Phones and Driving Essay

In a time where technology is so mainstream and more accessible than ever before, it has become essential to many people in their everyday life. Technology is everywhere and it will only continue to grow, however not everyone is as tech savvy and just stick to the basics like a cell phone. One of the demographic groups that has a heavy usage on cell phones are teens, who are constantly glued to the screen for countless of hours. Another thing that teens are really big on is getting behind the wheel for the first time and many tend to continue their bad habit of using a phone even when driving. This has quickly become a serious issue for teens and it should be addressed to prevent any more dangerous situations.

Everyone has the habit of occasionally looking at their phone to either send a reply to a message or to just skip to the next song, so we can't just point the finger at the teens. Although, teens are more prone to this behavior due to their constant need to use a phone than compare to an adult. Based on a survey conducted by GuardChild, 56% of teens admitted to talking on the phone while driving and 13% admitted to texting while driving. That is a total of 69% of teens, who are distracted while they are behind the wheel. For someone who is beginning to learn how to drive, it does not help out when you provide your own distractions. Driving is a serious responsibility that is not something to be taken lightly by younger drivers, no matter how casual it may seem.

Not only does using a cellphone while driving raise the chances of being involved of getting in an accident, but it also makes your commute more inconvenient. Being distracted by your phones divides your attention, which should be completely on the road to be as fully aware as possible. People are very aware of the issue dealing with driving under the influence and strongly stand against that, but in fact driving while using a phone is just as bad. According to the statistics provided by GuardChild, using a phone while driving causes a decrease in reaction comparable to legal limit of blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%. A driver should not be behind a wheel if they are incapable of maintaining full awareness of what they are doing and their surroundings.

Many people have realized that distracted driving caused by cellphones has become a real issue across the country and there needs to be changes made to prevent it. In many states, there have been new laws that have implemented to fight against this issue. Based on research done by the National Conference of State Legislature, 48 out of the 50 states, have passed laws that prohibit texting while driving and 18 out the 48, have no usage of handhelds while driving in place. However, not one state has an all cell phone ban in place, which could possible change in the future if current laws don't seem to be the solution. With these laws, driver receive fines that could cost them hundreds of dollars and could even lead to a suspension of license if drivers continue to repeatedly offend.

In conclusion, it is very important that drivers are aware of the real life consequences that could happen from something they seem to be innocent. Not only do drivers endanger themselves, but also any fellow drivers or by standing pedestrians. With everyone doing their part to help combat this issue, it can make all drivers safer on the road and with a little more peace of mind.

There are already many ways to help out drivers against the urge of using their phone, it is just a matter of choice on how safe they want to be. No text message is ever worth putting your own life in danger or other innocent people, it can wait because everything has its time and place.

Works Cited:

Essex, Amanda. Cellular Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws, 4 Apr. 2018, www. ncsl. org/research/transportation/cellular-phone-use-and-texting-while-driving-laws. aspx. 20 May 2019.

"Statistics on Driving While Texting | GuardChild." Parental Control Software to Monitor Kids on Their Computers, Cell Phones, IPads and Tablets, www. guardchild. com/distracted-driving-statistics/. 20 May 2019.