Patrick brown

ENG Comp 2
April 1, 2016
Is texting and driving really that insignificant of a problem?
The amount of times that I have found myself sitting in the passenger seat, while
the driver sends numerous texts behind the wheel, is beyond absurd. Riding shotgun of a
distracted driver can be one of the most uncomfortable things. While they are busy
sending texts, tweets, and snapchats, Im busy watching the road for other things: stuff
like stop signs, streetlights, maybe even oncoming traffic. Those things can wait though,
because being connected with everyone else in the world is far more important than the
safety of the people next to you, right? B.S., lets open our eyes here.
Technology is advancing faster than most people can keep up with and many
problems have resulted from this. Possibly the most significant among these is distracted
driving due to cell phone use. People can be distracted by a number of things due to their
phone while on the road, but the problem of texting and driving has served as one that
now impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals all over the globe.
Texting while driving is a relatively new problem, which may explain why so
many people are unaware of the true dangers that come along with it. Many people
realize that its not safe, but until they realize the true dangers of texting and driving, this
issue will continue to alter and end the lives innocent people. Before one jumps to
conclusions on the issue of texting and driving, a few questions must be examined. What
is already being done to prevent texting and driving? And is this a growing problem? If
this is really a growing problem, which it is, it could be assumed that there is not enough

awareness or consequences being enforced to prevent the injuries and lives of other
drivers. Technology is advancing every day and as a result, each generation is becoming
more competent with the use of electronics. As a result, children are being led to believe
the false importance of multi tasking. New generations believe that texting and driving is
OK, and are unable to hold back from checking their phone when it vibrates, even if their
zooming down the road. People need to become aware of the consequences at stake when
they decide to text and drive.
Tragic stories caused by texting and driving seem to grab peoples attention, but
they dont change a persons behavior. Most people are well aware that texting and
driving is dangerous, but an explicable amount of people still text and drive. What needs
to be done to prevent this problem? 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S.
Virgin Islands have banned text messaging for all drivers(Buchanan). Texting and
driving is illegal in almost every state across the U.S., yet people decide to break the law
and put themselves and others at risk. In a new survey, 98 percent of motorists who own
cellphones and text regularly said they were aware of the dangers, yet three-quarters of
them admitted to texting while driving, despite laws against it in some states(Buchanan).
Along with many laws being passed to prevent texting while driving, many movements
have evolved to prevent this problem as well. Foundations from victims of texting and
driving, organizations, commercials, and websites have all played a large role in the
movement to put an end to the texting and driving epidemic. With all that being said, it
still seems that none of this has proved to be enough. Fatal crashes and injuries resulting
from texting and driving continue to occur much too often.
It is clear that there are things being done in order to try and prevent texting and

driving, but with the growth of technological use, the amount of texting and driving is
still facing a disappointing inclining trend. When official government transport figures
reveal that around 2,000 motorists are pulled over every month for calling or texting from
behind the wheel, no doubt is left that this is a growing problem that needs to be
addressed, said Matt Richtel of the New York Times (Richtel). The widespread
awareness of texting and driving is becoming more common, but this does not reflect the
actions being taken by drivers on the road. According to a study done by Cohen Medical
Center texting and driving is now the leading cause of death among teenagers, which
averages more than 3,000 deaths in recent years due to texting and driving. Another
disturbing statistic included in this report was that approximately 50% of teens admit to
texting and driving. In addition to these statistics a Virginia Tech study showed that
drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident if they are texting and driving
(Richtel). These are some scary stats. From these statistics it can be assumed that texting
and driving is a growing problem without any sign of decline.
The growing problem of texting and driving is a truly terrifying issue. Through
the growing use of phones primarily among young drivers, some are led to believe that
younger generations are much better at multi-tasking and can become effective at texting
while driving. Not only teens, but also many adults who are very familiar with using
phones, are led to believe that they can be effective at texting and driving. People are
under the illusion that they literally do things simultaneously when they work and play
with multiple interfaces. In fact, however, the brain cannot actually do multiple things
simultaneously(Burgess). While people can be led to believe they can do both at once,
this is simply untrue. This means that it is physically impossible for a person to be able to

focus on the road while they are busy texting. According to a psychological report on the
role of the frontal lobe in multitasking, the myth that young people are able to multi-task
better than adults is simply untrue; in fact, it is actually the total opposite. The frontal
lobe, which is highly involved in the ability to switch from one task to another efficiently,
is not fully developed until an individual is completely out of adolescence. For males this
can mean the area of the brain that helps them multi-task is not fully developed until they
are in their early twenties (Burgess). In conclusion, the myth that one can become
effective at texting and driving is not true. It is impossible for a person to drive distracted
as effective as a person who is focused primarily on the road.
Overall, the reality is that young adults and many other individuals are
overconfident in their abilities to text and drive. This selfish act is in most cases illegal
and puts many people at risk of being seriously injured or in tragic cases death. If a
person spends 5 seconds sending a text at 50 mph this is the equivalent of driving the
length of a football field without looking at the road (Texting and Driving Statistics). The
decision to text and drive is very similar to a person closing their eyes and driving blind.
In fact, this would be even safer considering that texting while driving serves as a
cognitive distraction as well as a physical one (Buchanan). Although the government has
taken small steps to create awareness of the dangers of texting and driving, it appears
that lives will continue to be lost until individuals are able to open their eyes and set
down their cell phone, just like it was before the 2000s.
I interviewed a teen driver who admitted to texting and driving nearly every day.
Throughout the interview, this person expressed a very laid back attitude and had no
serious feelings toward the issue of texting and driving. Its like a bad habit, said Matt.

This particular statement could very well be said by anyone who texts and drives. This is
a very common mindset among young adults whom overlook the real dangers of texting
and driving. The interviewee stated that although he realized texting and driving is
dangerous, he has done it and has not been harmed. Because of this, he thinks he can
continue to do so and not face any repercussions. Once an individual decides to text and
drive and is not harmed, they will most likely subconsciously do it again in the future.
Through this, individuals will continue to text and drive until they are faced with real
consequences. Hopefully, this will come in the form of a ticket, but too often the
consequence ends up being an automobile accident. With that said, the view of texting
and driving should no longer be a bad habit, but a habit that has been broken, severely.
In the second interview, a teenage driver said to have never texted and driven.
When asked if they felt endangered by other people who text and drive, this person said
they noticed a clear negative impact on driving skills. This individual also stated that
they were the first of their friends to get their license, so they had a lot of time to observe
the way people drove. I would be sitting shotgun right, and I would look over at the
driver to find them sending a text, and from there it was obvious that they were paying
very little attention to the road, said Mike. This person had seen the consequences and
impairments that come with texting while driving from a different perspective. From this
interview, it is obvious that we should begin to look into different ways of proving the
dangers of texting and driving prior to receiving a license.
After the two interviews had been analyzed, I was able to find a clear correlation
to much of the information I found in my secondary sources. The interviewees provided
information on the average person's thought process behind texting and driving, whether

they contribute to the problem or not. Whereas in the secondary sources, more statistics
appeared along with the initiatives being taken to prevent texting while driving. The
interviews and articles both proved one thing, texting and driving is a far bigger problem
than most believe it is.
As technology continues to advance, our younger generations are going to have to
make a choice whether or not to text and drive. Thousands of people each year find
themselves in hospital beds due to distracted drivers on the road. Many text and drivers
believe that texting and driving is only a bad habit and have no plan of stopping in the
future. They often are blind to the way they drive, the way they don't observe things
around them, and to all the possible negative effects that come along with texting and
driving. Drivers who have made the wise choice to stray away from their phone screens
while driving, are the ones who seem to really understand how detrimental texting and
driving can be. So make a choice, and make sure it's the right one because you never
know what consequences you may have in front of you if you dont.

Works Cited
Bowerman, Mary. "Texting While Driving Kills, but Will We Stop?" USA Today.
Gannett, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
Buchanan, Laura, et al. "WR U txting b4 U crashed?" West Virginia Medical
Journal 109.1 (2013): 18+. Academic OneFile. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Burgess, P. W. (2000). Strategy application disorder: The role of the frontal lobes in
human multitasking. Psychological Research, 63(3-4), 279-288.

Richtel, Matt. "IN STUDY, TEXTING LIFTS CRASH RISK BY LARGE

MARGIN." New York Times 28 July 2009: A1(L). Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Texting and Driving Statistics." Texting and Driving Statistics. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.