Phones & Driving

Cell phones are becoming more and more included in our daily lives. From communication, to making and watching videos. They are very essential to us and our day to day schedule. But shouldn't let them ruin our lives either. As they say "There is a time and place for everything" (Gloria Tesch), and driving is not the time and place.

According to sources, in 2011 out of 1.3 million car crashes, at least 23% of those crashes involve cell phones. A lot of these drivers reported that they were texting and driving during the time of the accident. The rest reported to have been talking on the phone. Majority of the vehicles that were involved were light trucks and motorcycles. More than 3/4 of drivers said they would likely answer calls while driving and rarely consider traffic situations when deciding to use a cell phone. Most drivers said they would answer a call or text while driving but would feel unsafe as a passenger if the driver was texting.

According to sources, in 2011 out of 1.3 million car crashes, at least 23% of those crashes involve cell phones. A lot of these drivers reported that they were texting and driving during the time of the accident. The rest reported to have been talking on the phone. Majority of the vehicles that were involved were light trucks and motorcycles. More than 3/4 of drivers said they would likely answer calls while driving and rarely consider traffic situations when deciding to use a cell phone. Most drivers said they would answer a call or text while driving but would feel unsafe as a passenger if the driver was texting.

For instance, statistics are stating that gender and age play a huge role in these accidents. Statistics state that females use their phone while driving more than men. People try to say that teens or novice drivers are the reason for all these accidents. But according to the data ages 30-39 year olds are the main source of the deaths and drivers ages 15 - 19 had the highest percentage of distracted drivers - 16% of those involved in accidents were distracted. The percentage of fatalities linked to distracted drivers increased from 10% in 2005 to 16% in 2009.

Majority of the states have made laws to try to ensure the safety of americans. No state bans all cellphone use for all drivers, but 39 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by novice drivers, and 20 states and D.C. prohibit it for school bus drivers.

Washington was the first state to pass a texting ban in 2007. Currently, 48 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. All but three have primary enforcement. Of the two states without an all-driver texting ban, one prohibits text messaging by novice drivers.

In conclusion, texting and driving is not safe at all. It takes away people that are not deserving of the pain that they're receiving. Laws and regulations have been set to try and help lower the deaths caused by using cell phones and driving. Life would go much smoother if people just listened and played their part.

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