Texting and Driving
According to the National Safety Council, nearly 1.6 million crashes happen each year due to cell phone use while driving. To this day, texting and driving has been one of the reasons that car accidents have happened nationwide. At least one out four car accidents are caused by cell phone use. Technology has improved tremendously and social communication is just in the palm of people's hand for everyone to access. Now there's no need to meet in real life with people in order to communicate instead people can video chat or just text each other with a smartphone. Since we as humans have the power to communicate whenever we want, using a cell phone is involved with our daily activities and things we do. And one of the things we do is driving a car since we can communicate with others at any time we are used to doing it even while we are driving, which is a big impact because it can take lives or even critically wound someone and change their life forever. Statistics shows that texting and driving is 6 times more likely to cause a car accident than drunk driving; this a high chance of someone getting into a car accident. Statistics show that in 2013 about 3,154 people were killed in distraction accidents such as texting and driving. The kinds of actions that we take can affect everyone around us. Teenagers are in danger of possibly getting into an accident if they are not taking precaution such as texting and driving. People at a younger age seem to not understand right away what is right or wrong until they face the consequences. For example, let's say a student is driving home from school and gets a message. The student decided to see the message but didn't know that he wasn't paying attention to the road. This caused him to collide with another car and the student ended up in the hospital. He knew that nothing would've happened because he always checks his phone while heading home, but this time he faced the consequences and knows that they shouldn't be doing that next time. About one-fourth of teenagers actually check their messages and respond to at least one while driving, and about 11 teenagers each day die as a result of texting and driving. There are many facts about texting and driving so that it serves as a warning to others so that no one tries to text and drive.
These are some facts that everyone should know about texting and driving because everyone would be aware of the things that could happen if they text and drive. About 43 states including D.C prohibit drivers from texting while driving. This means that even if you think you won't get caught, you are breaking a rule. It's better to not touch your phone while driving because you are putting your own life and other people's lives in danger. Another thing that people should know is that nine in ten teens expect a reply or a message every five minutes or less which causes distraction and pressure. Everyone should know that texting and driving puts pressure on people and even more pressure on those who are driving because they are focusing more on the road than anything else. This means that if a person receives a text message, they are being distracted and more pressure is put on them. It’s best to drive safe by not looking at messages that you receive while you are driving. Finally, according to AT&T's Teen Driver Survey, about 97 percent of teens agree that texting while driving is dangerous, but 43 percent of them do it anyways. This percentage might not be big to you, but 97 percent is a big number because it means that almost 100 percent of the teens who took the survey agree with texting and driving being dangerous. Meanwhile, 43 percent is still a big number for those who still do it even though they know the consequences because people in that 43 percent could lose their lives due to texting and driving. This means that people are aware of the consequences but they decide to continue to do it which means that they don't care about their own safety or others safety. Those who care about their safety and others lives, don't join the 43 percent who still text and drive even though they know that it's dangerous. These were some facts that people should know about because they would serve as a way for them to stop texting and driving. Why? Because they will now be informed about what could happen or how many states have banned it but they still do it. There are also many different ways to prevent texting while driving.
If a person were to ask someone who constantly texts about putting the phone away and not looking at messages for a few minutes, they would say it would be difficult. That's the same with not looking at messages while you are driving. People say it's difficult to not look at a message while they’re driving, but there are some ways that will help people stop texting and driving. One way would be to turn your phone on silent which is a great way to stop looking at your phone while you are driving because you don't realize that you have received a message since it's on silent. This means that there will be no more distraction unless your phone's screen lights up when you receive a message which this following tip would help with that. The second way would be to completely turn off your phone so that you don't see it light up or constantly look at it to see if you received a message. This will prevent any distractions coming from your phone so that it doesn't make a notification sound or light up. This would be a great way to just your eyes on the road and not focus on anything else. The third way would be to keep your phone out of reach so that it doesn't distract you nor will you try to reach it if you put it somewhere where you wouldn't see it. These are some things that people could do to help them stop texting while driving because once someone starts doing one of these daily, it would turn into a habit and it will help them stop texting and driving. Although these ways could help you stop texting while driving, the most important thing is to find a technique that suits you and that you will adapt to. Therefore, people should use some of these tips so that it prevents them from texting and driving.
In conclusion, these were some facts about texting and driving that people should know that will help them realize that their lives are in danger and some tips that will help them stop from texting while driving. People should not text and drive due to many deaths that have occurred due to texting while driving and because you are putting yourself in danger and others as well. They should realize that it's better to not text and drive because it's better to drive safe than putting yourself in danger due to the actions they decided to take. Cell phones are beginning to be more involved in people's lives, but they shouldn't let cell phones distract them from doing their everyday tasks and also while driving. Teenagers are also in danger of getting into a car accident because they seem like they get distracted easy and their phone usage is higher than an adult's. The facts above show that about 43 states prohibiting drivers from texting and driving because of all of the accidents that have happened and how many were due to texting and driving. This was one of the facts that should help people realize that maybe you are breaking a rule if you are driving and using your phone due to the 43 states that have prohibited drivers from doing that. One way to not get distracted by your phone while driving is to completely turn it off, but there's are many different ways stop from using your phone while driving. These were some facts about texting while driving and some tips to stop texting while driving so that the phone doesn't distract you.
"Texting and Driving Accident Statistics - Distracted Driving." Edgarsnyder.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"11 Fact About Texting and Driving." DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"How to Avoid Texting while Driving." How to Avoid Texting while Driving – Staying Safe on the Road. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
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