Texting While Driving - Essay Example

The practice of texting and driving has been labelled as a dangerous act because of the numerous accidents that it causes on American roads. The practice has become rampant and it has caused much danger and concern. Julius Genachowski-the Federal Communication Commission Chair (FCC)-has expressed his concern and urge to stop it by stating that: "Putting the brakes on the distracted driving epidemic will require both dedication and creative thinking, and the FCC is committed to doing its part to address this growing crisis (FCC 1)" Statistics on Texting While Driving Texting while driving has been termed a major cause of road accidents, and as such it has been restricted or outlawed in some situations.

This is because the action undoubtedly causes increased distraction while driving. Liberty Insurance conducted a survey in 2006 among 90 teenagers from over 26 high schools across the nation. The findings of the study revealed that 37% of the surveyed subjects considered texting while driving to be an ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ distracting act. Another study by the AAA (American Automobile Association) showed that 46% of surveyed teenagers admitted that they have been distracted at some point while driving because of texting.

This distraction rates are worrying because according to a Pew review at least 40% of all American teenagers state that they have been in a car driven by a driver that was using a cell phone in a manner that put the passengers and bystanders in danger (PEW Research Centre 6). According to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute the risk of causing an accident increases by 23 times if the driver is texting and driving, because texting distracts the drivers attention by diverting his/her eyes from the road for an average 4.

6 seconds (PEW Research Centre 4) This is akin to driving the length of a football pitch at 55 mph while blinded. Distracted driving resulting from texting endangers property and life and the current levels of this vice are alarming. According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) 11% of drivers aged between 18 and 20 who have once been involved in auto accident and survived the ordeal admit that they were texting when the crash occurred. In 2010, the same authority (NHTSA) reported that distraction caused 18% percent of all fatal road crashes, in which 3092 people were killed and 416000 were wounded (NHTSA 1).

Measures to Curb the Vice of Texting While Driving In order to curb the menace of texting while driving the FCC has decided to work with other stakeholders such as the government agencies and safety organizations, in informing the general populace about the dangers of driving while texting. The FCC is facilitating and identifying the development of innovative technologies, which could decrease the occurrence of distracted driving. One of the clear efforts in this regard has been the creation of a website dedicated to the effort of informing people on these dangers and how to avoid them (FCC 1).

The second measure has been the creation of a distracted driving information clearing house. The clearing house does all the collection and sharing of information on consumer outreach activities and technological advancements that could possibly reduce the vice (FCC 1). Apart from the FCC efforts, the states have also rendered a hand in the effort by passing laws, which have banned texting while driving and recommended the use of wireless devices or hands-free when using mobile