Texting While Driving - Research Paper Example

?Jennifer Harrison Amrine English 50 31 May Texting While Driving It has been proved umpteen times that texting while driving can leadto disasters. Considering the seriousness of the situation, many administrations have already banned using mobile while driving. Already, 30 states in the US have legislation prohibiting texting while driving in place. However, evidence suggests that the law is not strong enough to stop people from doing this. According to reports (cited in Buzzle.com), a total of 16,000 people died in accidents caused by drivers sending text messages while driving between 2001 and 2007. Despite the best efforts from the part of governments and law enforcement agencies, there was a 28 percent increase in the number of accidents over the period from 2005 to 2008. Many people accept the fact that they resort to use cell phone while driving; a practice that takes away many lives and that makes many people incapacitated for their entire lives. It is surprising to note that in sharp contradiction with the popular belief, it is adults who are more likely to resort to texting while driving. According to the a Pew Research Centre study, 47 percent of adults do this while only 34 percent teenagers admit doing the same (Distraction.gov). When police officers find it easy to catch those who talk on phone while driving, it is difficult for them to find those who are texting. It is generally pointed out that enforcement of a texting ban is not an easy task as it requires officers to identify an act that usually takes place in a driver’s lap. Despite all these issues associated with the use of mobile while driving, it is rather ironic to note that the car manufacturers are not paying any attention to this issue at all. Instead, they are preparing their next generation vehicles with more entertainment. To illustrate, Ford rolls out Twitter and Pandora as a part of their dashboard console entertainment; an invitation card to disasters. It seems that despite the large numbers of accidents, people do not fully understand the graveness of the problem, or are unwilling to mend their ways as they are addicted to mobile. A study conducted by the Virginia tech Transportation Institute (cnet. News) found that those who send text message while driving are twenty-three times more likely to have a crash than the non-distracted drivers (LeBeau). However, the study found a much lesser possibility of accident when the driver is talking on a phone. In this case, the possibility of accident is 1.3 times higher than that of a non-distracted driver. At this juncture, it seems useful to look into the NHTSA study that reveals that 80 percent of crashes and 60 percent of near-crashes are the result of some sort of driver distraction. According to the study, the principal forms of distraction while driving are cell phone use, trying to handle moving objects inside the vehicle, giving attention to another event outside the vehicle, reading while driving, and trying to apply makeup. According to experts, texting is more dangerous than talking on phone. According to studies, drivers who resort to text messaging take 400 percent more time off the road. In addition, they are 70 percent less likely to keep proper lane. While the driver who talks on phone is able to watch the road, the one who is texting has to look at his or her hands, thus, unable to watch the road ahead. Despite all these frightening facts, people do not seem to change their habits. As reported by Bruno (in USA Today), the reason is simple in the opinion of James Katz, director of the Center for Mobile Communications at the Rutgers University. According to him, it is basic human nature to believe that they can handle a situation better than others even when they are aware of the dangers involved. As Pittman (66) points out, it is not possible for the US citizens to easily forget the 2008 train disaster that killed 25 people and injured 138 people. In the accident, a Metrolink Commuter Train collided with a Union Pacific freight train. According to the writer, it was found that the train operator of the Metrolink Train was using his cell phone text messaging. There are three types of distractions that are the result of texting while driving. They are visual, manual, and cognitive. First of all, resorting to texting means being not able to watch the road. Thus, it is identified from studies that the drivers who send text messages take 400 times more time off the road to send messages. The second issue is manual distraction. There are two kinds of texting drivers observed. The first category uses one hand for texting and lets one hand maneuver the steering. In the other case, the drivers use both hands for texting and let their legs handle the steering. In both the cases, the control over the vehicle is substantially reduced, and the possibility of accident dramatically rises. The third distraction is that of cognition. The person is not able to attend to two tasks at the same time. Studies prove that when the driver resorts to texting, his total attention is diverted towards texting, and driving is given less importance. Due to all these reasons, texting becomes the most dangerous kind of distraction while driving. Some other distractions, though less important, are using a cell phone, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading, using a navigation system, watching a video, and changing radio station, CD, or mp3 player. However, studies prove that the reaction times increase more while texting than in all these distractions. It is calculated that response time rises by 30 percent when texting, while the rise is 9 percent in the case of talking on phone. The reason, according to experts, is that while talking, the driver is able to divide the attention between the two tasks of driving and talking. In other words, the driver is able to adjust the processing priority of the two activities as the tasks require. On the other hand, in the case of texting, it totally takes away the driver’s attention to texting. Thus, unlike other distractions, texting results totally manual, cognitive, and visual distraction, thus raising the possibility of an accident manifold. As reported in The Hindu, in a research to find out how texting affects response times, a study was conducted by researchers with 20 men and 20 women who were experienced in texting and driving. The study analysed the brake onset time, distance following pattern, lane maintenance, and collisions when these participants drove while sending and receiving texts. From the study, it became evident that the reaction time increased by 30 percent while texting. Based on the above facts, it is said by researchers that texting is more dangerous than drunk driving. However, here comes the most surprising fact that 30-39 year old drivers had more accidents related to texting and distraction followed by 20-29 year olds. According to reports, the number of deaths related to distracted driving in the US in the years 2009 is 5474. In addition, around 448,000 people were injured in the accidents. However, it seems that many of the accidents as the result of texting might be categorized under other imprecise headings such as inattention. So, researchers find it difficult to collect accurate data on the menace. In addition, despite all these alarming figures of death, more than 800,000 vehicles were driven in the US using a hand-held cell phone at any given time during daylight hours in 2008, according to reports. Phil LeBeau writes in CNBC that while most Americans consider drinking and driving as a dangerous combination, none seems really serious about the importance of texting. His article provides the result of a test to identify how seriously sending a text and reading e-mail affect braking. It was found that someone who drives at a speed of 70 miles per hour takes 54 seconds to brake. When drunk, the response time increases to 4 more3 feet. When the driver reads an e-mail, it takes a further 36 feet to apply brake, and when the driver is sending a text, it takes 70 feet more to apply brake (LeBeau, CNBC). Thus, in total, it becomes evident that texting while driving is the most important reason for road accidents in the US. The number of deaths caused by texting while driving is far more than the deaths caused by drunk driving and all other kinds of distractions like talking on phone, drinking and eating, changing CD and so on. Despite all these findings and governmental initiatives to control the problem, the number of people resorting to texting while driving is on rise at an alarming rate. All sections of the society seem to play an equal role in this issue as it becomes evident from studies that all age groups are equally, and the old ones are more, addicted to texting while driving. Car manufacturers too play a role by providing cars that are quite comfortable inside giving the drivers the feeling that they can engage in other tasks simultaneously. Though there are laws enacted by various states, there is no decline in the number of texting related accidents; instead, the toll is on rise. So, it is highly necessary for people to understand the seriousness of the issue and to take necessary steps to control this habit. Works Cited Bruno, Laura. Stop Text Messaging: Drivers Urged. USA Today. Web 1 June, 2011 Dangers of Texting While Driving. Buzzle.com. web 1 June 2011 Guevin, Jennifer. Study: Texting While Driving Increases Crash Risk 23 Fold, cnet News. 1 June 2011 LeBeau, Phil. Texting and Driving Worse Than Drinking and Driving. CNBC, 25 June, 2009. web 1 June 2011 Pittman, James E. 21st Century Issues in America: An Introduction to Public Administration. US: Author House, 2009. Print. , p. 66, Statistics and Facts about Distracted Driving. Distraction.gov: Official Website for Distracted Driving. US Department of Transportation. 1 June 2011 Why Texting While Driving is Dangerous? The Hindu, December 24, 2009. Web 1 June 2011 Read More