Oprah Winfrey’s essay titled “DND TXT N DRV” attempts to show the state of distracted driving in our world, outlining specifically how distracted driving has become normalized in our society and individuals’ developed sense of entitlement to use their phones while driving, leading to denial of the risks and dangers associated. While it’s true that the physical action of hanging up or switching off a phone while driving is a simple one, actually doing so may not be as simple for everyone. Using a cell phone while driving has become habitual for most, with pressures to be constantly available and responsive in our new digital age we as a society ¬¬¬have accepted the potential consequences involved in this behavior, yet have failed to do an accurate …show more content…
While we have made progress in reducing the number of fatalities due to drunken driving, the number of deaths caused by phone use while driving is on the rise. She purports that we find ourselves in a similar predicament today where a new form of distracted driving has over time become a taboo almost completely accepted by society today, shown by the sheer magnitude of the increase in incidents and deaths along with the general public’s and 4th estate’s rising desensitization to the …show more content…
Although I have nothing against direct legislation on a federal, state, or local level, I believe this issue will never be truly solved until every member of the public accepts the true weight of the privilege of driving. One major hurdle in ending this behavior is its normalization. People use their phones while driving without thinking about the consequences, compartmentalizing their actions, and using denial masquerading as self-assurance to justify themselves. Also, since the ingraining of technology into daily lives, it’s difficult to disconnect even when we are behind the wheel, feeling an urgency to respond to messages and calls because of the social obligation to be connected at all times. Similarly, people often have a sense of entitlement to use their phones as they feel are good drivers and that they can multitask, however, this is not but another form of
Using a cell phone while driving has become increasingly common on our roads today. “Driving while yakking may seem harmless to you,” argues Easterbrook, “but try telling that to the loved ones of the hundreds or even thousands who die each year in totally avoidable phone-related accidents” (A-3). He proposes that there are more methods of catching people carrying out distracted driving. He poses the question, “If automated cameras can issue speeding tickets, why can’t they issue tickets to the owners of cars photographed with a driver using a phone” (A3)? Other potential dangers can even come from the cars themselves
The general argument made by Matt Richtel in his work, “Driving While Distracted” is that use of cellphones should be banned while in cars. More specifically Ritchel argues that using cellphones in cars can lead to injury, death, and overall danger. He writes “Studies indicate that drivers using cellphones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers” (11). Richtel is suggesting how dangerous the use of these devices can actually be. Cellphone use can magnify the the potential hazards of being in a car to a great extent.
At any given time, approximately 1 in 5 drivers around you are reading or writing a text message; quite scary, if you ask me. To put it bluntly today’s social norm is defined by how frequently you stay connected no matter the situation. The use of technology on such an often basis throughout the day, makes it tough for most people to know when to put the phone down. Eating and drinking while driving became such a normal habit, we did it sub-consciously. As a result, texting while driving became the norm like changing the radio station even though one is certainly more dangerous than the other, but until we say all distractions are unaccepted/illegal people will have a difficult time understanding how simple it is to prevent distractions on
These cell phones are a huge cause of many car accidents. Americans using their cell phones to text, call, or surf the internet while driving is the cause of up to about 80% of accidents (TextingnDriving par 1). So many people are seen using their phones while driving it is becoming impossible for police to gain control over the issue. People should not text and drive because, by altering their concentration it can result in dangers to themselves
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.,
Three of the high risk behaviors account for texting and driving including “eyes off of the road, at least one hand off the wheel, and mind off the driving situation” (Hollister, 2013). The three actions a person partakes in while texting and driving fall into the three major categories the Center for Disease Control established. Once people begin texting and driving, they no longer pay attention to their driving and only their phone or tablet. Distracted driving takes away the reaction time of a driver from avoiding a crash. Comprehending danger while driving takes multiple seconds.
Distracted driving contributes to millions of vehicle accidents every year in the United States, resulting in millions of cases of property damage, bodily injury, and the tragic loss of life. A major reason distracted driving is so common is due to the era of information that we live in. At any given time, the average driver on our roads has access to unlimited amounts of information at the tip of our fingers through our phones, computers, and other electronics that constantly surround us. This access continues while driving since technologies have been advanced so that even our cars are able to feed us a constant stream of information. Unfortunately, the human brain is terribly ineffective at multitasking, so when we try to do something else
By becoming more engaged, a driver can get to his or her destination faster by making sure not to miss an exit or turn. Those who are on their phones and not paying attention to the road, have a higher chance to miss an exit or turn. But with the use of this law, drivers can and will be more engaged then ever before. Banning the use of hand-held devices allows drivers to become more
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:
Touch screens and voice commands require the driver's attention and require them to take their eyes off the road and focus on the screen or microphone. This can take valuable seconds away from paying attention to the road ahead. Bryant agrees when he writes, “Oftentimes, discussions regarding distracted driving center around cell phone use and texting, but distracted driving also includes other activities such as eating, talking to other passengers, or adjusting the radio or climate controls”(Bryant 1). In other words, Bryant believes that distracted driving is not only caused by cell phone use but it can be a variety of other things. Cell phones are a big distraction while on the road, but so are a lot of other things.
General purpose: to persuade Specific purpose: to persuade my audience that the use of cellphone while driving has become a life threatening not only to the driver but also to other motorist and pedestrians. Thesis: Preview: -To discuss on how we can decrease the percentage of those who use their cell phone while driving. - To discuss the cons and the outcome of the use of cell phone while driving. A. Attention getter:
The goal of the study was to understand why people ignore safety precautions, even though they knew the implications of using a cell phone while driving is dangerous. Another reasonable goal was to determine if cell phone conversations cause distractions, which leads to high amount of car accidents. The study made participants complete self-assessments and reports to measure the frequency of cell phone usage while driving. The experiment used psychological factors to evaluate the skills of driving performance.
It is predicted by 2055, nearly 90% of the cars in the United States will be able to drive themselves, in one way or another (Capp and Litkouhi, 33). With the revolving door of technology development, society must keep up, but realize the bigger picture of it all. Now more than ever, people have a never ending list of things they need to do, coupled with handheld gadgets, or the touch screens at the end of a fingertip, driver’s need to realize the significance of safety and driving responsibly. Capp and Litkouhi stated, “drivers are already doing these things, but in the future they could do them without being a hazard to themselves or others”. Mandating system features such as forward collision systems, lane departure assist, blind spot detection, and adaptive headlights are some of the technologies set to improve this country’s devastating number of distracted driving accidents.
The popularity of texting and driving among adolescents was at one time an unintended and often deadly consequence of mobile technology. While deadly consequences of texting and driving are still relevant with today’s teens, Turkle’s findings in “Growing up Tethered” illustrate teenagers openly acknowledging and accepting the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Turkle argues that “young people live in a state of waiting for connection. And they are willing to take risks, to put themselves on the line” (Turkle, 2017, p. 579). The American Society of Safety Engineers published findings that further support Turkle’s notion and states, “Teen drivers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential dangers of texting while driving, yet that awareness is not curbing the behavior” (“Teens aware of texting dangers”, 2011).