solutions to texting and driving essay

Texting While Driving Essay Examples

Why is texting while driving dangerous.

Put simply, texting and driving are dangerous because texting diverts your attention away from the road. Although many people argue that texting only takes your eyes off the road for a few seconds, what they don’t realize is that in that few seconds, something unexpected could happen. Additionally, if you’re traveling at high rates of speed, you can travel significant distances in just a few seconds. Those few seconds that you are on your phone could be used to hit the breaks or swerve out of the way of a quickly approaching article. If your eyes are on your phone instead of on the road, you lose valuable time that could have been used to mitigate an accident.

How do you Break the Habit of Texting While Driving?

One of the best ways to stop yourself from texting while driving is to create a habit that will keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. For many people who rely on their phones for so much, this may seem like a difficult task. However, if you think about it, there are several things that you do habitually when driving a car that you don’t even think about, such as putting on a seatbelt or locking your car after you park it. The key is to incorporate putting your phone away as part of those routines. In that way, you’re not so much breaking the habit of texting and driving, but instead, creating new habits that prevent you from using your phone while in the car.

Making a new habit can be challenging. The key is to stay consistent and continually remind yourself of your goal until it becomes second nature. Try attaching a sticky note to the wheel of your car to remind yourself to not text and drive. Another good trick is to make a pact with a friend to help keep each other accountable. It is important to stick with your habit, not give in to temptation and always keep in the back of your mind the benefits of staying focused on the road and not driving while distracted.

The most ideal habit you can build is to simply turn your phone off when you get in the car. That way there is never any sort of distraction when you’re in the car – any notifications, no browsing social media, and no distractions while you try to pick the next song to listen to. However, this might not always be an option when you need to use your GPS or if you use your phone for entertainment purposes while driving. Fortunately, there are other solutions. You can use an app while you drive (we make some suggestions for good apps below!) and simply make a habit of activating the app before you hit the road. If you often drive with others in the car, another good option is to hand your phone to another passenger to hold onto until you reach your destination. If instead you typically drive alone, you can always close up your phone in the glove compartment, your purse, in the center storage console under your armrest or in any other place where you cannot reach it. That way, you can have your phone connected to the vehicle for entertainment purposes but will avoid texting and driving.

Can you go to Jail for Texting While Driving?

In Pennsylvania, drivers are prohibited from driving and texting. If you are pulled over texting and driving, you will be issued a fine. However, if you are texting and driving and you cause an accident, there may be criminal consequences for those actions that could result in jail time. The more severe the accident, the more jail time you can face. For example, if you cause a fatality by texting and driving, you may face up to five years in jail.

How many People are Killed by Texting While Driving?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in 2017, over 3,000 people were killed in accidents caused by distracted driving. In Pennsylvania alone, a study estimated that in 2015, distracted driving caused nearly 15-thousand car crashes and at least 66 deaths.

Apps That Help to Prevent Texting While Driving

Nowadays, there are many apps available to drivers to deter them from texting while driving. Here are some of our favorites:

• Drive Safe & Save– Designed by State Farm Auto Insurance, this app tracks your driving habits every time you get behind the wheel. Not only does it track when you’re using your phone while in the car, but also identifies when you’re speeding, breaking too hard or accelerating too quickly. The app will also provide tips on how to improve your driving habits. If you’re a State Farm customer, you can send your driving data to them and receive discounts for good driving on your monthly insurance bill too!
• LifeSaver – This app was designed for insurance companies and large trucking fleet – but is available for families too! For parents who are concerned about their children texting and driving, the app blocks the child’s phone while driving and alerts the parents when they have safely arrived at their destination. The app works quietly in the background when you start driving to block mobile distractions but provides options to unlock for emergency situations. It also provides reports on how safely family members are driving and parents can also unlock a reward system to incentivize good driving habits.
• AT&T DriveMode– Similarly, this app turns on when it senses that the phone is moving more than 15 miles per hour. Once activated, the app silences all incoming notifications, and will automatically respond to the caller or texter with a text stating that the person they are attempting to contact is currently driving. Parents are also alerted when the app is turned off, so you can help ensure your child is always safe.
• DriveSafe.ly – This app has to be activated each time you get in the car. However, once it’s turned on, this app will read aloud each text message you receive. It will also automatically reply to the sender that you are currently driving.

Check your Smart Phone – Many smartphones have “Do Not Disturb” or Drive Mode settings that you can turn on when getting behind the wheel.

Considering the importance of this matter and increase awareness to the next generation, we had organized the “Texting and Driving Essay” contest on for students. We are very happy to find that we got many great articles which show our next generation is pretty aware of this matter. The following four Texting and Driving Essay essays are the best entries:

Texting and Driving Essay: Statistics on texting and using your phone while driving and ideas to break those habits

By Leticia Pérez Zamor

Every day in the United States around one out of ten people are killed by distracted drivers, and around 1500 are injured in some way in crashes by these irresponsible, distracted drivers. One of the most dangerous, distracting activities that many people do is texting while driving. It is extremely dangerous because people who do this are putting more attention in texting, and they take their eyes off the road while they are driving, which increases the chance that the driver can lose the control of the vehicle, and could cause a crash or even in a worst-case could kill other people. When a person is texting, she/he is thinking about other things besides concentrating on driving. This is very dangerous because it could make the driver lose control of the car and slow her/his brain’s reaction time in case of a potential accident.

The statistics are very sad because according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, and 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. Additionally, a recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that drivers who are texting are twice as likely to crash, or almost crash, as those who are focused on the road. These statistics are reaching higher numbers because people are using their cell phones more and more, especially adolescents.

For this reason, it is very important that we find some ideas to break off this bad habit of texting while driving. I think that one of the easiest and best ways to break this habit is simply to turn off your phone. In this case, the driver wouldn’t be distracted by the ringing or buzzing of the phone, and it wouldn’t tempt the driver to text while driving. Another way to break this habit is to download some of the new applications that can disable cell phones while people are driving. Also, there are other applications that automatically send a text to whoever is texting the driver to tell that person that she/he is driving and that the text will be answered later. There are a great variety of applications to choose I think that we can use these to help us with the problem of texting while we are driving. Additionally, if a driver is waiting for an important call or text and has company in the car, the phone can be given to a passenger to check it out. Also, there are some programs that are helping to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to keep it from occurring. In these anti-texting programs, people can drive in a simulated situation, where they are driving but also texting, and can see how many accidents are caused by this problem.

Something very important is that many of the states have started to pass some laws that order drivers to stop texting while driving. However, we need to be sincere: none of these laws will be effective if we as a society don’t understand that texting while driving could have terrible consequences, not only for us as drivers but also for other innocent people. I don’t think that answering texts is more important than the lives of other people; texting can wait until drivers arrive at their destination.

The Dangers of Texting While Driving Essay

By LoryYau, St. Johns University

With the advanced technology in today’s world, people are very connected to each other and are constantly on their phone texting friends, going on social media, or using the phone to pass time. However, this also includes texting back a friend while driving. As simple as it might seems, texting and driving is very dangerous and should be taken seriously. In fact, in 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones. That’s about 1.3 million crashes! Not only that but texting while driving is actually more dangerous than driving while being drunk or high on marijuana. Every year almost a million people in the United States get into accidents, the majority: teens. Unfortunately, the number just keeps increasing.

Though texting and driving caused many injuries and deaths, there are still people who don’t think it’s a problem and are confident that they can use their phone and drive simultaneously. However, 34% of teens aged sixteen to seventeen spend about 10% of their driving time outside of their lane.  This affects other people who are driving and can cause the deaths of innocent lives. In a 2012 Cell Phone and Driving Statistic, it is reported that 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 people were injured due to distracted drivers. Furthermore, it is said that talking or listening on the phone increases the risk of crashing by 1.3 times while reaching for a device is 1.4. Dialing is 2.8 times more risk of crashing while texting is 23 more times. Additionally, talking on a cell phone and driving at the same time can make the driver’s reaction time to be as slow as that of a seventy-year-old.

To break these habits, people can either turn off their phone or put it on silent before driving. This will force them to concentrate on the road only. But if this method doesn’t work on some people, you can use S voice or Seri to command your phone to read out your messages or to reply back. This will allow your eyes to focus on the road instead of your phone. No more reaching for your phone to text “Lol” or “Lmao” and endangering your own life and many others.  Though you are still talking while driving, it still decreases your chance of crashing. An app in smartphones that works similarly to the method I described before is called DriveSafe.ly. Basically, it reads your text messages and emails out loud and has a customizable auto-responder. A few other apps that help prevent texting are called Safely Go and TXT ME L8R. Both apps work by either blocking the phone’s ability to text, receive and use apps or locking the phone. Then both phones automatically send a message to inform your friends or family that you are driving.  For parents, you can give your phones to your kids while you’re driving. You won’t be able to get them back when they’re too busy playing Angry Bird or Cut the Rope.

To stop people from texting and driving, one of the major phone companies, AT&T, address this problem by creating AT&T’s It Can Wait to text and driving campaign to spread awareness. Many stories and documentaries are also posted online to support this campaign. You can also join millions of others who have signed the pledge to never text and drive and to instead take action to educate others about the dangers of it. If you still believe you can get home safely by texting and driving, AT&T’s simulator will prove you wrong. It gives you a real-life experience of texting and driving. With this game, you’ll only find out that it’s not as easy as it sounds. Before you look at a text, remember that it is not worth dying for.

The Issue of Texting While Driving Essay

By Justin Van Nuil

It seems that everyone has a cell phone, and they cannot be separated from it. Cell phones have made a huge impact in the world, both good and bad. Most of the bad come when people, especially teens, decide to use the phone when behind the wheel of a vehicle. There are some huge statistics against texting and talking on the phone while driving, and people are trying to bring awareness to this expanding problem across the United States.

Staggering statistics are out there for everyone to see, yet we go about our lives ignoring the signs and warning against using our cell phones while driving. Textinganddrivingsafety.com tells us that texting while driving increases the probability of getting in a crash twenty-three times the normal amount, and thirteen percent of the young adults, eighteen to twenty, have admitted to talking or texting before the course of the accident. This is due to the time our eyes are off the road, and our mind’s capacity to do only one task at a time. Just taking our eyes off the road for five seconds, while the car is traveling at fifty-five miles per hour, is the same as traveling a football field without noticing what is going on around us. Seeing the danger in this is very evident, especially around intersections. Taking eyes off the road through an intersection is probably the highest risk, the light could be changing causing the car in front to stop, or worse, traveling through the red light or a stop sign into flowing traffic.

Texting is a major factor when it comes to crashes and creating a hazardous situation, so preventing the usage of cell phones while driving would be a large step in limiting the number of crashes that happen in the United States. There are multiple associations that are already trying to prevent cell phone usage. Associations such as the NHTSA, the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Association, which is an organization dedicated fully to tips and facts and videos showing how dangerous it can be to use your cell phone. There are also Facebook and Twitter pages, and blogs. In addition, the driving course in Michigan has a section in the lesson on the hazards of using cell phones while driving.

These are just programs that are helping to prevent texting while driving. Easy and simple ways that everyone can do as they enter the car. Firstly, by putting the phone in the glovebox, you eliminate the temptation to reach for it and use it while your driving. If you decide not to use that method, and you have a passenger, just give the phone to them, they can rely on the information to you if it is that important. Just keeping the phone out of reach, in general, will help prevent the usage of the device.

Not only are these ways are widespread and easily accomplished, but there should also be a restriction in general for usage while driving. I know multiple states have issued laws against texting, and in some states absolute usage of the cell phone while in the driver’s seat. Although, the overall effects may not be seen in the number of accidents prevented due to these laws, having a larger discipline for doing such activities should help in dropping the number of people on their devices.

Preventing the usage of these everyday devices is very simple, yet rather difficult, and will save lives if it works out. Accidents are deadly to many people, so creating an environment for everyone is better in the long run. As a young adult, I plan to use some of these ideas and promote these websites and encourage others around me to do the same.

Why is Texting and Driving Dangerous?

By Haley Muhammad

It has become such an issue that every time we turn on the TV all we see is that same commercial running about that girl who died because she wanted to text her friend back. Or that now in every major TV show someone always gets in a car accident because they want to text someone that they love them. It’s clear that no one has the decency to pull over to text someone back or even call them to say I will text you later because I’m driving. It’s a rising epidemic that’s destroying the generation of teenagers. I remember when technology was something beautiful because of how helpful it is but, now its become a hazard to the generation alone. Statistics have shown that “ Texting while driving has become a greater hazard than drinking while driving among teenagers who openly acknowledge sending and reading text messages while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle,” stated by Delthia Ricks from Newsday newspaper.

Ever since the emergence of cell phones, this generation has become heavily dependent on it for every minute of every day. Cell phones and texting were created ultimately to provide communication but it has now become so much more than that. Statistics also show that “Seventy-one percent of young people say they have sent a text while driving. As a result, thousands of people die every year in crashes related to distracted driving,” (Distraction.gov). Texting while driving has become a heavy habit for most teens and adults as well but regardless of the commercials and shows and statistics that show the results of texting while driving most people cannot kick the habit. Other statistics include, “Individuals who drive while sending or reading text messages are 23 percent more likely to be involved in a car crash than other drivers. A crash typically happens within an average of three seconds after a driver is distracted,” (donttextdrive.com). Overall all these statistics are saying the same thing, is that one text can wreck all.

So many lives are taken or altered because of the simple decision to send or reply to one text message. If precautions are heavily enforced before adults and teens especially enter the car, then maybe this epidemic can become obsolete. Fines are enforced but how well is the question? Phones are the biggest distraction when you enter a car, this doesn’t completely forget about alcohol or trying to change the radio station but technology has become so advanced that we have voice text and on a star. If the message is that important phones should become voice-activated and only respond to your voice so we can still pay attention to the road and send out a text without removing our hands from the wheel. Technology has also graced us with Bluetooth if you need to stay in communication just use Bluetooth and make a phone call instead which is completely easier than sending a text anyway because it’s faster and you can get responses much quicker than you could with a text message. Reality is one text or call could wreck it all.

Stuart A. Carpey, who has been practicing as an attorney since 1987, focuses his practice on complex civil litigation which includes representing injured individuals in a vast array of personal injury cases.

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107 Texting and Driving Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Texting and driving is a dangerous combination that has become a major issue on the roads today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving drunk. Despite the risks, many drivers continue to engage in this dangerous behavior, putting themselves and others at risk.

If you have been tasked with writing an essay on texting and driving, you may be struggling to come up with a topic. To help you get started, here are 107 texting and driving essay topic ideas and examples:

• The dangers of texting and driving
• The statistics on texting and driving accidents
• The psychological effects of texting and driving
• The legal consequences of texting and driving
• The impact of texting and driving on society
• The role of technology in preventing texting and driving
• The effectiveness of texting and driving laws
• The influence of peer pressure on texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on insurance rates
• The relationship between texting and driving and other risky behaviors
• The role of education in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on emergency response times
• The effects of texting and driving on cognitive function
• The correlation between texting and driving and car accidents
• The role of social media in promoting safe driving habits
• The impact of distracted driving on workplace productivity
• The relationship between texting and driving and mental health
• The effects of texting and driving on personal relationships
• The role of parents in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on pedestrian safety
• The correlation between texting and driving and road rage
• The relationship between texting and driving and substance abuse
• The effects of texting and driving on sleep patterns
• The role of technology in detecting and preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on academic performance
• The correlation between texting and driving and anxiety
• The relationship between texting and driving and self-esteem
• The effects of texting and driving on decision-making skills
• The role of law enforcement in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on job prospects
• The correlation between texting and driving and depression
• The relationship between texting and driving and eating disorders
• The effects of texting and driving on memory retention
• The role of healthcare providers in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on financial stability
• The correlation between texting and driving and physical health
• The relationship between texting and driving and emotional well-being
• The effects of texting and driving on social skills
• The role of government agencies in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on community safety
• The correlation between texting and driving and social isolation
• The relationship between texting and driving and substance use disorders
• The effects of texting and driving on decision-making processes
• The role of technology companies in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on family dynamics
• The correlation between texting and driving and learning disabilities
• The relationship between texting and driving and physical fitness
• The effects of texting and driving on problem-solving abilities
• The role of media in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on stress levels
• The correlation between texting and driving and communication skills
• The relationship between texting and driving and time management
• The effects of texting and driving on creativity
• The role of advocacy groups in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on personal development
• The correlation between texting and driving and career advancement
• The relationship between texting and driving and academic success
• The effects of texting and driving on physical coordination
• The role of technology addiction in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on mental acuity
• The correlation between texting and driving and emotional intelligence
• The relationship between texting and driving and problem-solving skills
• The effects of texting and driving on decision-making abilities
• The role of social media addiction in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on social relationships
• The correlation between texting and driving and academic achievement
• The relationship between texting and driving and professional success
• The effects of texting and driving on personal growth
• The role of peer pressure in preventing texting and driving
• The impact of distracted driving on physical health
• The correlation between texting and driving and mental well-being
• The relationship between texting and driving and emotional health
• The effects of texting and driving on social development
• The impact of distracted driving on emotional intelligence
• The correlation between texting and driving and cognitive abilities
• The relationship between texting and driving and decision-making skills
• The effects of texting and driving on problem-solving skills
• The impact of distracted driving on interpersonal relationships
• The correlation between texting and driving and academic performance
• The relationship between texting and driving and career success
• The effects of texting and driving on personal fulfillment
• The impact of distracted driving on physical well-being
• The correlation between texting and driving and mental health
• The impact of distracted driving on social connections

These are just a few examples of texting and driving essay topics that you can explore in your writing. Remember to choose a topic that interests you and that you feel passionate about, as this will make your essay more engaging and impactful. By raising awareness about the dangers of texting and driving through your writing, you can help make the roads safer for everyone.

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Tackling Texting While Driving: ‘The Decision to Reach for That Phone Can Be Impulsive’

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You already know that you’re not supposed to text and drive. Your parents have lectured you endlessly about it, you’ve been taught the horror stories about it in driver’s ed class, and you probably live in one of the 49 states where it’s illegal for teens to text behind the wheel.

But the numbers suggest you’re not always getting the message.

Teens were responsible for 9% of all the fatal crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017, according to government figures. While the percentage seems small, that’s nearly 300 deaths that could have been prevented. Not to mention countless injuries.

Kit Delgado, an emergency room physician who’s also an assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, gets that it’s hard to keep your hands off your phone. He sees it all the time in patients who come into his ER, like the college student who was heading down the highway to pick up his girlfriend when he heard his phone ding. He picked it up, dropped it on the floorboard, reached down to get it and crashed into the guardrail.

“You talk to any teenager in the country, and they’ve been beaten over the head that texting while driving is dangerous,” Delgado says. “But the decision to reach for that phone can be impulsive, it can be emotional, it can be subconscious and automatic. Even though if you were to step out of the situation, you would say you shouldn’t be doing this.”

The Imperfection of Human Decision-making

Years of treating people who have been hurt in distracted driving crashes is a big reason why Delgado is researching this topic. He’s heading up a multimillion-dollar grant, one of the largest ever funded by the federal government, to figure out the best ways to use technology to help drivers put down their phones. The research team includes experts from the fields of medicine, behavioral economics , psychology, insurance and technology. They hope their work leads to the development of more smartphone programs that can nudge drivers into the correct behavior, like apps that automatically switch on to prevent incoming notifications while in the car.

“What my research group is trying to focus on is how can we design around the imperfection of human decision-making,” Delgado says. “I think we can make a big difference if we can solve for it the right way.”

For starters, Delgado says, “texting while driving” is an antiquated term for talking about the problem. Distracted driving means anything that takes your attention away from the road, whether it’s that Starbucks frappuccino you’re trying to sip, or arguing with your best friend about your Spotify play list. Conversations, eating, drinking, texting, checking emails and social media notifications, using navigation and music apps, even putting on lipstick all contribute to distracted driving.

“For me, it’s not necessarily about cell phones, it’s about all the facets that can be distracting,” notes Catherine McDonald, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing who has been studying teen driving for a decade. She’s working on the grant with Delgado and, like him, is motivated by her own experiences as a nurse treating young people injured in car crashes.

“What’s important to remember about driving is that you’re making decisions not just about yourself, but about other cars that you’re not controlling.” — Catherine McDonald

The research is still in the data -collection phase. Some of that data is coming from an app developed by TruMotion and being used by Progressive Insurance to capture all kinds of driving information – like hard breaking, speed, acceleration and distance traveled. The information will help the researchers figure out how to best use smartphones to help drivers of all ages.

“Tech is pervasive in the lives of teens. It’s a part of their very fabric, and the technology that we think of often is their smartphones that are with them all the time,” says McDonald, who also works at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania Center for Injury Research and Prevention. “This generation of drivers has grown up with the cellphone. They’ve had phones, they’ve seen parents with cellphones, so that piece of tech is a big part of their lives. When we move to the role of driving with teens, it’s figuring out how to keep them safe with that technology.”

To be fair, teens aren’t the worst offenders. Delgado says millennials – typically people between 25 and 34 – are the most distracted drivers of any age group. But the professors say that the lack of driving experience makes distractions most dangerous for teens. “We know it’s one of the leading contributors to fatal crashes in that group,” Delgado notes.

Teens may be doing things they think are safer, like waiting until they’re stopped at a red light to check notifications. But that’s time they could be using to assess what’s coming next – changes in cross-traffic patterns, a ball rolling into the street, a stalled car, and so on. “They need to be using all opportunities to take in information about the road,” McDonald says. “What’s important to remember about driving is that you’re making decisions not just about yourself, but about other cars that you’re not controlling.”

McDonald believes the distracted driving will decrease when society accepts the danger as a norm. For example, smoking, drunken driving and not wearing seat belts are all risky behaviors that have been reduced as people have internalized the message that they are dangerous. She also believes individualized approaches are needed, including assistive technologies.

The professors, guided by their research, were asked to give their best advice for teen drivers, and here’s what they suggest:

• Use a Do Not Disturb app, which is automatically activated on many smartphones. The app prevents you from receiving notifications while driving and sends auto-responses to calls or texts. Some have settings that allow certain notifications to get through, so you can be reached in an emergency.
• Use Apply Auto or Android Auto, available in newer cars, so you can give voice commands for most functions.
• Get a phone mount for your dashboard. This will help you avoid looking down to find or use your phone.
• Pick your playlist ahead of time. Music is one of the biggest distractions for teens, so set up your tunes before you start the vehicle.
• Designate a passenger to handle your phone so that you don’t have to.
• Talk to your parents so they understand you will not answer their calls when driving. Call them back as soon as you’ve reached your destination. “That’s a really simple conversation for a parent and a teen to have,” McDonald says. “Teens can initiate that, and it makes them really responsible.”
• Know the laws in your state. Each jurisdiction is different, but 20 states and Washington, D.C., ban all handheld phone use.
• Turn off your phone.

The professors practice what they preach. McDonald uses Apple Auto, and Delgado has a phone mount and a Do Not Disturb app. “It helps keep me honest,” Delgado says. “I’m busy like everyone else, and taking a few minor steps to counteract those urges to use the phone helps. It’s not easy, but there are a few things you can do that help more than willpower, which almost never works.”

That college student who crashed into the guardrail survived, but he had a head injury. Delgado wants to see more of his patients walk away from car crashes, and that starts with drivers understanding that nothing is more important than what they are doing behind the steering wheel.

“Because, at the end of the day, what really matters is not taking your eyes off the road,” Delgado says. “Anything that takes your eyes off the road for more than a second exponentially increases your crash risk.”

Hear the story of safe-driving advocate Liz Marks , who was 17 when she crashed her car while trying to read a text from her mom. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and facial injuries, and lost her sight in one eye and sense of smell.

Related Links

• State Laws about Texting
• Government Crash Statistics
• Penn Medicine Grant
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Distracted Driving
• Take the Pledge to End Distracted Driving
• For More Tips on Using a DND Function

Conversation Starters

Dr. Delgado says that his study is trying to figure out “how can we design around the imperfection of human decision-making.” What does that mean and how does it apply to the issue of texting while driving? What other issues might it involve?

How many of the professors’ driving tips do you follow?

As a passenger, are you confident enough to speak up if you think the driver is distracted by their phone or just not paying attention? Why or why not?

7 comments on “ Tackling Texting While Driving: ‘The Decision to Reach for That Phone Can Be Impulsive’ ”

As a teenager myself, I experience firsthand the sudden urges to respond to snapchats at a red light or skip to the next song on my phone. So I understand the misconceived notion—that taking your eyes off the road for a second or less is a relatively innocuous action. But it’s these several milliseconds that could change someone’s life forever, or worse, your own life…or worse, death. Think about the impact that checking a text has on others now with a, hopefully, new perspective.

While distracted driving is a serious issue, and while I could fill pages with my thoughts on it, I couldn’t help but think about another issue many teens (and people in general) have faced that is more or less out of their control. Given that the outline of this contest is to “practice critical and reflective thinking,” and “connect ideas, insights and opinions with what [has been] read,” I think that it is appropriate to share all that I have been able to think about recently, despite what I have been reading.

Reflecting on the article about texting and driving, I found it hard to concentrate on the issue that was presented. Rather, my mind kept drifting off to think about how many lives have been affected in the past two weeks. We can thank…

Santino Legan, who decided that an annual garlic festival with four decades of history would be a suitable setting to open fire on young children and their families,

Patrick W. Crusius, who decided to take the issue of illegal immigration into his own hands and target Mexicans in his mission,

and Connor Betts, who decided to kill his biological sister, as well as eight other bystanders with a pistol with a rapid fire rate, for shaking up the country and instilling a new level of fear in US citizens.

We shouldn’t be scared to go shopping, nor should we be scared to enjoy a garlic festival, let alone grabbing a drink with friends. Yet, averaging more than a shooting a day since the start to 2019 is enough for the masses to be “scared.”

Still aligning with the outline of Round 3, which asks for “a personal story,” I have two.

The first one is that tomorrow, I am going to a music festival with my friends and a small part of me is afraid, which shouldn’t have to be the case. The second one is that I am living in a time where unnecessary fear has accrued as a result of lacking administration. In fact, we are all living that story, every day.

I hope that my usage of this platform can help spark discussion and ultimately lead to change.

#endgunviolence

“McDonald believes the distracted driving will decrease when society accepts the danger as a norm. For example, smoking, drunken driving and not wearing seat belts are all risky behaviors that have been reduced as people have internalized the message that they are dangerous.”

McDonald’s claim that risky behaviors like distracted driving will decrease when we internalize the danger behind those behaviors seems to make sense. After all, most people do not put their hand back on the stove after being burned once. However, as the article acknowledges, we already know that we shouldn’t take a call, eat, or daydream while driving, yet we still do it. There’s a gap between knowing something is dangerous, or filling in the correct bubble on a permit test, and internalizing its danger and choosing not to drive distracted.

Maybe a clue to this gap lies in how drivers education teaches danger. After an hour and a half of writing down boring rules in our notebooks (if you are parking uphill with a curb, point the wheels away from the curb…), my driving instructor would play the next episode of a safety film produced by the California Highway Patrol, and it was magic. When the lights came off, our heads would perk up, and we’d all spend the next half hour with our eyes glued on the screen. We couldn’t get enough of the vivid, greater-than-life depiction of high school. After a wild night partying, virtuous teens would make the mistake of driving drunk instead of calling a taxi. While still having wild fun in the car, what was about to happen next would ruin their lives forever. A bump in the road or a patch of ice on a bridge would send the vehicle flipping through the air or spinning out of control. Teens would be rushed to the hospital, and police would later interrogate and arrest some of them. The driver of the car that fateful night would see their friends disappear and forever receive only hateful glances from every direction. Teachers and parents would come on the screen and talk about the bright future the unfortunate victims once had. A scientist would recreate the exact scene of the accident, including a slow-motion of the car flipping through the air, talking about how if they had missed that one pothole, bump, or patch of ice, they might have ended up okay. The movie would end with an officer reminding us sternly that accidents from distracted driving could happen to anyone at any time.

We didn’t think that would happen to us. Of course, some people choose to drive drunk, and maybe cars can flip that many times in the air. But that was entertainment, and it wasn’t us. We were good students who knew the rules of the road, and we had been driving for months without an accident. Perhaps one issue is that the movies seemed too exaggerated, too un-lifelike.

California Highway Patrol must have thought this as well because their older driver’s ed films tried to be more realistic. Red Asphalt, for instance, had been put together from footage of real accidents. While some experts argue that those horror films have lost their effectiveness due to the widespread violence in video games and movies, many drivers education instructors believe that the gorier films are more effective. Most people, including Tom Marshall, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, acknowledge that the film won’t permanently change driving habits, but “if it can get kids to focus on it for the first month or two [that they’re driving], it has done its job.” Whether gore is more effective than drama is up to debate, but educational films’ shift to emotion shows that shock was not effective enough in changing long-term behavior. Indeed, there’s a value in safety films to increase attention in the first few months of supervised driving. However, it seems that after that supervision, we think that those films can’t be us, and return to bad habits.

Unfortunately, this trend holds for other behavior as well. We think that the past will repeat itself in the future, which can lure us into a false sense of security. We are aware of economic bubbles, most famously the Dutch tulip-mania, yet a lot of us continued buying houses up to the Great Recession because the price had risen for the past few years. We cheat on exams because we haven’t been caught before and “only the bad cheaters get caught.” One of my favorite statistics is that 73% of drivers think they’re better than average. After a shock like a bubble collapse or getting caught on a test, we may swear we’ve learned our lesson and change our behavior only to return to bad habits days or weeks later. We’re creatures of habit, and it’s easier not to start a bad habit than to get out of one.

Maybe no driving film can pull us away from already-developed technology addiction. However, there is still another issue on the table: driver’s ed movies may promote the behavior they intend to prevent by glamorizing danger. As journalist Martin Smith notes, Red Asphalt may be one of the most-viewed movies ever, and that may be due to reasons of entertainment, not education.

In his riveting memoir This Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff speaks to the risk of glamorizing harmful behavior. The World War II dramas he watched are hauntingly similar to the scare films of today, “always with a somber narrator to remind us that this wasn’t make-believe but actual history, that what we were seeing had really happened and could happen again.” While Wolff acknowledges that the depiction of the Nazis’ downfall produced “glimpses of humiliation and loss,” they only lasted a few minutes. Wolff believes that the point of the show was not to discourage Nazism: “the real point was to celebrate snappy uniforms and racy Mercedes staff cars and great marching, thousands of boots slamming down together on cobbled streets while banners streamed overhead and strong voices sang songs that stirred our blood though we couldn’t understand a word. These shows instructed us further in the faith we were already beginning to hold: that victims are contemptible, no matter how much people pretend otherwise, that it is more fun to be inside than outside, to be arrogant than to be kind, to be with a crowd than to be alone.”

Certainly, not everyone is driven to dangerous behavior in the way that Wolff was. However, the risk of glamorizing danger is real. In one famous example, the DARE program may have encouraged drug use through its aggressive scare tactics.

The dilemma of human nature is that we learn more from putting our hand on the stove than being lectured about the dangers of burning ourselves. Even when we get burned, our learning may be temporary. However, we can’t afford to burn ourselves when it comes to driving. Therefore, the paradox of safety education is to make the danger seem real and instill fear but not to glamorize risky behavior. The gap between learning and internalizing is how much we believe in the world inside the television screen. Through the difference between greater-than-life reality TV and my experiences in the world outside my window, the world on the screen seems slightly foreign. At times, it can even be enticing.

Sources on the effectiveness of Red Asphalt: https://medium.com/@martinjsmith/the-cinematic-genius-of-the-red-asphalt-road-splatter-series-5289d382ffa3 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-21-me-wheel21-story.html

Due to my research, I have found many surprising things about being on your phone while driving. At any given time in the day, 660,000 are attempting to use their phones while behind the wheel of an automobile. To me, this stat shows how many potential accidents there could be on any given day. Another stat that worries me is that 1 in 4 car accidents every day are caused by texting while driving. If we just tried to put down our phones while driving we could reduce the amount of deaths and injuries every day caused by distracted driving.

As a teen I see lots of people risking there lives and mine in cars where texting and driving is normal. I have never had any type or urge myself but that would be mainly due to my minimal use of my phone other than for calling or texting (I dont pick up often). Mainly I keep my phone on silent due to attending classes 5 days a week on top of working. To avoid interrupting situations like my phone going off in class or getting a call at work I’m not supposed to answer. I agree with the statement it goes farther than just the cell phone as well and that our actions that involve anything other than focusing on the road can be detrimental to our lives and it’s not acknowledged enough. Driving is treated lightly until an accident happens and if it is escaped it is regretted when it should not had even taken place. We live our lives through trial and error and it is a dangerous way to live. It’s a way that can end our lives at any moment. It’s like you have to come out lucky to have had the ability to reflect and change your ways but everyone doesn’t get those chances. Your life can be taken away from you at any second without you knowing and texting while driving in a vehicle that doesn’t have 100% protection rate is a risk it may only be 9% now but that can add up the more it’s not changed. -DeMarcus Kilgo kwhs wshs NC

Hey DeMarcus! You are so right that this is a big problem. During my commute, I literally see so many drivers looking down at their phones. Thank you for sharing your perspective. I especially like your line “We live our lives through trial and error and it is a dangerous way to live.” If we just acknowledged the statistics and used some common sense, we could avoid this experimental lifestyle and not put our lives or those of others at risk. Stay safe!

Texting while driving is a horrific yet common act that many still do every day on their commute. While this is not the only distraction a driver faces, it is one of the major causes of distracted driving. While the solution of setting one’s phone on the side seems viable, it is a natural instinct for people nowadays to pick up and check their phones. Even preventions such as turning on “Do Not Disturb” might not work in some cases. Indeed, it does block out notifications, but it still doesn’t prevent the actual act of a driver from reaching their phone to check on it. Despite that these simple approaches are great in preventing some of the causes of distracted driving, they do not cover all aspects of it.

Therefore, I propose a new solution to reduce the amount of distracted driving: tracking sensors on frame glasses or prescription glasses of the driver, which the driver would either wear when they get into the car or in their daily lives. Because being distracted refers to any aspect of not focusing on the road, a sensor on the glasses can detect a movement that is unnatural to driving, such as looking down below the dashboard and not onto the road or mirrors. These driver glasses can connect to a wireless relay box when they enter the car, and once on the road, whenever the driver looks down into an unnatural position, the relay box will beep back in consideration of how alert the driver is on the road, beeping louder the more unaware the driver is through its position of the sensors. We can expand this idea by disabling the phone when it senses movement of the driver trying to beat the system by raising the phone on top of the dashboard or just the standard looking down below the dashboard and reaching for the smartphone.

One might say this system is complicated, as one can just turn off their phone in general, but constantly shutting ones’ phone down may become annoying, which might result in the driver giving up the habit as a whole. On the other hand, studies from the NCBI have found that noise induction will most likely make a person respond accordingly to their surroundings, as the human race has evolved in humanity from nature, so humans will generally react to a sound to perceive danger. Therefore, we can use this ideology to direct our eyes to only focus on the road. Although this system might not beat out all the distractions a driver might face — such as daydreaming or getting distracted by the outer world — it still blocks out the core causes of distracted driving, which include checking the phone, eating, and arguing with someone else about a Spotify Playlist. I believe this innovation can help our society immensely, especially younger generations who are attached to smartphones, as this technology will help cut down their loss of attention on the road.

As Catherine McDonald explained when she stated, “What’s important to remember about driving is that you’re making decisions not just about yourself, but about other cars that you’re not controlling,” driving is a privilege given to us that requires a large amount of responsibility and control. When driving, it is your responsibility to keep yourself safe and to not do anything rash that would risk the safety of the fellow drivers.

There’s no doubt that we’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t text while driving!” numerous times in the past. We’ve all seen the consequences of behaviors such as these, and yet, why do people still do it? Despite knowing just how dangerous and risky these actions may be, why do thousands of drivers do this on a daily basis? Perhaps the thought of “that’ll never happen to me because I’ll be careful” deceives us, but the severity of the situation cannot be taken lightly.

Many different ideas have been suggested to the public over recent years, with recent ones including a Do Not Disturb While Driving addition to the iPhones, and Auto Apply/Android Auto for newer models of cars. Although we’ve definitely all tried these methods at some point, our temptations may get the better of us at the end of the day. So is there really any method that can prevent texting while driving for sure? As of right now, there really isn’t. But that doesn’t mean that there can’t be one in the near future.

The only way to solve a problem is to get rid of the source of the problem itself. The source of the problem would be the phones, right? The easiest and best thing to do in this scenario would be to remove the phones from plain sight, so the driver could focus on driving. As John Heywood once said, “Out of sight, out of mind.” By implementing current technology, there could be a surefire way to prevent texting while driving. In the car, there could be a compartment installed, and that compartment would be there for one purpose: to hold your phone. However, this compartment would be directly connected to the car’s ability to move, and without the device being inside the compartment, the car wouldn’t be able to be put into drive. To prevent any possible loophole, the compartment would also have a sensor installed, and this sensor would be used to detect that the device has been put into the compartment. After the device has been placed into the compartment, it wouldn’t be able to be removed until the proper destination has been reached. The phone would then be released from the constraints of the compartment, and you could go on to do whatever you needed to do safely. In case of an emergency, the phone would be automatically linked to the car via bluetooth, and with a single sentence, you would be able to call 911. The compartment would then send a GPA location directly to the police, and within minutes, they would arrive to help you in your time of need. With the addition of a new gadget like this, driving while texting would no longer be a hindrance. Everyone could drive safely, and they could rest assured knowing that something as rash as texting while driving wouldn’t be the cause of injury or fatality.

If there’s anything that commenting on KWHS has taught me, it’s that nothing is impossible. Young scholars from all over the world are coming up with new innovative ways to make the world a much better place everyday, and with the current technology that we possess, creating new things is no longer a burden. With the combined innovative thoughts from scholars all over the world, problems such as these will no longer cause us so much harm. It’s all up to whether we’re willing to work together to achieve this goal.

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Should Texting While Driving Be Treated Like Drunken Driving?

Distracted driving is dangerous. It’s also very common. Should authorities try to tackle the problem by dealing with offenses more severely?

By Michael Gonchar and Shannon Doyne

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Though texting and driving is banned in most states, the law still typically treats it as a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine. However, some states are pushing to treat texting while driving as a more serious offense, on par with drunken driving .

What do you think? Should police arrest people they see texting and driving , like they would an intoxicated driver? Should those who text and drive have their licenses revoked? Should a person wo is found guilty of killing someone while texting and driving be sentenced to time in prison?

In other words, how big a deal is texting and driving, and how seriously should it be handled by authorities?

In “ She Texted About Dinner While Driving. Then a Pedestrian Was Dead ,” Nate Schweber and Tracey Tully write about a case in New Jersey in which a woman who was texting and driving was found guilty of vehicular homicide after fatally injuring a pedestrian:

One woman was out for a walk and a taste of fresh air during a break from her job as a scientist at a New Jersey fragrance manufacturer. She and her husband had been trying to get pregnant, and brief bouts of exercise, away from the laboratory’s smells and fumes, were part of that plan. A second woman was behind the wheel of a black Mercedes-Benz, headed to work as chief executive of a nonprofit in a city that had once lauded her as civic leader of the year for her extensive work with troubled youth. Their lives collided with devastating speed in the coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide, accused of texting while driving. On Friday, a jury found the driver, Alexandra Mansonet, guilty of vehicular homicide in a case that was believed to be the first time a New Jersey jury was asked to apply a 2012 law that places texting while driving on par with drunken driving. The case has focused attention on the nationwide crisis of distracted driving, as well as how rare and difficult prosecutions can be.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

First, have you ever texted while driving? Or, have you ever seen friends or family members text and drive? Do you see why it’s dangerous? Do you think it should be illegal everywhere?

Do you think Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict is fair? If you were a member of the jury, what considerations would you weigh when deciding whether she should be found guilty of vehicular homicide?

Steven D. Altman, Ms. Mansonet’s lawyer, stated, “It’s going to be very difficult for her to deal with the fact that at sentencing she could be incarcerated for something we are all guilty of doing on a daily basis.” What do you think of his line of argument, that a harsh punishment, like a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, is unfair because texting while driving is so common?

The article states that pedestrian deaths in the United States approached a 30-year high last year. What do you think can be done to reverse that trend? Explain your reasons.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Persuading People Not to Text While Driving Essay

We can see that, in the contemporary world, there are more and more instances of car accidents that lead to the injuries of a large number of people and even their deaths. However, the question is: why is it so? In order to solve this problem or at least have a beneficial influence on it, professionals have to understand the main causes of the issue and put considerable effort into preventing them. It is believed that the main reasons for the growing number of car accidents and deaths on the roads is the development of new technologies and, as a result, the irresponsible driving of individuals who are largely addicted to them. Therefore, by providing a few essential arguments and taking of the most popular practices as an example, the following speech will prove that individuals should not text while driving.

As it is already mentioned, the most significant reason of why people should stop texting or using their phones overall while driving is because it can lead to serious negative consequences, such as car crashes, injuries, and deaths of a large number of people. According to statistics, “in the United States, one-third of drivers text while they are behind the wheel and distraction is the cause of 25% of all car crashes that involve injuries” (“2019 United States car accidents statistics,” 2020). This is because when you are driving and, at the same time, use phone phone at any capacity, it is impossible to keep all the needed attention on the road. This number is continually rising; therefore, something should be definitely done to stop this growth, and one of the best solutions is to educate individuals about the negative impact of cell phone usage on the road.

In addition, in case you are using your phone for nay purposes while driving, you are not only putting your life at a considerable risk but also endanger you passengers. Transporting other people in a vehicle is a huge responsibility because any mistake can lead to serious consequences for their health and life. Zakhareuski (2020) also puts a specific emphasis on this point while talking about the possible influences of distracted driving. He asks his readers a question of whether they could live with the understanding that their selfish decision to check their messages or turn on a different song caused someone to die or suffer from severe health complications (Zakhareuski, 2020). Thus, for the purpose of ensuring the safety and physical well-being of yourself and all the passengers in the car it is critical to prevent yourself from texting while driving.

Another consequence of using your phone while driving is a considerable increase in the likelihood of receiving a huge monetary fine or a punishment. Even though this issue is not connected to the life of people, it can bring serious damage to your pocket and to the possibility of driving a car for a specific period of time. For example, a speeding ticket can cost you up to 500 dollars; however, in certain situations the fine can be much bigger and lead to the loss of a driving license for a year (“What are the consequences,” n.d.). In general, this problem is all about the responsibility and taking accountability for your actions which is necessary. Nevertheless, such consequences can bring a significant inconvenience to your life which means that it is much better to prevent their appearance.

I mentioned drivers themselves and passengers as people who can suffer from a serious mistake of texting while being behind the wheel. However, there is also one very important group individuals who can be injured and die because of someone’s, from the first sight, very minor mistake – pedestrians. Humans are definitely smaller and less noticeable that vehicles; therefore, it is possible to end up in an accident with them even when paying full attention. Since texting while driving completely switches one’s attention from the road, drivers can decrease the likelihood of seeing a person crossing the road and cause a crash which may result in terrible health consequences for the pedestrian. Therefore, it can be stated that driving is a huge responsibility and there is no place for even a second on the phone.

Overall, texting while driving is a serious issue that becomes more and more relevant in the contemporary world. Many people do not realize to what consequences it may bring and think that it will not harm their performance in the road. However, the reality proves that it is one of the most serious problems that has to be dealt with as soon as possible. There is a number of negative consequences caused by distracted driving and phone usage that range from receiving a speeding ticket to causing the death of another individual. Thus, this speech proved that it is essential to prevent oneself from using a phone while driving no matter what the purpose of that is. In this case you can ensure that your life and the life of other human beings will not be put at risk.

2019 United States car accidents statistics: Reckless driving vs. driving while intoxicated . 2020. Web.

What are the consequences of being a risky and irresponsible driver? (n.d.). Web.

Zakhareuski, A. (2020). 10 pragmatic reasons that will make you stop texting and driving today . Web.

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IvyPanda. (2022, June 29). Persuading People Not to Text While Driving. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuading-people-not-to-text-while-driving/

"Persuading People Not to Text While Driving." IvyPanda , 29 June 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/persuading-people-not-to-text-while-driving/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Persuading People Not to Text While Driving'. 29 June.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Persuading People Not to Text While Driving." June 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuading-people-not-to-text-while-driving/.

1. IvyPanda . "Persuading People Not to Text While Driving." June 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuading-people-not-to-text-while-driving/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Persuading People Not to Text While Driving." June 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuading-people-not-to-text-while-driving/.

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The Texting and Driving Prevention Scholarship

At Emerson Straw PL, we have seen firsthand the devastating impacts of distracted driving. Technological innovations such as smartphones have led to breakthroughs in both science and exploration, but these advancements have also caused an increase in distracted driving accidents.

As personal injury attorneys, we work with individuals who have suffered the physical and emotional effects of auto accidents involving texting and driving. Millions of innocent people are severely injured or die each year in these collisions. This is unacceptable, and we believe that this tragic problem can be curbed if individuals make a commitment to practicing safe driving etiquette and encouraging their friends and family to do the same.

Our law firm is pleased to announce our 2024 Texting and Driving Prevention Scholarship. This is a $1,000 scholarship opportunity that is intended to spur creative solutions to the distracted driving epidemic that is affecting the entire country.

To enter, please write a 750-word minimum essay that explores the ways that you can prevent yourself and other people from texting behind the wheel. Besides discussing your personal relationship with this issue, we want you to outline solutions and prevention tips to improve the safety of everyone on the road.

Scholarship Eligibility Requirements To be eligible for the scholarship, students must meet these requirements:

• Be about to enroll or currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program, or community college in the United States. High school students may apply if they have been accepted to an accredited college or university.
• Have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Application Requirements Please send the following documents to apply:

• Your resume including contact details
• Your current academic transcript that includes your cumulative GPA. (For first-year students, it is acceptable to submit an unofficial transcript from their accredited educational institution. For students who are not presently enrolled, please provide proof of acceptance to the future educational institution.)
• Your 750-word minimum (there is no maximum) original essay on the following prompt: Explain the ways that you personally prevent texting while driving. What preventative measures do you take that you believe other people should also be taking? How do you intend to spread these ideas? This essay must be submitted in Microsoft Word format ONLY . No exceptions.

Scholarship Application Deadline Your scholarship essay and application materials must be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than midnight EST on February 9, 2024. Please submit your materials with the subject line "[Applicant's name] - 2024 Texting and Driving Prevention Scholarship". All required materials must be submitted in ONE e-mail all at once to be considered. We will not accept any submissions sent via Pages or Google Doc. The Texting & Driving Scholarship essay will need to be submitted in Microsoft Word Document only. The remaining required documents can be submitted via PDF or Microsoft Word Document.

The scholarship winner will be selected based on the criteria outlined above. The winner will be determined at the discretion of Emerson Straw.

Upon applying for this scholarship, candidates acknowledge that all submitted essays become the property of Emerson Straw PL. Emerson Straw PL reserves the right to publish any or all portions of the submitted essays on its website or other electronic publications such as social media profiles.

Once chosen, the scholarship winner will be announced on our Emerson Straw social media. The winner will also be contacted directly via e-mail once chosen.

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Sample essay on texting and driving.

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Texting and driving is a widespread problem that is killing Americans across the country. This sample essay illustrates ways in which mainstream media companies can help reduce the deadly accidents that arise from this behavior, thereby making our streets safer.

AT&T educates consumers about the dangers of texting while driving

To help the fight against the deaths associated with texting and driving , AT&T recently ran a commercial advertisement that depicted a young woman holding a sign that read “Yeah.” The young woman then described the features of her sister and her personable characteristics. Finally, she broke down and began to shed tears as she lamented how her sister crashed while driving and texting. The last thing that the woman in the commercial texted her sister was the word “Yeah.” Ultimately, this tragic example shows how a minute problem in our society such as texting and driving can have tangible consequences, including death. As mobile phones have quickly become a ubiquitous part of our society, many feel the need to communicate while driving or doing other tasks. However, it is of critical importance that people realize that the act is not only dangerous but can lead to tragic accidents. In having popular carriers like AT&T and Verizon focus their efforts to educate consumers about safety through television, radio and print advertising, the risks and hazards of texting and driving can become as well known and recognizable as drinking and driving.

Increase in cell phone usage makes task difficult

With the rise of wireless telecommunications and smart phones, texting has become a mainstream way of communication. With carriers offering popular devices such as the iPhone and Android, many have moved away from verbal communication to SMS based dialogue or texting. If one visits a public place, undoubtedly there will be many people using a mobile phone to browse the web and communicate with others. However, the use of mobile phones and texting has recently come under scrutiny as this has caused a serious concern for drivers. While typing out messages, drivers are not in full attention to the road in front of them and accidents have been known to happen. Whether it is crashing into a tree at night, hitting another vehicle or even striking a pedestrian, texting while driving is surely a safety concern. While this concern has been primarily addressed to the younger generation that is more used to wireless phones used to text , this also applies to society that has embraced wireless devices for E-mail, web browsing and chatting through other channels. As this problem becomes more and more common, the root cause of the issue needs further exploration.

At the heart of the issue, texting and driving have not gained enough notoriety in our society. With the rise of the mobile phone, being connected all the time has damaged our communication skills and has not been exposed to its externalities or unintended consequences. When purchasing a wireless device, I have personally never heard mention by my sales representative of the dangers of using my device while driving. More importantly, it is only recently that any advertisements from major carriers have highlighted these dangers. While many states have passed laws that prohibit the use of mobile devices while operating a vehicle, the issue still exists. Consequently, the root of the problem is largely in education and the endorsement of public safety with the use of mobile devices. As parents and schools have the most impact on the behaviors and attitudes of children, they are the vendors of knowledge with regard to safe habits. As for adults, the same is true of workplaces and the community as a whole. In finding a solution to the social issue of texting and driving, change will come at the hands of society at large through institutions.

Carriers responsible for informing public

A feasible approach will surely start with the cell phone carriers and their influence. Mainly, safety concerns should be an integral part of the whole cell-phone selling process. Because salesmen have direct contact with the consumer of the product, they have the fidelity to go over best practices and safety concerns with the buyers. This will make sure that at the onset of buying a phone, the consumer is aware that texting and driving is a serious issue. While carriers are not directly accountable for the negative implications of cell phone use, they surely share an ethical role in making sure that their consumers are using their product in a safe and effective manner. With a strong focus on consumer outreach, education and commercial awareness, carriers can achieve a much higher level of exposure to the issue than just an individual. As such, carriers should focus on expanding efforts to televise commercials, advertisements, and sales processes that foster safe use of cell phones.

Making the correlation between drinking and driving

In doing so, texting and driving will become an issue that is as mainstream as drinking and driving.

"At the last social gathering I attended, a few friends consumed alcoholic beverages. When they considered the option of driving home, many of my friends anxiously intervened to explain to them that drinking and driving not only is illegal but extremely dangerous. One of my friends even took an opportunity to find the person’s keys so that they could not start their vehicle."

The main theme here is that our society has developed a culture that endorses intervening when a person attempts to drink and drive ( see  sample essay on social intervention and alcoholism ). This culture has largely developed from many commercials on television and other media outlets that warn consumers about the risks and hazards. This approach would also be effective for solving the texting and driving problem that we face today.

"The last time I drove with a group of friends clearly exemplifies the notion of how commercial influence can fix this problem. When I was in the car with my friends, the driver was engaged in a conversation with his father while driving on the highway. My other two friends in the car clearly saw that this was happening; however, neither of them posited that this action could put their lives at risk. If he had been drinking and driving, my friends would have surely said something. Because I had seen AT&T’s commercial regarding the girl with the sister who died, I intervened and told my friends about it to see their reaction.

Quickly, I showed my friends the commercial on YouTube and they felt the same emotional incentive that I felt to raise awareness. In a second, both of my friends intervened and demanded that the driver stop texting while he was driving us. Surely, by showing them the commercial, I helped develop a culture of safety and awareness towards a risky behavior. If my friends had been more exposed to such advertisements, they surely would have intervened without my input."

Attention vs. Experience: Texting and driving has similar results as DUI

Like many others that can object, the driver of the car responded that texting and driving is only dangerous for individuals that are not aware of the risks or otherwise bad drivers. However, it is important to realize that the inherent risks of such an action have little to do with a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle; instead, it has more to do with simply not being aware of the road because the driver is distracted with another task. For example, suppose that two drivers are driving down the road and one is considered inexperienced while the other is. While looking down to type a message, a pedestrian can jump out or a car can stop quickly. In the event of both drivers colliding, the experience of either driver will not matter because the attention to the road simply is not there. As a result, the objection that texting and driving is a matter of inexperience is false because the main cause is a lack of attention, not experience.

Texting and Driving: A serious problem in America

As we have seen, texting and driving have become a common facet of our society just as mobile devices have. Cell phone carriers have only recently begun to advertise for the safe use of their devices and much of this media is largely absent from radio, print and other channels of advertising. However, just as drinking and driving have become a culturally known area of concern, texting and driving is a comparable problem that can be solved in much the same way. In having carriers like AT&T and Verizon feature more prominent commercials regarding safe use of their products, texting and driving can also become as frowned upon. My own experience of being only slightly exposed to such advertisements prompted me to show the same commercial to my friends. Consequently, they quickly realized that the driver of our ride was putting their life in danger by doing that. Therefore, with more commercials and advertisements from carriers endorsing the safe use of cell phones, mainstream attitudes will reflect an affinity for safe use and avoidance of risky behavior similar to drinking and driving.

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Texting And Driving Essay Sample

In today’s fast-paced world, people are constantly on the go. This is especially true of young drivers, who have a tendency to text and drive because it can be difficult to juggle all their responsibilities. However, this habit could be deadly as texting while driving increases the chances of being involved in an accident by 23%. In this essay, we will explore what makes texting while driving so risky and how you can avoid it.

Texting and driving essay writing help through the following sample is given by experts to the students. Students can refer to this essay for writing their own assignments.

Essay Example of Texting And Driving

• Thesis Statements of Texting And Driving Essay
• Introduction of Texting And Driving Essay
• Examples that shown that texting and driving is not good
• How to Stop the Practice of Texting and Driving

Thesis Statements of Texting And Driving Essay Texting and driving is a grave threat to our world today, but by taking the necessary precautions as drivers we can better ensure that it does not affect us or those close to us. Introduction of Texting And Driving Essay The modern time of technology has brought the mobile revolution to the entire world. Today you can see people of every age group fiddling their fingers on mobile phones. No real communication and dialogues have remained behind due to these mobile phones. Social networking sites are serving the purpose better for this cause. We can see that people keep on chatting for hours through these social networking sites. You must have come across many people on a regular basis that uses their mobile phone while driving. Either they are talking on the phone on chatting with their social friends while driving. This is very dangerous to texting while you are driving a vehicle. It can distract your focus from driving to your mobile screen. As a consequence of which you can become the reason for the death of an innocent person, or it could be you as well. Main Body of Texting And Driving Essay Examples that shown that texting and driving is not good There is enough evidence that has shown that texting and driving are not good for a safe life. It is just like the other form of the situation when you are driving and drinking. So many incidences and accidents have taken place so far due to this habit of people. Here are some points that will make you aware of the seriousness of the issue. A person who was texting while driving his car fails to listen to the horn of a truck that was coming from the opposite direction. As a result of which he meets with a drastic accident that takes away his life. A man was hospitalizing his pregnant wife during her labor pain, at the same time he was busy on phone. The results were very scary when they meet an accident in between the road. A similar case happens with a person who was listening to the music by plugging headphones in their ear, at the same time was busy with his texting to the friend on social media. He had to lose his life due to this ignorance of concentrating on driving. A lady who was dropping her kids at the school suddenly meets with a major accident on the road while chatting with her husband. There are several such examples that take our breath away from us owing to their seriousness. We really need to do something to eradicate this issue of texting and driving. Otherwise, it will eat our people like that of termite and we will not be aware of it. Get Non-Plagiarized Custom Essay on Texting And Driving in USA Order Now How to Stop the Practice of Texting and Driving Here are some ideas and tips that can help you to save yourself and others as well by not texting while driving. So go through these points very carefully. Try to Call your Friends when you get Time –  If you are very keen to talk with your friends, it is very important to avoid them while you are driving. This is because by texting at the time of driving you are not just putting your life in danger but others as well. You might end up in the life of an innocent person due to your bad habit of texting and driving. Decide a Proper Time to Communicate or Chat with your Social Media Friends –  In case you are not comfortable making a call to your social media friends and communicate with them through chat only, decide a proper time for that. It could be at the end of the day, or as per your time schedule, but make sure that you are not using the time of driving for this purpose. Be a responsible citizen by following the traffic rules of your country. Avoid Keeping your Mobile Phone in Front of you while Driving –  When you will place your mobile phone in front of you it will keep on distracting you by forcing you to see the popup on the screen. Better you keep your phone in the pocket or bag, do not forget to turn off the message ringtone or popup while driving. This way you will be able to better concentrate on driving. Do not make social media Your World – Some people keep on chatting on their social media accounts all the time. This should be kept in mind that social media is a mean that helps you to communicate with the friends which are hard to do otherwise. But you cannot afford to lose the ones who are living with you. So drive safe and be responsible towards your family. Do Meditation and Self-Introspection on Regular Basis –  When you will continuously get yourself involved in regular Yoga and exercise, it will help you to develop inner mental strength. You will come to know about the real purpose of life by forgetting to spend your entire day on social media. So make sure that you are doing exercise on daily basis. Hire USA Experts for Texting And Driving Essay Order Now Conclusion The discussions of the entire essay suggest us that we should avoid driving and texting to save the life of people on road along with our own life. This could be done when we are mentally aware of the destruction of texting and driving for mankind.

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Home — Essay Samples — Law, Crime & Punishment — Cell Phones and Driving — Texting and Driving vs. Drinking and Driving

Texting and Driving Vs. Drinking and Driving

• Categories: Cell Phones and Driving Distracted Driving Drunk Driving

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Words: 635 |

Published: Sep 12, 2023

Words: 635 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Texting and driving, drinking and driving, comparing the two behaviors, prevention and education, conclusion: a call for responsible choices.

• Impaired Judgment: Both activities impair a driver's judgment, making it difficult to assess risks and make safe decisions on the road.
• Reduced Reaction Time: Texting and alcohol consumption both lead to slower reaction times, which can be critical in avoiding accidents.
• Increased Accident Risk: Both texting and driving and drinking and driving significantly increase the risk of accidents, injuries, and fatalities.
• Legal Consequences: Engaging in either behavior can result in legal penalties that may affect a person's life for years to come.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Public service campaigns should raise awareness about the dangers of both behaviors, emphasizing the potentially fatal consequences.
• Strict Legislation: Governments should enact and enforce laws that prohibit texting and driving and establish strict penalties for violations.
• Education Programs: Schools, driving schools, and community organizations should incorporate education on the risks of both behaviors into their curricula.
• Technological Solutions: Mobile phone manufacturers and app developers can create tools and features that discourage or prevent texting while driving.
• Designated Drivers: Individuals should plan ahead and arrange for designated drivers or alternative transportation when consuming alcohol.

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Texting While Driving Argumentative Essay

Argumentative Essay Many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage. However, some opponents feel that creating a law against cell phone use infringes their personal rights. Others think that banning someone from using their cell phones is equivalent to telling someone that they can't adjust their radio or chat with someone else in their car. However, using a cell phone, whether talking or texting, while driving can be extremely dangerous; it should be made illegal because it is very hazardous to yourself and the people surrounding you, can lead to the death of loved ones, and it is even compared to the danger level of drunk driving. No matter what age the driver is, under no …show more content…

In the article, “Dead Girl’s Parents Warn Students to Buckle Up and Stop Texting,” shows that texting while driving is hazardous and very real when Alex Brown, age 17, died due to result of texting while driving while not wearing a seatbelt. The parents of Alex Brown, Johhny Mac and Jeanne Brown, appeared in front of an audience of hundreds of Clyde middle and high school students, to educate young people about Alex’s accident and how easily it could have been prevented. Texting while driving impacts the lives of those around you. A single distraction while driving, as small and simple it may seem such as texting, can lead to the death of loved ones. Not only is texting while behind the wheel bad enough itself, many people compare the danger level to drunk driving. Driving while intoxicated at the same time is illegal, just as some believe texting while driving should be as well. Larry Copeland states that after a study was conducted at The University of Utah, it showed that driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% is equal to texting and driving. If people were more aware of how closely related texting while driving and drunk driving are, it would help to inform all drivers on safety behind the wheel. Not only are distracted drivers harming themselves, yet they are putting every other driver on the road in the same dangerous position without realizing it. Texting while driving puts many driver’s lives in danger daily.

Persuasive Essay On Texting And Driving

Texting while driving puts everyone in danger because it takes your attention away from the task of driving. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) in 2015 there were 3,477 deaths and another 391,000 injuries caused by distracted driving in the United States, and that’s just in one year. While this

Texting While Driving Outline

This includes the House Bill 1013 which went into effect back in October. It bans any driver of a motor vehicle to engage in text messaging. A few other states that ban the use of a cell phone while driving are Illinois, California, New York, and Indiana has a ban on any one under the age of 18.

Argumentative Essay On Texting While Driving

Cell phones have become an essential part of many peoples’ lives as they are one of the main sources of communication. People are able to complete many tasks using their phones, such as making phone calls, sending and receiving e-mails, text messaging, and even snapping photos. Cell phones are not only beneficial, but they are impactful in many ways. As many positive uses there are for cell phones, cell phone usage can be undoubtedly precarious while driving. Cell phone usage while driving is many times done irresponsibly and can put the driver at risk of getting injured. In addition to the driver getting injured, innocent pedestrians could also potentially lose their lives or be crippled due to a texting person who was driving at the same time. According to The Federal Communications Commission, “over 8 people are killed and approximately 1,161 are injured daily in incidents reported as distraction-affected crashes in the United States.” Texting while driving has become the number one distraction of drivers and main cause of car crashes. These crashes could result in hundreds of thousands of people either losing their lives or experiencing life-changing injuries. Although cell phone usage is an effective way to communicate with others and to complete certain tasks, it has become problematic for drivers in recent years as it increased the risk of injury and death while driving. For these reasons, texting while driving should be illegal and punishable by law.

Texting While Driving (Speech) Essay

Good morning everyone, today we call our world as busy world or multitasks world and with the rush-rush-rush mentality most people have these days; it's no surprise that more and more people are driving while distracted. Eating, talking or texting on a mobile phone, making adjustments to the radio, talking with passengers -- all take a driver's focus off of the road.

Research Paper On Distracted Driving

Secondly texting while driving can put a loved one at risk. Texting while driving can put you and your passenger at risk. If you were to get in a accident because of texting and driving, you and your passenger can get hurt. In an article called 10 Programmatic Reason´s that will make you stop texting and driving right now it said ¨in

Argument Essay On Texting While Driving

It’s time to stop texting while driving. Most of the accidents are accused of distracted driving and most of the distractions are most of the time caused by cell phones. However, some opponents feel that creating a law against cell phone use infringes their personal rights. Other people assume that prohibiting from someone from using their cell phone is the same thing in just like telling someone that they can't adjust their radio or chat with someone else in the car. However, using a cell phone, whether you are texting or talking, while driving can be extremely dangerous; That should be made illegal in the fact that it is very hazardous to

Texting While Driving Research Paper

The most dangerous between texting while driving and driving under the influence is texting while driving. From 2002 to 2011, driving while intoxicated numbers went down and texting while driving numbers went up (Oberman). Texting while operating a vehicle raises the risk eight times higher to cause a wreck. If people choose drinking and driving, it raises the risk four times higher to cause a wreck (Driving). When people drive out on the roads doing either drinking while driving or texting while driving, a crash could occur at any time. People texting and driving makes themselves take their eyes off the road longer because people focus on the message received and try to think of what the response message will say. Drunk drivers usually tend to speed up or slow down, while texters tend to swerve across the centerline (Texting). A person

Argumentative Essay : The Dangers Of Texting While Driving

Of the many effects that texting while driving has on an individual, the most profound impact is death and the toll it takes on close relatives.In Virginia, “a five month old baby,Tristan Schulz, was killed because of a driver that had his phone in his hand and got distracted” (A Baby Is Dead in Virginia. Now Will the State Do Something about Texting While Driving?” TWP).Avoidable deaths like this happen constantly due to the careless use of cellular devices on much traveled highways/roads.So many more lives could have been spared if only that one driver had simply chosen to wait until they were no longer driving.Another tragedy that resulted from texting while driving was the loss of Stephanie Phills,37,and 26, Heather Hurd’s life when a truck driver “reaching for his hand-held device to text his office,rammed into traffic at a stop light” (Bridget, and Lebovich N.p., n.d. Web)The truck driver stop to consider the

Argumentative Essay On Texting And Driving

In the past ten years, texting and driving has become a major issue on U.S. roads. The problem has increased as smartphones have become more affordable and accessible (Full Coverage Auto Insurances). Even though 95% of drivers would agree that texting and driving is wrong, 71% of people admit to texting and driving (It Can Wait). Distracted driving is driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving (Dictionary.com). Distracted driving is detrimental in today’s society; therefore, we need to apply some safety features that will keep everyone protected at all times. There are many helpful solutions to this problem like apps and features for

Edrick C. Loving . Ms. Massey . English. 4/20/2017 . Teens

Texting and Driving is very dangerous many people die because of being distracted while driving. “Texting demographics” topics facts that the average teen male sends about 20 text a day. Texting and driving has received much attention people are dying everyday due to distracted drivers. This will be avoided if people pay more attention and just stay off their phone while on the road.

Texting and Driving Essay

People should be cited for texting while driving because not only are drivers putting themselves in danger but also everyone else around them. Statistics have indicated that over 6,000 deaths and well over half a million injuries have occurred due to drivers using cell phones in 2011 alone. Drivers sending or receiving test messages take their eyes off of the road for at least five seconds which is enough time to cover an entire football field. One could only imagine the tremendous amount of damage that can be done driving across a football field with unopened eyes. “The more cognitive workload capacity that you consume, the less likely it is that you’re going to scan the road”

Texting while driving is a controversial subject. The vast majority of people feel that texting while driving should be illegal. Most people also feel that legal actions need to take place to stop this behavior. However, I’m part of the small majority that disagrees with the main point of view. I believe that texting while driving shouldn’t be illegal and that states that have made it illegal need to repeal those laws. Texting while driving isn’t the true problem. The true problem is that people get distracted easily. So I believe that making texting while driving illegal doesn’t even solve the problem. Another reason why it shouldn’t be illegal is that people don’t follow laws as it is, and this can cause even more problems. Texting while driving should be the driver’s choice, not the government's choice.

Persuasive Speech: Driving While Texting Essay

A study by Virginia Tech Driving Institute concluded that those who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a car accident. Other studies claim that texting while driving can be more harmful and detrimental than driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol because your mind is too consumed into your conversation.

Driving InTEXTicated Essay

As cell phones become more popular, texting while driving is becoming the most widely known cause for car accidents among teens. The alarming rate of incidents where texting is involved is getting more parents worried and warning their children about the danger of texting while driving. Parents are urging the fact that drivers should pay attention to the road and traffic, not their phones. A popular study of 18 to 24 year old drivers showed that 66 percent of them have texted while driving. Since texting while driving is becoming more popular many states are passing a law to ban the use of any cell phone device while in a vehicle. Texting while driving is an important issue that is causing many deaths and those who cause these deaths and

Texting and driving can also be dangerous because people could die. Not only that texting and driving causes distraction to where it increases the chances of you dying or getting into car accidents. On https://www.dmv.org/distracted-driving/texting-and-driving.php it says, “26% of all car crashes in 2014 involved cell phone use. At least 9 people are killed every day because of a distracted driver. More than 1,000 people are injured every day due to a distracted driver. In 2015 42% of teens say they have texted while driving—and

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