Distracted Driving Essay

Distracted driving

Distracted driving—defined as “any activity that may divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving” (Kareklas). Our every day lives are filled with all types of media, cell phones, GPS devices, television, and other electronic devices. There has not been any state that bans all cell phone use for all drivers, but 38 states have banned cell phone use for newer drivers, and 20 states prohibit it for school bus drivers. Texting while driving has been a tremendous issue as of recent years, with more and more individuals owning cell phones and operating other devices while driving. It has become a threat to driving safety for every person on the road. Daily there a people on their hand helds and texting behind the wheel they are not only endangering their own lives but as well as others. More than 3,000 teens die each year in crashes caused by texting while driving. Approximately 2,700 teens are killed in drunk driving accidents. More than 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving. Younger drivers mean less experience on the road, and almost every teen has a cell phone now. “No generation has a corner on driving while distracted. But the appeal of high-tech devices to the youthful driver has added to the risks typically associated with young drivers (Sachs). The real question is would these statistics be lessened if the texting while driving ban was passed in all fifty states or if there was harsher punishment for this crime?

“According to a recent survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for traffic Safety (2008) 83 percent of respondents believe that distracted drivers pose a serious threat to traffic safety” Even when teenagers and other adults have seen the risks of distracted driving they still continue to use cell phones, hand helds, mp3 players and other equally distracting devices. “AAA also reported that the number maybe even higher than 46 percent of teen drivers that admitted to texting while driving (Kidd)”. Individuals tend to believe their driving and skills are better than what they actually are. “Numerous studies have shown that people are overly optimistic about their own driving ability and believe that they are more skilled than the average driver” (Kidd). When over compensating for ones driving ability it puts others lives in danger its been proven time and time again. When you are driving distracted without danger over time you may think your driving abilities are progressing, but all it takes is one incident where you look down for just a second too long. There have been many different experimental studies where they use driving simulators and controlled courses to study driving performance while the subjects are using a cell phone. It is said that the advantage of driving simulators is that the researcher can place different controls on the driving environment, while also being able to accurately