Mobile Phone Use and Distraction while Driving - Assignment Example

23 April Cause & Effect Essay about Car Accidents Introduction The high death rate of people in different nations is contributed by numerous factors ranging from diseases, natural deaths and various forms of accidents. Other than children whose chances of survival early in life result from their systems ability or failure to support individual lives and fight weakening infections by acute illnesses, most adult deaths are associated with either sicknesses or accidents. These accidents come inform of attacks during crimes (stabs, gunshots, strangles etc.), natural disasters (like flooding, earthquake, and fire outbreak) and transportation system accidents. One of the ways transportation systems have resulted in high death rate cases is through motor vehicle accidents on the road networks of different nations compared to plane and train associated accidents. Thesis: The paper’s discussion argues that most car accidents result from human related errors that could easily be avoided other than the factors related to road conditions. It focuses on disruptive activities while driving that impair drivers’ attention, use of road unworthy vehicles, and roads maintenance and generally, the effects upon accidents occurrence. Effects of Car Accidents The impact of vehicle accidents at any one situation depends on the intensity of the crash and what it has hit among others. Death is a serious case that takes productive individuals from the society. Motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of death in the USA, which has consistently remained over forty thousand between 1995 to year 2007 (Tefft 2). This involves both innocent lives of school children, pedestrians and passengers travelling in crashing vehicles. Others involved are inside buildings upon car crashes when navigating away from the roads for an expected situation. The other category is those who survive from crash injuries. They either receive minor injuries like scratches and intense bruises and sometimes treatable minor body fractures, or the accident leaves them with a permanent damage. Physically permanent body injuries could be a damaged spinal cord, amputated legs, paralysis, major brain injury, which could put the victim on a wheel chair all his life, or impair brain function for coordination. All these injuries could translate into costly medical expenses to treat or maintain where impossible to correct, which is another financial burden. Destruction of private and public property that costs the tax payers’ money to put up or to own, are either partially or fully destroyed. Most of the serious car crashes on highways render the vehicles unusable or irreparable. Most of these vehicles result to waste in scrap metals sites in the USA, while minor bends cost more to repair. If properties outside the road are affected too, owners could claim damages for loss of properties. Human Related Errors that cause Car Accidents Cell phones: Hand held cell phones are recklessly used anywhere without people taking any measures to control themselves. With the advent of new technology smart phones, majority of the driving youths have this irresponsible use of the gadgets. Most cars and trucks accidents, 22 and 71 percent respectively, meet distracted drivers on cell phones chatting, texting, reading messages, or calling (CARRS 1). It is advisable that drivers avoid taking phone calls while driving because it risks causing accidents. If the issue is urgent, they can stop by the road side and communicate in a rush, rather than trying to handle two tasks at the same time, which is usually disastrous. Attention diverted while talking: Sometimes the drivers carrying a number of passengers could be interested in certain talks within the vehicle. Passengers could also be stubborn and desire to hear drivers’ contribution to the subject topic. This definitely spurs certain emotions that engage all participants and the more they want to contribute, the more the driver loses total concentration on the road. Talking to the passengers either beside or at the back seat dangerously diverts driver’s attention from the road, as they turn to see the partners’ facial reaction and interesting gestures. These are few seconds where the eyes are fixed to activities off the road, and have the capacity to cause accidents. Fast driving: People engage in fast driving consciously for various reasons like avoiding lateness to appointments and emergency cases. In their minds, they are clogged by the urgency of their situation and drive fast and selfishly to accomplish their aims. Roads are meant for all and each should be careful to regulate their speed to ensure overall safety. While driving fast, it is common to overlook road signs, unless one is familiar with the road; fast drivers end up breaching various road rules to keep ahead of time, but dangerously fail to control the vehicles upon an emergency pushing them into accidents. Fast driving is also associated with drunk drivers, who are often not themselves and want to explore various adventures, but eventually end up causing more harm. Road carnage: The USA like many other nations has made efforts to provide a system for safe road usage through traffic controls and signs along the roads. It is hence the responsibility of drivers to adhere to the highway and subways signs and avoid breaching the rules. Most accidents have occurred closer to the roads’ safety signs even after drivers are warned in time. Violation of road rules like driving on the wrong side of the road, ignoring traffic signs, condition and speed limits, contribute to major accidents, which in most cases, the driver or vehicle owner is held liable. Many deaths of passengers, especially on public vehicles result from the drivers breaching the road rules. Other causes of road carnage that spread with increase of terrorism is the intended cause of mass death though planted explosives on private and public vehicles. These are terrorist crimes that target transit to cause greater impacts. Unworthy vehicles on the road: The owners of the vehicles are also largely to blame for the poor maintenance of their vehicles. The more a car or truck gets older, the greater the chances of breaking down more often. Two major factors in some public vehicles and majorly private ones that have led to serious accidents are faulty or brake failures and use of recapped and worn out tires. Without strict supervision of such defects in vehicles by governments’ traffic and transportation regulatory bodies, such vehicles continue to risk the lives of many people on the roads, because they compromise the desired roadworthiness of vehicles. Poor road maintenance: This is not a major problem in the USA, but in third world countries, poor roads are a major contribution to accidents. Roads that were build some twenty years ago remain the major highways, whose repair only adds bumpy patches on the roads, which pose a threat for speeding vehicles. Vehicles can sway around a patch or potholes on the road only to meet the other vehicles on the opposite lanes and cause accidents. Some roads in both developed and developing countries are not wide enough to handle the huge traffic of commercial and non-commercial vehicles. This in turn creates congestion for the overall road users (pedestrians on the sides, motorbikes and vehicles) increasing chances of accidents. Weather conditions like rainy and misty seasons can also impair drivers’ visibility to engage in accidents. Conclusion The road accidents caused by human errors far exceed the other associated causes like weather conditions. Most of these causes can be prevented by controlling drivers’ behaviors and avoiding irresponsible activities. This would prevent most serious and minor car accidents that result from these reckless activities while driving, to save thousands of people’s lives each year. Works Cited CARRS. “Mobile Phone Use and Distraction while Driving: State of the Road.” police.qld.gov.au. October 2012. Web. 23 April 2014. Tefft, B.C. “Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age: United States, 1995–2010. ”aaafoundation.org. November, 2012. Web. 23 April 2014. Read More