Every day I get into a vehicle, as a driver or passenger, I always seem to come across someone who is using their cell phone as they drive. Whether it is texting, dialing a number or talking, cell phone usage while driving has become a bigger issue. I can admit that from time to time I do use my cell phone as I drive. Since my previous blog post about texting and driving, it has now become illegal for anyone in the state of Wisconsin to text and drive, so I no longer keep my phone out. Before this law was in action, I used to both text and talk on my phone. For some reason I felt that I was more aware of my surroundings and not as much concerned with my cell phone as I drove, like most others are. Very, very seldom did I use my phone as I drove just to talk to someone. If I needed to use my phone for any reason it would be to get a hold of someone. I have seen a wide variety of people texting while driving. A few months back I witnessed a woman, I’d say mid-thirties, driving a minivan and texting at the same time. 
Now I wouldn’t be too concerned usually because that’s her own issue for texting while driving, but for some reason this lady really got to me. She had an older woman in the passenger seat, which looked as if she was sleeping, along with children in the back seat of her minivan. Not only did she have children in the back, one of the children was still a newborn, and you could see her talking/yelling at the kids. If something would have jumped in front of her vehicle, a car cut her off or drifted in her lane, I doubt she would have noticed. More than likely an accident would have been the result of that situation. A study showed that in 2009, 29 percent of accidents in the United States were caused by the driver of one vehicle (ages 18-30) being distracted by the use of their cellular device. It was also stated that four out of five accidents are caused by distracted drivers. I believe that the law against texting while driving is suitable for citizens because it took a step forward in keeping everyone on the roads safe. However, if an accident is still caused by the distraction from the use of a cell phone, major action should be taken place. The driver at fault should be given a heavy fine for what they had done. I believe texting on a phone is much more dangerous than talking on the phone. When a driver is texting they more than likely are not even looking out the window, but down at the screen of their cell phones. Having a verbal conversation on the phone is not as dangerous because the driver would be able to see the road while continuing the conversation. I do not think that talking on the phone should be illegal. A recent study by students at Virginia Tech concluded that someone who is texting and driving is twenty-three times more likely to be involved in an accident compared to someone who is focused on driving. Another study found of that, in their opinion, texting and driving is more dangerous than drunk driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the 2008 statistics regarding accidents resulting from the use of cellular devices. According to them, in 2008 alone, 5870 people had died in crashes and over 515,000 people were injured in the United States. Around 28 percent of the crashes were people between the ages of 18 and 29. It does not really matter the circumstances, there more times than not, is a chance to pull off the road, or into a rest stop or restaurant to make an important phone call or shoot a quick text. People should not use their cell phones while driving. It has been proven time and time again that it is a highly dangerous situation in which many people have resulted in injury or even death. So, save yourself and others and don’t use your phone and drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment