Distractions While Driving

In this article, Teddi discusses some ways by which one can be distracted while on the road and how to manage those distractions. He also emphasized on how prevalence distracted driving is among teens. This article is useful to my project on distracted driving because Teddi’s data shows that distractions while driving can actually be managed. Clerkin, Bridget. "

Defining Distracted Driving Anyone handling an 18-wheeler that is text messaging is twenty-three times more likely to get in an accident. In the simple act of dialing a cellphone, a truck driver is six times more likely to cause an accident. Distracted driving is not just limited to texting and talking on a cellphone.

So what can happen if drivers are not totally focused? According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 6,000 deaths, over 500,000

How to Fight Distracted Driving by Lianna Thompson Safer roads is a goal that virtually everyone benefits from since we all share the road infrastructure. However this goal of safe roads can be difficult since there are many circumstances that can put drivers in dangerous situations. But perhaps the one that has gotten the most attention as of late is the issue of distracted driving. There have been countless attempts in order to help stop this issue, yet it still remains one of the leading causes of auto accidents.

In January 2004 a 20-year-old woman ran a red light while talking on a cell phone causing a horrific accident in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She killed a 12-year-old boy and endangered her life and lives of the other people in that intersection. Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior.(2012) (1st ed.,

Many drivers face the challenge of focusing on the road for the entire drive. Whether it may be checking their phone or finishing breakfast or just talking with the passengers, all of these are still roadblocks to a safe drive. “Distracted Driving” says, “There are three

Can your phone wait? Using a cell phone while driving is one of the most common causes for accidents. Statistics show that three of every five accidents is caused by a distracted driver. When driving people should be free of distractions in order to focus on where they 're going and getting there safely. Texting and answering phone calls while driving are very imminent threats to your life and others.

Every day in the U.S., approximately one out of ten people are killed by distracting drivers, in fact, roughly one-thousand five hundred are injured in some way in crashes by these irresponsible distracted drivers. As a result of the increasing use of technology, the distracted driver is also multiplying. Furthermore, these drivers are putting themselves in danger, they 're putting passengers in their car as well as other drivers on the road in danger. Using a smartphone while driving uses a significant amount of multitasking, however, only 2% of people are adequate enough to successfully multitask. Drivers have a slower response or reaction time because of impaired decision-making and driving performance.

In this era, with technology as a part of everyday life, it has become difficult to use a simple Public Service Announcement (PSA) as a way to reduce distracted drivers. This is due, for the most part, to the developed habit of assuming. People believe, since it’s seen in many shows and commercials, that those ‘bad things’ that come as a result of distracted driving are not likely to occur to them. People want to prove that they are able to do multiple tasks at once and every PSA would be a challenge so to speak, to show they are above average at multitasking. Those such assumptions and aspirations to prove oneself have resulted in such growing rates.

Distracted driving causes many accidents in the US every years. With being a distracted driving, around “3,154 people are killed in distraction-related crashes and about 424,000 people are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver” (Harper). In what ways can the people develop solutions to prevent distracted driving for teenagers? One way to help prevent distracted driving is to enforce stricter laws for the amount of passengers allowed in a car with a teenage driver. Backseat drivers can cause the most distractions for a driver and also the use of any technology while driving.

Anyone who drives would more than likely admit to being distracted while driving. Many forms of distraction exist while driving. The most common forms include texting while driving, focusing the mind on something else, and talking with others in the car. The distractions people take part in create many serious problems like death. People do not realize that the smallest distractions can result in a life changing event.

Since the early 2000 's, cell phone related car crashes have increased in number. Talking, texting, or merely glancing at a cell phone while being behind the wheel is a dangerous distraction while going 70, 50, or even 20 miles per hour. This is why I think that driving while using a handheld cellphone should be illegal. Talking on a cellphone is just as dangerous as texing, though some motorists would disagree, saying that talking on a cellphone is not as dangerous as texting, but they are very wrong. When a driver is concentrating on a conversation, they pay less attention to what is going on around them in favor of the voice in their ear.

III. Purpose Statement – Texting while driving is a serious distraction and one that could cost you your life or the lives of others. IV. Main Points (TRANSITION:

C. Solution: influencing and convincing people to not use their cell phone while driving to decrease or have zero deaths or injuries each year in car collisions caused by cell phone use. • Some do not realize that the use of cell phone while driving can distract you in many ways ➢ While driving there are three main types of distraction visual, manual, cognitive. Taking your eyes of the road is visual distracting for example looking at your phone. Taking your hand of the wheel is manual distraction for example having your phone in hand and not on the wheel. Lastly taking your mind off the road is cognitive distraction for example conversation on the phone while driving.

However Marc E. Weksler and Babette B. Weksler explain that “Neurophysiologic correlates of distracting second tasks during simulated driving have shown by MRI that a driver listening to someone speak suffers a 37% loss in parietal lobe activation associated with significant deterioration in driving accuracy, even when a phone is not being used or dialed”(386). So even though advanced technology is being created to try and make multitasking and driving easier people still can’t use it to their advantage because any other task being done other than driving still puts us at a huge risk of