Why didn’t the chicken cross the road? Because it got run over by a distracted driver. This is more than a just a cheesy joke that everyone in this room has probably heard at some point, it’s a terrifying statistic. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “3,477 people were killed and approximately 391,000 people were injured on American roads as a result of distracted driving” (“Distracted”). Distracted driving is the leading cause of all wrecks on the road. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. In this paper, I will address the different issues, possible solutions, and presented counter arguments for a better understanding of this common but life-threatening mistake.
Texting and driving is the leading cause of wrecks on the road. It has proven worse than multiple other distractions on the street. According to a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, “Yet texting and driving is 17 times more dangerous than just talking on a phone...” (Fumento”). People fail to understand that although phone calls can prove to be a distraction, texting is a more attention seeking activity when it comes to driving. People consider only drunk drivers as a distraction but fail to see themselves as a hazard to others when making the mistake of texting and driving. People believe that distractions can be avoided by using their hands-free devices instead of texting, but they do not take the hands-free technology as a distraction. Hand-held devices not only prove to be a risk due to their distraction but also because of how little risk people believe them to be, which increases the use of such technology. According to Robert Rosenberger, an article writer in the Greenhaven Press, “Despite a driver’s intentions to drive safely, a dangerous level of distractions caused by the phone conversation itself-not by the manual or visual interface with the device.” Just as texting proves to be a danger to drivers, so does using hand-held devices. It is not about the type of distraction, but rather the distraction itself. Drivers fail to see that not only tangible distractions are dangerous. Along with texting and using hands-free devices, drunk driving causes many deaths on the road. Drunk drivers fail to see the dangers of driving under the influence for themselves and others on the road. They neglect to see the consequences of their decisions on the lives of others around them. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “...alcohol was a factor in 29 percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States...” (“Drunk”). In our class of 20 people, that means if at some point we all got into a wreck, 5 of us would be involved in an accident due to a drunk driver. Isn’t this something to be taken into consideration? Now that we understand the different issues with distracted driving, let’s look at some of the solutions presented for this topic.
People need to be informed of the different types of distracted driving in order for them to fully understand the dangers of their mistakes. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), There are “..three specific subtypes of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive.” (“Distracted”). If people understand the different types of distracted driving, it could help them avoid these life-threatening mistakes. They would understand how our brain has trouble responding to these distractions while driving. Along with understanding these mistakes, new technology can help aid in the reduction of this problem. According to Carl Gipson, a director at the Washington Policy Center, “New technology already on the market might resolve the divisive issue without enacting new policies and laws perceived as eroding personal liberty” (Carducci). New technology can aid in lessening the growing problem of wrecks due to distracted driving. Steps as little as not picking the phone up can decrease the risk altogether. With the new technology, stricter laws for cellphone use while driving need to be enforced. There should be stricter consequences for cellphone use on the road. According to the Washington Post, “Public education on the risks of cellphones use behind the wheel is valuable, but should be hammered home with legislation bearing stiff lines, possible loss of license and other sanctions” (“A baby”). Although it is theoretically impossible to ban cellphone use during driving altogether, stricter laws will prevent further danger from distracted driving. If nothing else, it will prevent an increase in wrecks caused by a driver texting his or her friends. After discussing some possible solutions, let’s address some counter arguments towards this topic.
Some can argue that people in fact are aware of the problem and some are trying to fix it. According to the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “As of October 2017, fifteen states prohibit talking on handheld mobile devices while driving” (“Distracted”). Although some people are trying to fix this problem, not enough measures are being taken to destroy the problem altogether.
In this paper, we addressed the reasons that cause wrecks due to distracted driving. We discussed the counterarguments and we have covered how explaining the problem, having stricter laws, and adding new technology to the picture will avert these fatal mistakes. Hopefully now everyone has a better understanding of the dangers of this life-threatening statistic. If people understand this problem and work to avoid this issue, I believe the chicken can get to the other side safely and this joke will remain just a joke for years to come.
Very informative article about distraction during driving.
ReplyDelete