Driving is a right that everyone over the age of 15 has, but with this right, comes responsibility. Many drivers take advantage of the right to drive and don’t drive responsibly. Distracted driving is one way that people tend to disregard their responsibility when driving. Eight people die every day in the United States from distracted driving. That’s about 3,500 people a year according to the NHTSA (National Highway Safety Administration). This doesn’t include how many other people are injured because of distracted driving. What can be done to change this? PSAs or public service announcements about texting and driving and drinking and driving are made to end distracted driving. PSAs can be beneficial for bringing attention to driving-related …show more content…
Distracted driving has become a big problem in the United States. What does distracting driving consist of? The NHTSA characterizes distracted driving as “any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing.” From new drivers to people who have been driving for almost a decade, they experience more distraction from their mobile devices than anyone. Coleman at Bankrate wrote, “In April 2006, a study released by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the NHTSA found that almost 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event.” The amount of distracted driving incidents has been continuously increasing over the last several years. But what is the solution to this problem? Public service announcements can be beneficial for bringing attention to driving-related accidents and can reduce the number of distracted driving incidents. According to Scirp.org, “The data showed that 47.1% of students “somewhat agreed” and 16.7% “strongly agreed” that they were less likely to text while driving after viewing the PSA. Moreover, 42.2% of students “somewhat agreed” and 22.5% “strongly agreed” that they were more likely to speak up when they were passengers and a driver was …show more content…
“Exploring the Effectiveness of Distracted Driving PSA (Public Service Announcement).” Advances in Journalism and Communication, Scientific Research Publishing, 7 Dec. 2015, www.scirp.org/html/1-2840076_61738.htm. Coleman, Sara. “Distracted Driving Statistics 2022.” Bankrate, 9 Aug. 2022, www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/distracted-driving-statistics/#distracted-driving-prevention. Friel, Noelle. “Data from the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation Shows Distracted Driving Is on the Rise.” WGBA NBC 26 in Green Bay, WGBA NBC 26 in Green Bay, 5 Apr. 2022, www.nbc26.com/news/local-news/data-from-the-wisconsin-dept-of-transportation-shows-distracted-driving-is-on-the-rise. Morrissey, Tim. “Driving While Distracted: Too Many Wisconsinites Do It.” Public News Service, 22 June 2015, www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-06-22/consumer-issues/driving-while-distracted-too-many-wisconsinites-do-it/a46751-1. Weiss, Rafferty. “Best Examples of PSAS: Why PSAS Work and Why They Don't.” RaffertyWeiss Media, 13 Oct. 2022,