Texting while Driving - Essay Example

Texting while Driving affiliations Texting while Driving Mobile devices play a crucial role in the lives of many people from all parts of the globe. The phones have become a vital point in the facilitation of our daily activities due to their increased capabilities that include calling, texting, surfing, and sources of entertainment. The increased dependence on cell phones has increased its usefulness and also its dangers when not used appropriately. People disregard the fundamental principles necessary to ensure the safe usage of their mobile devices. The authorities and other security advocates have stressed about the dangers associated with texting while driving and yet more people seem adamant to change this behavior. A survey conducted by the CBS news (2014) indicated that seventy-four percent of the motorists in the United States who own cell phones engage in texting while driving. Out of the total respondents, ninety-eight percent of them were aware of the dangers associated with texting while driving. The paper presents a causal analysis of people’s habits of texting while driving, the dangers and evidence as well as why people engage in it considering they are aware of the consequences. The misconception of the ability to multi-task. Numerous motorists live in a delusion where they think it is possible to achieve efficient multi-tasking and not endanger their lives and those of others by texting while driving. Multi-tasking has been achieved in most places and failed in others. People who tend to think that they are more likely to multitask are more prone to try texting while driving. Through multi-tasking, the motorists seek to reach their destinations and maintain continuous communications with friends and relatives. The cell phones have developed technologically especially with the incorporation of the text-on-nine keys (T9) that act as a predictive text entry system (Drews, Yazdani, Godfrey, & Cooper, 2009). Previously, drivers were known to engage in traditional distractive activities like the consumption of beverages or food. Mostly, these activities resulted in no harm and most motorists developed a belief that multi-tasking is possible. Over a quarter of the motorists believe that texting does not affect or influence their driving performance (CBS News, 2014). With the reduced and improved text messaging interface, the drivers tend to believe that their focus is directed towards driving while the predictive system will aid in the texting process. The development of technology allows the user to input words and uses the dictionary to disambiguate the desired entry, in relation to the previous conversations. The desires to multi-task get passed from generation to generation. Parents who engage in texting while driving influence their children to adapt the behavior. Adults act as role models for teens who mostly want to prove that they can achieve more than their parents or other adults. In the future, the desire to text and drive is passed from these children to their children and the process continues. Motorists tend to create a safety buffer either consciously or unconsciously when texting while driving. The safety buffer is developed in the belief that multi-tasking is made easier, and both operations can be successfully achieved (Drews et al., 2009). According to Drews et al. (2009), motorists engage in these activities knowingly and aware of the dangers associated. The desire to multi-task is driven by the time and the distance factors. Where the motorist is late, the probability of driving while texting is higher due to the urgency and the desire to maintain continuous contact with the other party. The time factor encourages texting while driving and at this point the danger is not only involved in the multi-tasking but also in the excessive speeding to save on time. The distance factor affects the motorist in several ways. Where the driver is bound to drive for long distances, texting and using the cell phone reduces the aloneness experienced. Another factor that relates to distance is the desire to keep your immediate family informed of your current location. The motorists engage in continuous texting with their families to achieve the desired contact with the family. Addiction to phones and the texting habits is another factor that makes people text while driving is the. Cell phone usage causes an addiction that is similar to the use of drugs or gambling (CBS News, 2014). The dopamine levels in the body increase when an individual is expecting a text message. The higher levels of dopamine cause increased pleasure, and the motorist engages in texting while driving. In the case of desirable messages, the dopamine levels increase further causing greater anticipatory aspects such that the motorist would not let go the phone and will keep on checking to see if there are any incoming messages. Like any addiction, the brain is affected by the digital technology; and the desire to text and receive messages (CBS News, 2014). An addiction to texting decreases the motorists’ consciousness and can lead to extreme effects when not dealt with appropriately. The addiction causes the motorist to engage in prolonged conversations that can distract him or her from the primary role of driving. The excitement resulting from the text messages overwhelms the driver to an extent that texting assumes the central role. The driver seeks to ensure that the conversation is extended and at this point most of his brain activity gets dedicated to messaging and not driving. Out of the respondents interviewed by the CBS News, a quarter of them indicated that texting becomes crucial as they are expected to respond “right away” by the sender (CBS News, 2014). The motorists are continuously checking their phone and replying to the text messages to ensure the immediate response. Due to the addiction, the drivers can engage in more than one conversation that decreases the driving focus drastically. The brain causes a battle in determining between the dangers of texting and not texting while driving and in the end the motorist is destined to engage in the behavior. In both situations regarding the desire to multi-task and the addiction to texting, the motorists are in denial of the existing dangers associated with texting while driving. According to the study conducted by Drews et al. (2009), the motorists in both cases try to divide their focus between texting and driving and adjust the priority of each task depending on the demand. Text messaging seems to occupy most of the motorists’ attention through composing, receiving, and reading messages. The study indicated that the dedication of the motorist’s attention to texting reduces the reaction time. Drivers showed that text messaging takes most of their attentional demand. Another study conducted by the CBS News (2014) showed that six percent of the motorists were addicted to texting while fourteen percent were anxious whenever expecting to respond to or receive a text message. The study also showed that seventeen percent of the drivers felt a sense of satisfaction after reading and responding to a text message (CBS News, 2014). Most people appear vulnerable to texting while driving. The lure caused by an incoming text message seems to consume the attention of most motorists. The causes of texting while driving are different from one motorist to another. The desire to multi-task and addiction ensure that drivers remain glued to their texting habits. The people ignore the extreme consequences associated with this behavior. As technology advances and mobile devices develop additional features, the texting habit, and the risks of and the desire to text while driving increase. Curbing the behavior of texting while driving is not an easy task and drivers have different reasons to do so. The desire to communicate has exceeded the willingness to achieve a safe journey. The behavior of texting while driving has become a regular facet of the society. References CBS News. (2014, November 5). Why so many people text and drive, knowing dangers - CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-so-many-people-text-and-drive-knowing-dangers/ Drews, F. A., Yazdani, H., Godfrey, C. N. and Cooper, J. M. (2009). Text Messaging During Simulated Driving. Human factors, 1-9. Retrieved from https://psych.utah.edu/lab/appliedcognition/publications/texting.pdf Read More