidents happening from texting and driving, but they cannot do it alone they need our help to spread the word about the effects it has on themselves as well as others. Texting and driving is dangerous. If a text message is so important, pull off the road and answer it. This will be a safer way, rather than not focusing on the road and losing control over the wheel. You should believe because I knew someone that got in automobile accident while texting. She was a close friend to the family. Her life was taken away at a very young age; she was only twenty-four. She was just starting to settle down with her new job as teacher, and possibly settling down to start a family. She was beautiful inside and out, I do not know what made her do that outrageous action. She used to get on to people about texting and driving. She may not have done it all the time; it could have been her first time ever doing it. Now it is too late, she risked her life to answer that text message, and her life was taken that same night. Ever since that night she has not been off my mind. I would do anything to go back to that night and tell her to put the cell phone down that it is not important. Now every time I want to pick up my phone and answer a text message I think about her. I think about what her family and everyone that knew her went through. You should believe me because I, as well as the people that knew her went through the pain of losing someone special in your life. You should never experience it. Next time when you are texting and driving or riding with someone that is, be the responsible one and put the phone down. Do not risk your life or anyone else’s life for a message. Do not put someone through the pain and grief. No one should have their life taken from something that can and could be prevented. People die every day from texting and driving. The death rate rises every year. As many as 16,000 people from 2001 to 2007 were killed on the nation's highways directly by texting or talking and driving.( Jim Stimpson of the University of North Texas Health Science Center). This is too many death rates that can be prevented from happening.
You have to think about others when driving If you read that text that is so important and get into a car accident how would you feel, a simple act caused a big result! What if that other person in the other car passed away, how are you going to be able to live with that? What about that other person’s family? With that being said when driving you have to considerate. What if you ended up in the hospital? How would your family feel. For every action there is a reaction. When you are in the vehicle and your phone goes off, do not even pay attention to it. Set an example. If someone sees you text, they are going to text and think it is ok. If you be the responsible individual and do not text, then everyone will see that you are not doing it so they will not either. They say that the average teen now sends or receives an average of 2,899 text messages per month. And most of those texts are sent from behind the wheel. Teens are not the only ones putting people at risk. A recent study showed that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a crash or near crash event rather than non-distracted driving. There is considerably more risk associated with dialing while driving. Another study showed that texting took a driver’s focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds which is enough time to travel the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour.(CBS new 2009). As this is said to prevent accidents everyone needs to pay attention to the road and put the cell phone down. As I said before, in many states they have made it a law that cell phones are banned while operating a vehicle. They are trying to do anything they can to prevent these accidents from happening. Everyone hates paying for high tickets, now when a cop sees you on your cell phone they will automatically give you a ticket. The price of the ticket will cost you 159 dollars, it could possibly be more. The law today is very serious about the way society is getting distracted by a cell phone.( POSTED: 9:21 am PDT April 1, 2011) As you see, Texting and driving is very dangerous. It does not matter if you are the fastest texter or the best driver, you still lose focus when you are texting and driving at the same time. It is not just a couple of individuals doing this, it is everyone. People may not admit it but they do it. This all can be prevented if we work together. By doing this we will set examples for the younger age groups as well as save thousands of lives. So next time when you think about picking up that cell phone and sending a message, put it down and remember; For every action there is a reaction.

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