Phones and Driving

Driving is very convenient in this time and age. Not only is driving convenient but also a prominent way of transportation everywhere. Driving has many good effects on society today but can be dangerous and in many ways even fatal. Something that has a big effect on driving is the smartphone people keep with them every day all day. Texting and driving has been consistently taking the lives of drivers behind the wheel. Texting and driving should not be allowed in this time in age nor in the future.

Texting and driving comes with the ultimate risk being a life. Many people, teens especially, are losing their lives in car accidents. The cause of these car accidents could be avoided if these people were not texting while driving. The text states "...the number of auto fatalities has remained stable, at about 40,000 deaths a year. The US Department of Transportation estimates that 6,000 of those are the result of distracted driving." The textual evidence shows that phones and driving can be a large factor in deaths while driving. The most important part is how the phones are killing off these people.

When texting and driving is occurring at the same time it forces the driver to multitask. Some evidence states "Driving and cell phone conversations both require a great deal of thought. When doing them at the same time, your brain is unable to do either well." Multitasking is already hard on people and then their attention span makes texting and driving an even worse idea. In the text it states "According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the average attention span of a human being has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013". This evidence shows that humans already have a short attention span, so imagine a younger person with a weaker mind texting and driving.

The texting while driving epidemic has its biggest effect on the younger people. The youths are more likely to have and be using a smartphone while driving than elders. This is supported by the claim "Younger age groups are also much more likely to use social media sites like Facebook than older ones." This shows that youths are more likely to be affected by the epidemic of texting and driving. In the text it also states "In every country surveyed, those under 35 are more likely to own smartphones, to use the internet and to use social media than those ages 50 and older." Smart phones have more of an influence on younger people as seen in the text.

Texting and driving is something that would not benefit anyone if it were allowed. Not only should texting and driving not be allowed but it should be outlawed. This epidemic has already claimed the lives of so many people. People all over the world are losing their lives and sustaining permanent injuries from texting and driving. This needs to be stopped permanently by being outlawed and kept out of mind.

Works Cited

Hanes, Stephanie. "Texting While Driving Is as Dangerous as Drunk Driving." Distracted Driving, edited by Stefan Kiesbye, Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link. gale. com/apps/doc/EJ3010795205/OVIC?u=lawr16325&sid=OVIC&xid=b66 5b357. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020. Originally published as "Texting While Driving: The New Drunk Driving," Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov. 2009.

Silver, Laura. "Younger Generations Adopting Smartphones More Quickly in Emerging Economies." Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, Pew Research Center, 30 Dec. 2019, www. pewresearch. org/global/2019/02/05/in-emerging-economies-smartphone-adoption-has-grown-more-quickly-among-younger-generations/.

"On The Road." National Safety Council - Our Mission Is Safety, www. nsc. org/road-safety/safety-topics/distracted-driving/cell-phone-distracted-driving.

Nunzio, Mia Rose Del. "SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy." SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy, 4 Dec. 2015, sites. psu. edu/siowfa15/2015/12/04/why-is-our-generations-attention-span-so-short/.

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