Category: Distracted Driving/Texting and Driving

According to the Bahama Journal on January 12, 2019, sixty-nine persons lost their lives in traffic fatalities. This number does not reflect serious injuries, minor injuries, hit and run accidents, and damages to public property, private property, and vehicles. (the Bahamas, 2017) They enable accessible communication at any time and anywhere. However, driving should not be one of the times for mobile communication. Texting while driving has become popular, particularly in the Bahamas. Since the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Aliv provide data on the go, the ability to contact their loved ones and friends is present. Teenagers are not the only suspects of these grave habits; adults are guilty as well. In fact, on January 18, 2018, the Nassau Guardians report that ten persons involved in traffic fatalities fall between 18 and 25; eight between 36 and 45; eight between 46 and 55; another seven, 66 and over; four, 17 and under; and two between 56 and 65. (Jones, 2018) Therefore, it is evident that each age category is responsible for the mishaps on the road. Not only are drivers affected, but pedestrians are sadly, but often hit due to texting while driving. To reduce these mishaps, in 2019, the Road Traffic Act was implemented to find those drivers who found texting. It is not as effective as law enforcers would hope. However, smartphone applications such as Cell Control, DriveMode, and bSafe Mobile exists to prevent distractions while driving. Such apps can silence calls and text messages. To ensure that each driver practices safety while driving, during the licensing process, inspectors at the Road Traffic Department can ensure that each driver has a smartphone driving safety app and cell phone car holders as texting while driving creates a visual distraction for the driver, physical driver distraction, and can lead to pain, distress, and death amongst drivers and pedestrians.

One reason that inspectors should ensure that smartphone driving safety app and cell phone car holders should be placed in cars is texting while driving creates a visual distraction for the driver. Often, drivers tend to take their eyes off of the road for reading and typing messages. This can lead to their vehicle losing control As mentioned earlier, there is the ease of access to the Internet and affordable phone packages. This nourishes the demand to always relate to our loved ones. In fact, according to Steven J. Seiler, studies showed that there was a strong need to have readily available cellphone usage. (Seiler, 2015) Furthermore, Seiler says that this strong desire for cellphone usage has trickled down into driving practices. There is a disregard for driving safety and more desire for communicating with others. (Seiler, 2015) In addition to that, Seiler also says that texting while driving has become a norm amongst old and young persons. What once was inappropriate, is now deemed acceptable. (Seiler, 2015) Although this is deemed as acceptable, five seconds are enough to take away one’s attention from the street for texting while driving. (Sivek, 1996) Studies show that 90% of all the information used in driving is visual. (Sivek, 1996) If this attention is divided for even five seconds, anything can happen; whether it be a traffic fatality, a hit pedestrian, or damages to a car. Hence, the need for smartphone driving safety app and cell phone car holders in cars. The inspection to ensure that these measures are in place should occur once a year, simultaneously as the car is being inspected for working brake lights, windshield wipers, and signals, as it is equally important. These cell phone car holders allow for use of mobile without holding the phone. The argument exists that those using cell phone car holders tend to not see all the information sent in the text. In fact, the research shows that drivers using cell phones look but fail to see up to 50 % of the information in their driving environment. As humans enjoy being connected to what is going on, this might push the driver to want to look at the text again; therefore, taking away more visuals off the road. It is for this reason that drivers should download smartphone applications on their cell phones. Some examples are smartphone applications are DriveMode and Cell Control. According to Khaled Shabaan, DriveMode is a free application that helps to reduce cellular distractions by automatically replies to any incoming text messages; silences audio tones for texts, emails, and phone calls; and blocks web browsing and outgoing phone calls. (Shaaban, 2019) Some may argue that a downside of the app is that the driver must enable it every time before driving. (Shaaban, 2019)According to Yusuke Hayashi, humans tend to act impulsively, especially when making a choice of an immediate yet less favorable outcome over a delayed yet more favorable outcome. As it relates to texting while driving, humans can be torn between an immediate reward such as being connected with loved ones, but risking their lives or the lives of others while doing so. (Hayashi, 2019) Another example is Cellcontrol. This app uses Bluetooth-enabled technology in the vehicle to detect when the vehicle is moving and prevents distracted driving by disabling mobile phones. Other applications promote hands-free usage as a solution. (Shaaban, 2019) It can be argued, according to Amith Khandakar and the other authors, that the app may not adapt to every car present in the Bahamas, as there are different models and years (Khandakar, 2019). It can also be argued that not everyone is technologically savvy to sustain these apps. To counterargue these points, those cars that are not equipped should possess a cell phone car holder to fill the absence for the smartphone driving safety app. (Khandakar, 2019) Also, for those that are not technologically savvy, every time an inspector inspects the car, they should provide guidance on using the app and ensure that the app is able to work on the phone and in the car. Ensuring that phone holders and smartphone driving safety apps are grounded in the lives of Bahamian drivers can help to reduce texting while driving.

Another reason why inspectors should ensure that smartphone driving safety app and cell phone car holders should be placed in cars is due to the fact that texting while driving creates physical driver distraction. It is difficult for drivers to manage to hold the phone and drive the car simultaneously. Different features and designs of cell phones can affect the driving performance of texters. Most mobile phones have touch screen keyboards, but there are still some phones that have a physical keyboard. Studies have shown that persons with touch screen smartphones tend to look at their phones more than those users of a physical keyboard. (He, Choi, & Ellis, 2014) Also, the cellphone becomes a physical distraction while at the red light. This leads to reduced vision to see when the light turns green and causes speeding to quickly drive before the light turns red again. It also creates conflict and confusion on the road. In fact, the Road Traffic Act 2019 “criminalizes” the use of phones while driving. As mentioned earlier, there are persons that would try to quote “not impeding traffic” to make their cellphone use at the red lights acceptable. However, traffic will be impeded because drivers tend to invest their time while texting and do not gauge the time needed to text versus the timing of the light. The government also placed stipulations that states “A person failing to adhere to these provisions would be liable to a fine not exceeding $1,000”, according to the amendment, however “Mr. Wells told The Tribune yesterday this would be reduced to $500”. (The Road Traffic Act, 2019) As this is a good law, it cannot be monitored as police officers are not on the road all the time, and if they are, they are either not paying attention or proceeding to another matter. While this law is in place, more needs to be done to reduce traffic fatalities, pedestrian and car accidents. This can be done by ensuring that each car has a hand-free device and each driver has a smartphone driving safety app. This can be monitored by inspection during licensing at the Road Traffic Department. With the assistance of car cell phone holders, traffic fatalities can be reduced.

Finally, mandatory inspections to ensure that smartphone driving safety app and cell phone car holders are present to help reduce drivers drifting into other lanes. According to the Arrive Alive campaign, texters tend to wander across the lane while driving. (Texting and Distracted Driving, n.d.) Pedestrians can be placed at risk to be hit. Those crossing by the red light and crosswalks can be unseen. Also, texters put other drivers at risk. When the driver moves out of the lane inappropriately, it forces other drivers to do the same. This can increase the chances of accidents. Therefore, it is for this reason that texting and driving should be curved by the use of smartphone driving safety apps such as Cell Control and bSafe Mobile.

Sadly, the traffic fatality statistics of the Bahamas continue to climb annually. This led to the Government of the Bahamas enforcing the Road Traffic Act in 2019. Reporter Krishna Russell stated that Road “traffic accidents are now the 13th highest cause of death in the country and without legislative changes, the government believes this will continue.” (Russell, 2019) Furthermore, Russell says “According to National Security Minister Marvin Dames, there were 63 traffic fatalities last year which represented a 29% increase from 2017”. (Russell, 2019) He said “unfortunately, resulting from those 63 accidents were the deaths of 69 victims, reflecting a 28% increase from [2016].” (Russell, 2019)

In conclusion, texting while driving has many negative consequences. Texting while driving creates a visual distraction for the driver, as well as leads to physical driver distraction. In addition, drivers that text tends to drift out of their lanes, creating risks for pedestrians and other drivers. Thus, texting while driving is harmful to humans, especially in the Bahamas. The Road Traffic Act 2019 will assist in curving this bad habit that we have developed. While this law is in place, more needs to be done to reduce traffic fatalities, pedestrian and car accidents. This can be done by ensuring that each car has a hand-free device and each driver has a smartphone driving safety app. This can be monitored by inspection during licensing at the Road Traffic Department.

Every single day we wake up to several cars on the road en-route to different destinations. Different people from all walks of life are behind those wheels with a vast range of character and abilities, this, therefore, goes without saying people will all drive differently. It is known that the probability of reaching your destination safely is 50% because there are only two alternatives, you either reach there safe or not. Lots of reasons can cause an accident on the road texting while driving is one of them and that is what my focus is all about today.

Technology has changed the world this is a widely acknowledged fact. Many teenagers in this century are wildly engaged with technology specifically smartphones, as a matter of fact, research conducted by pew research center survey on teens and technology revealed that 88% of teenagers own smartphones, and among this 41% have cars. (Olsen 2013)

Last year in September I applied for a job, I really needed this specific job because it would go a long way in enhancing my CV for future plans that I have luckily, guess what, I qualified to get it. On the first day to work, I am so excited you know it’s the first day and I am all guns out ready to make a good first impression because you know, I don’t want to start on the wrong note. So, I am in the car driving to work a text from my bestie comes through, ‘All the best on your first day, kick-ass.’ I am also driving but within a split-second boom! I hit on something, I get out so terrified and it’s a stop sign post, moment of self-reflection just flushed right in front of me what if it was a person? What if? Would that make me a murderer?

We all believe we drive responsibly and avoid all the distractions possible out there but we don’t realize people’s attention is limited by nature and most often we get distracted from noticing things right in front of us (Russel.2014). Cellphones distractions are alarmingly high in our time, texting while driving makes a car accident 23 times more likely to happen because it takes only a minimum of 5seconds to lose a driver’s attention from the road. In the united states, 1.6million crashes are reported in a year due to cellphone use by the national safety council, and 390000 injuries are reported as a result of texting while driving caused by teenagers. (Caird 2014)

I get it we all want to reply to these texts and emails on time because our friends always expect a response literally like five minutes maximum to get a response to working with this pressure we feel why not just give it a quick reply plus I have done this severally before and nothing happened because I am very good at it not considering each day Is a new day and experience is always different plus your actions always have a way of catching up with you. (Noyola 2012) Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to come out as preachy all I want is for us to choose our safety before anyone else by avoiding what we can while on the roads especially texting while driving which is a menace.

My experience shook every bit of nerve in my existence and from that day I really became mindful when driving and even when riding with someone I don’t allow them to text while driving, by asking them kindly of course since, with human beings, kindness is the key that unlocks all sorts of levels right? you know how my heart feels so good and I go to sleep every day knowing I tried to reduce the number of crashes even by one, yes one.it seems like a little number but imagine if all of us tried to reduce the number of accidents caused by texting while driving just one at a time just imagine the massive change that we will make in this country’s statistics on driving while texting. I am therefore trying to appeal to each and every one of us to try and take part in curbing this monster of texting while driving because it is slowly getting out of hand each and every single day, each and every single day! Going to sleep at night knowing that you are contributing to making the world a whole better place in your own little way is definitely one thing that we take for granted but it’s really an amazing feeling, really amazing.

I don’t want all of you to think I am here talking about things that don’t exist probably because in your circle of friends all of you do text and drive all the time and nothing serious has ever happened to any of you or anyone close to you so there’s no first-hand experience.

References:

1. Caird.K. et al. (2014) Accident analysis and prevention: a meta-analysis of the effects of texting and driving
2. Olsen, E. O. M., Shults, R. A., & Eaton, D. K. (2013). Texting while driving and other risky motor vehicle behaviors among US high school students. Pediatrics, peds-2012.
3. Noyola. E. (2012) Sour apple: the dangers of texting and driving
4. Russel.W, et al, (2014) distracted driving: the multitasking myth

Distracted driving is an activity where the driver takes his eyes off the road and diverts his or her attention. Distracted driving includes texting, using a cell phone, eating or drinking, reading, talking to passengers, looking a the GPS, etc.

There are 3 types of distraction while driving Visual, Manual, and Cognitive distraction. We need to make distracted driving laws much tougher and more strict and even possibly make a device that disables cellular devices while driving. When a person is distracted the person is lost, in all the five senses, the driver basically has no control of the vehicle. The 3 types of distraction are manual distraction means you take one or both of your hands off the wheel, for example, to grab a drink from the cup holder or help your kids fasten their seatbelts. The visual distraction implies taking your eyes off the road to look at an accident site or check your phone display to see who is calling. Finally, cognitive distraction means taking your mind off driving. This happens when you daydream about something or talk to someone using a hands-free device.

Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,450 lives in 2016 alone. Most of all driver distraction is reported to be responsible for more than 58% of teen crashes. You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing. Texting while driving is the most that has been reported that over 78% of all distracted drivers are distracted because they have been texting while driving. According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, texting while driving has the biggest potential for driving while distracted. It is mainly due to manual distraction, but also includes visual distraction and cognitive distraction. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently trying to fight nationally against distracted driving by trying to educating Americans about how dangerous distracted driving can be and it is also partnering with the states and local police enforcement to help enforce laws against distracted driving to help keep us safe. Many drivers think that after they have been driving for a while they get comfortable and they can forget about just how dangerous it can be because you’re complacent to the risks of driving. As the result, the driver is more likely to think that he or she can send a quick text or daydream without putting themselves in danger. The GHSA recommended that states ban hand-held cell phone use for all drivers. While texting and handheld bans are both critical, texting bans by themselves can be difficult to enforce. There have been many ban laws that have been put into action, for example, many states are enacting laws such as banning texting while driving, or using graduated driver licensing systems for teen drivers to help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to help prevent it from occurring.

However, the effectiveness of cell phone and texting laws on decreasing distracted driving-related crashes requires further study but almost none of them has stopped fully stopped distracted driving. Automakers are providing dashboards and heads-up displays to allow driving information to be available without the driver looking away from the road. Gesture- and voice-based interfaces simplify controlling the vehicle and its services. Mobile applications may disable communication, blank the screen, or limit access to applications or programs when the device is in motion. A similar approach is under investigation by telecom providers. New technology in vehicles is causing us to become more distracted behind the wheel than ever before. Fifty-three percent of drivers believe if manufacturers put ‘infotainment’ dashboards and hands-free technology in vehicles, they must be safe. And, with some state laws focusing on handheld bans, many drivers honestly believe they are making the safe choice by using a hands-free device. But in fact, these technologies distract our brains even long after you’ve used them. Another approach is through education. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NHTSA conducted a number of series of initiatives and campaigns, such as ‘One Text or Call Could Wreck It All’, ‘Stop the Texts, Stop the Wrecks’ advertisement, and ‘Faces of Distracted Driving’. The ‘Stop the Texts, Stop the Wrecks’ commercials advocate safe driving habits via vivid scenarios, attempting to make the consequences of distraction more tangible. The ‘Faces of Distracted Driving is a DOT online video series that focuses on individuals who have been personally affected.

Are drinking and driving really worth it? Often, you hear stories of people putting their lives at risk as well as others. It is sickening to think that people would even consider jeopardizing everything for a few drinks. Thinking it is ok to operate a motor vehicle is unacceptable especially with all the transportation services at such easy access. Did you know that drunk driving claims about 10,000 lives each and every year? According to (Cdc. gov), that is about one death every 50 minutes. This is clearly a big problem in the United States that needs to be addressed and stopped. Within the last decade, alcohol-impaired driving decreased about 41% and hopefully continues to decrease over time.

The law presents that when your blood alcohol concentration, or commonly referred to as BAC, is 0.08% or above, driving is now illegal and consequences can be held against you. This law applies to those 21 and older because the legal drinking age nationwide is 21 years old. There is a zero-tolerance policy in effect for drivers under the legal drinking age limit. Officials are allowed to revoke and or suspend the license of a drunk driver. A lot of people believe in the saying, “one drink per hour rule”, which is believed to be if you had consumed 2 drinks within the first hour, your BAC would be .05. According to conventional wisdom, this rule then puts it into perspective that if you had one drink continuously each hour, your BAC will then continue to remain at .05 without increasing leading it to stay within the safe limits range. A standard drink is considered to be a 12-ounce beer, a one-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5 ounce shot of distilled spirit. In other countries, the BAC is different for everyone,

Drinking and driving have been a major problem for a very long time. It goes back to the year 1897, in London, when the first person ever to be arrested and charged with the offense of drinking and driving was the 25-year-old man, George Smith. He was driving his taxi, under the influence, until he crashed into a building. Only a few years later, in 1910, laws about operating a motor vehicle under the influence went into effect in New York City, establishing the first drunk driving regulations in the United States. Despite early attempts to prevent this phenomenon, drunk driving has continued to exist as a major problem. Not too long ago during the 1960’s the age requirement to be able to drink or possess alcohol was 18. This led to a huge increase in car fatalities. During the mid-1970s about 60% of all traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. Traffic crashes were the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths and two-thirds of traffic deaths were from people the age of sixteen to twenty ( NIH fact sheet). In the year 1986, the united states changed the drinking age from 18 to 21. This helped shape some of the laws for drunk driving.

Over the years there have been many organizations that attempted to reduce drinking and driving such as the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) organization.MADD is a nonprofit organization that had started up in the 1980s. The purpose of this organization is to spread awareness to prevent drunk driving and underage drinking to support those affected and to strive for better drinking while impaired policies. This program was started in California and was founded by a woman named Candace Lightner. Her reasons for starting such momentum were dedicated to the passing of her thirteen-year-old daughter that had her life taken from her by a drunk driver (lowest-Phillips). To this day, there is at least one MADD office located in every state across the U.S.

Another big method used in the efforts of preventing drunk driving is by targeting those who are lucky enough to have survived their previous decisions of driving while impaired and prevent them from committing their poor actions to happen an additional time (Alcoholic impaired driving). According to a recent study, out of the 1.5 million arrests each year, about one-third of them are repeated offenders. The government tried to make a difference with repeated offenders and was determined to enforce legal consequences for their actions. Many states have pushed for effective legal remedies to reduce impaired driving. Their conclusion states have authorized judges or state agencies to use breathalyzer ignition interlock devices as an optional sanction in drunk driving cases (Morse,) An ignition lock is a device installed in cars in which the driver has to blow into to determine if there is any alcohol in the driver’s system. Unfortunately, it seems that people are more concerned about passing their breath analyzer test or getting caught by police rather than being concerned about their safety and the lives of innocent people. According to the article “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts”, 29 people every day die in motor vehicle accidents that result in someone driving under the influence. This article also states that 17% of traffic deaths of children ages 0-14 involved an alcohol-impaired driver (CDC.gov). As stated in (Quinlan, Kyran) through the years 2001-2010 a Fatality analysis reporting said that 2,334 children under the age of 15 were killed in crashes involving 1 alcohol-impaired driver. Of those children, about 65 % (1,515) of children were riding in the car with the impaired driver. Campaigns combating alcohol-impaired driving especially target drivers under the age of 21, repeat offenders, and 21-to 34-year-olds, the age group that is responsible for more alcohol-related fatal crashes than any other(Alcoholic impaired driving).

Some other new forms of preventing drunk driving from happening are these new ride-sharing companies that have been taking over the united states. These companies such as Uber and Lyft are services that provide you rides at any given time at any point of the day. You are able to download these apps on smartphones and androids with a click of a button. The organization MADD is a big supporter of these driving services. According to ( PR newswire), MADD and Uber worked together to report “more options, shifting Mindsets, Driving Better Sources”. Throughout this report, they found that in California the rate of drunk driving fell about 6.3% with drivers ages 30 years or younger following the launch of users. That represents about 60 fewer accidents a month which totals to about 1800 accidents since July 2012 (Pr Newswire). The report also said that 78% of respondents said their friends are less likely to get behind the wheel after drinking since ride services as uber started in their cities. Another statistic shows that a remarkable 93% would recommend Uber as a safer way home than a friend who had been drinking. Uber also has its downfall to it which the other 7% of people surveyed would have to agree. Every uber ride costs money and it’s not the cheapest. In addition to the high fairs on tips, there have been reported cases of users and their safety. For example, there have been many stories on how people get into fake ubers. Instead of getting in the car with their expected driver people have gotten in different cars instead. On September 11th 2018 women by the name of Elizabeth Suarez hopped in her uber (so she thought) and was taking a ride to her set destination. When she realized the uber driver was going the wrong way Elizabeth asked to just get out of the car. That’s when the Uber driver refused to drop her off and then Elizabeth took action on her own and jumped out of the moving vehicle. Elizabeth was fine, but she’s not the only person who has experienced a horrible ride sharing service. This just goes to show how important it is to stay aware and use caution when using a ride share service. Ride-sharing companies are up and coming and you can already see the dramatic impact that they have on drinking and driving as well as some minor disadvantages that I hope they come to fix in the near future.

In our world today, mobile phones can be seen globally as they keep us in endless interaction which we use to communicate with others through messaging and social media. Hence, mobile phones today are one of the most common factors which ultimately contributes to death on all roads in the world, especially in NSW. As stated by RMS (Roads and Maritime Services), “Mobile phone use is prohibited while driving however it may be used by the passenger when making or receiving a call if the phone is securely mounted to the vehicle, or parked in an authorized spot with the car’s engine completely off”. In NSW new laws have been developed which prohibit the use of mobile phone under no circumstances regardless of where your phone is placed in the car. If any driver has been caught in the offence of driving while using mobile phones, offenders will be penalized 10 demerit points for illegal phone usage. A recent study has suggested that P-Plate drivers aged 18-25 years are twice as likely to make a phone call and four times more likely to text. In addition, 12% have admitted to updating their Facebook status while driving and 14% have admitted to taking a selfie and uploading. Nevertheless, recent research proceeds to display many risky behaviors while driving with a mobile phone, though several young P-Platers however honestly confess to unauthorized mobile phone usage while driving, despite campaigns to reduce mobile phone usage on our roads today to lessen major fatalities that will affect large amounts of people. The effectiveness of this legislation depends on the individual that abides by it and knowing the consequences and risks mobile phone usage has on the P-Plater drivers, although this law is somewhat effective as people have been aware of the dangers and risks included and penalties involved while committing such a crime.

Mobile phone usage while driving also has a great impact on the safety of other drivers and pedestrians in the wider community. Evidence shows us that driving with a phone contributes to deadly crashes as 1500 pedestrians were killed in NSW last year, stated by Centre for Road Safety. By using a phone while driving other people, including the driver, are vulnerable to deadly crashes. Evidence shows distraction caused by mobile phones is extremely common on our roads and can affect a drivers’ performance on the road in numerous ways. For example, drivers find it hard to concentrate and stay in the correct lane, creates longer reaction time for drivers which in order causes drivers to take their hands off the wheel and have no care factor for their surroundings. Hence is it clear, mobile phone usage affects the wider community as it increases the risk for fatalities on NSW roads.

By understanding the consequences mobile phones have on P-Plate drivers and the risks involved, new strategies must be implemented to eliminate horrendous crashes on our roads. If new initiatives are created, the crash rate will decrease eventually. For example, a new app can be implemented onto our phones which completely disables the use of text messaging and social media applications while the car engine is turned on. Not only that, by knowing the consequences, cars can be designed in ways which prevent the use of mobile phone use by including a ‘lock’ compartment in order to eliminate the urge to use it. The ‘locked’ compartment can only be unlocked once the car is turned off, only being able to call emergency services by voice control.

Distracted use is an exercise where the driver takes his eyes off the avenue and diverts his or her attention. Distracted riding consists of texting, using a cell phone, ingesting or drinking, reading, speaking to passengers, searching the GPS, etc. When people are using they need to focal point on the road, their lifestyles are in their palms when driving. It`s a public tutorial almost everybody has carried out while driving. I have gone to faculty with someone who received into a car accident with a college bus due to the fact they had been on their smartphone snap chatting. They had been endangering the lives of himself and everybody on the road. It`s very selfish that you don`t wait a few minutes to text somebody. Everybody is aware of anyone who texts and drives, it is a public epidemic.

Texting while driving is viewed as a risky activity and has been outlawed or confined in most states. This act is the main reason for dangerous automobile accidents. and I agree that it must be outlawed in all 50 states. There are many articles, news reports, and legal guidelines passed on texting while running a vehicle. Because of the hazard associated with the act. Texting while using motives several issues such as distraction from the road, a decrease of attention as soon as he or she turns away from the avenue in responding to a text, and limiting bodily potential because texting requires the use of one or both hands to reply to messages. Harold D. Shane says “Most experimental evidence indicates that human beings who assume that they are multitasking well are not paying adequate interest to all the tasks at hand. In the case of making an attempt to text while driving, this miscalculation can be Fatal.” Driving takes a lot of focus and attention people die each minute in automobile crashes.

Vehicle crashes are one of the reasons for dying for 15-to 20-year-olds and about 6,000 deaths are brought about by way of distracted drivers each year. Solving the hassle of texting whilst riding will reduce the number of accidents. According to facts about distracted driving, “the proportion of drivers visibly manipulating hand-held gadgets whilst using was once greater among girls (0. 7%) than amongst males (0. 5%)” (NOPUS 2010) This growing vogue is mostly among young adults however all a long time confess to surfing the internet whilst driving. Daniel Scott says “73% of teenagers agree that texting and driving were very dangerous, but many endured to do so regardless. Additionally, 59% admitted to talking on the smartphone whilst driving, and 11% admitted to ingesting and driving.” People can understand the difference in whether what they are doing is incorrect or right but yet they still will change their lives and others simply to appear on their phones.

Teenagers regularly think that they are being cautious when they are texting while riding in the back of the wheel with their pals in the automobile and that it wouldn’t show up to them and consider it is not possible to stop texting whilst driving. Teenagers and adults no longer recognize the importance of this subject. Michael E. Bratsis says Teens make up the greatest crew of distracted drivers, and 11% of teen drivers in fatal auto accidents have been stated as distracted at the time of the crash. Nearly half of U.S. teens say they have been in an auto when the driver was once texting (Madden and Lenhart 2009). We as teens assume we can do pretty an awful lot of some things we favor I can agree due to the fact I suppose that way every now and then as well. It’s a horrific mentality to have when making an attempt to drive.

There are new technologies to help maintain humans on music like hands-free name and text Bluetooth units that let you maintain your eyes on the road and avoid crashes. There are many solutions to prevent it. You can always pull over to the facet of the road or the nearest region if wanted to text someone. Another way is when you are in the car, put your telephone in the place you are no longer capable to reach it, and discover a place where you should put your mobile where you won’t even be tempted to look for it. Haroon Sheikh says there are many approaches to preserve your smartphone from distracting you, I pressure for a lift every so often and I have a car mount that continues my smartphone in a position the place I don’t have to move my head a ways away from the road it helps me preserve me riding safely.

Have you ever been in a car and felt like the driver’s mind wasn’t completely on the road? If yes, do you think they should lose their licence for distracted driving? Particularly using a mobile phone while driving?

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, today, distracted driving by using a mobile phone is becoming a severe and growing threat to road safety. Distraction is one of the major contributors to a car crash. Researchers have shown that using a hand-held electrical device while driving can cause a major distraction, and largely increases the possibility of being involved in a crash accident. “People are literally killing themselves and killing others because they can’t keep their hands off their phone,” Mr Bailey said (Bochenski, 2019). In Queensland, drivers who use their cell phones while driving will receive a hefty on-the-spot fine, and they will face the risk of losing their licence on the second offence. Why it is so important that people really should not use their mobile phones when driving?

I am sure you will agree that multitasking has become such a normal part of our daily life, especially while we are using smartphones. The vast majority of us believe that multitasking could get things done faster. In fact, Stanford researchers found that a person who multitasks frequently is less efficient than those who like to do a single thing at a time (Bradberry, 2014). If you are using a smartphone while driving, you will fail to notice something that is right in front of the road because multitasking highly reduces your efficiency and performance. The brain would not be able to work properly when using a phone and drive at the same time. There is nothing you can do about it. For young drivers, it is a challenge to operate a car, hence distractions caused by multitasking are extremely dangerous. Imagine how harmful this is if people don’t realize how serious the consequences they create are only because they naturally think they are able to multitask.

The majority of society know that we shouldn’t pick up the phone while we are behind the wheel, but how many of us will have a quick glance at a text message when stopped in traffic? Researchers stated that using mobile phones increases the risk of a serious crash by up to four times. Think about this, if you are driving at the speed of 50 kilometres per hour, and you take a glance at your phone, your car can travel approximately 30 metres without you paying any attention to the road, which makes it really difficult to respond to the hazard situation. Imagine the damage of having a phone conversation could cause or taking your eyes off the road to respond to a text, these can all contribute to the problem called inattentional blindness. The term “inattentional blindness” is defined as a psychological issue that comes from a lack of attention to unexpected stimuli (CARPENTER, 2019). By focusing on only one task, we lose the ability to focus on other tasks. Therefore, using a smartphone while driving could minimize distractions to make an error and avoid a serious accident.

The continuous rise in fatalities by using mobile devices while driving is horrible and needs to be addressed by those truly responsible, which is the car owner. if the owner has a car accident while on the phone, the owner should hold the responsibility, not other people. The truth is, there is more than 79 per cent of drivers are not only ignoring the mobile rules while driving but also texting which is against the rule. Using a mobile phone while driving is the major cause of road facilities, coming in ahead of speeding (68%) and drugs and drink driving (67%). Basically, it is illegal for a driver to touch their phone or hold a phone in their hand unless It passes it to the passenger to operate. Yes, even if you are stopped at the traffic lights because the vehicle is stationary. Even though the laws have already banned the use of cell phones while driving for good reasons, not all have followed in their footsteps. In Queensland, the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving can push 500 dollars, which is the harshest punishment. In order to maintain a safe and orderly driving environment for other vehicles, people should keep their hands off their mobile phones while driving.

On the other hand, some people believe manufacturers should also have incentives and programs implemented that help their customers to avoid distracted driving. Cell phone manufacturers can provide some warnings of the risk of texting or receive a call while driving and develop an operating system or an app that will automatically block the phone activated by a sensor of motion. In this operating system, notifications and texts will be blocked automatically and stop you from opening apps on your phone if the system detects that you’re driving a car. This will ultimately lead to fewer accidents and protect lots of lives. However, rather than try to shift the major responsibility from the user to the developer, it is necessary to educate the public, especially young adults, and insist that technology should be used responsibly.

In conclusion, distracted driving is extremely dangerous. Next time you feel the urge to send that text, take a breath-hold of it it. Ask yourself if it’s worth risking your life over a text of a movie. We need to be aware that phone use in cars while driving is unacceptable and as anti-social as drink driving. It is our responsibility to not incur their own and other people lives.

Is it Worth it?

Distraction on the road seems very extremely easy and appears as a deadly matter. Crashes and even deaths occur when taking that quick second to look away. If an individual is on a phone texting, talking, or listening to music anything happens when looking away while driving. Or even eating, searching for things, or not alert at any time. Smart-phone related tasks make distracted driving more common today following fatal crashes. Laws exist, but that never stops individuals from practicing bad habits. Safety practices by people get overlooked in multifarious ways, for example, cutting off texting features, turning on Bluetooth, or shutting off the phone. Individuals focus on adverse things at the time rather than focusing on the horrendous outcome while prevention falls into place. Texting while driving as well as other mechanisms causes deadly outcomes, individuals should be punished for those actions on the second defense such as getting a ticket.

Several types of distractions act as a deadly result, for example, texting and driving, eating, or talking on the phone. Prevention appears as the alternate for horrible end results. A document states, “…I’d finally lose patience with my daughter I’d pull over and get out…When I pulled over I presented zero risks for crashing”. This shows how something small while driving turned into something deadly. According to the author of an article, “Studies have shown that talking on a phone while driving can increase the risk of an accident… such as texting, which require drivers to take their eyes off the road for longer periods of time and their attention away from driving…” (“Texting While Driving”). The text from an article also states, “on average, 9 people were killed and 1,153 people were injured every day in vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers in the United States” (“Mobile Phones”). This shows how much texting and driving appear as very dangerous or even any other distractions.

Many studies and statistics show that road distractions cause fatal crashes to happen. An article states, “almost 33,000 people were killed on the nation’s highways in 2010…data for 2010 indicate that 3,092 deaths…occurred in a distraction-affected crash… the increasing use by the general population of cell phones and PEDs will result in more cell phone…related accidents and fatalities on our nation’s highways in the future” (Hart). Many people fail to realize that road distractions affect driving in various ways. Anything happens whenever an individual takes a quick second just to look away. Putting the phone away until the individual arrives at the destination will not impair anyone for that time period. Sufficiency in technology leads to increased accidents today in society. As mentioned in an article, “ distracted driving crashes claimed 5,474 lives and led to 448,000 injuries across the country last year…” (Mayerowitz). People never realize the bad outcomes of road distractions until someone gets injured.

A law gets passed to cut down the usage of phones while operating a car, also known as the hands-free law. Texting while driving appears as the main problem for fatal accidents, according to statistics and studies over the years. However, road distractions get overlooked by the human race. The text states, “As of November 2009, texting-while-driving laws were on the books in eighteen states…and more individual cities had passed laws that ban texting or talking on handheld cell phones while driving in their communities” (“Texting While Driving”). The law stays in action as of now, however, individuals break this law on the road numerous amounts of times. Even though the hands-free law got placed into action it goes unnoticed by aware people. Texting and driving, the main problem of crashes, gets overlooked but, there are many other distractions that follow along as well. Listening to music, conversing with another, eating, and searching for things leave humans not alert at all times. An article states, “The (NHTSA) and other agencies identify three specific subtypes of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive” (“Distracted Driving”). Each and every one of these road distractions gets overlooked, but texting and driving appear as the main ones practiced. Texting and driving appear as the deadliest too.

Texting while driving as well as other mechanisms causes deadly outcomes, individuals should be punished for those actions on the second defense such as getting a ticket. Getting distracted on the road causes many issues, especially texting and driving. Today texting and driving along with other road distractions show up as critical according to statistics and studies. Meanwhile, all of the bad habits get overlooked which leads up to laws and death threatening causes. Taking a quick second to look away is not worth giving up life. Pulling over or waiting solves all problems right then and there. Practicing good habits leads to positive outcomes. Road distractions should not be a bad habit that takes place or practiced.

Works Cited:

1. ‘Distracted Driving.’ Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999144/OVIC?u=mill30389&sid=OVIC&xid=1aef1026. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.
2. ‘Mobile Phones.’ Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999326/OVIC?u=mill30389&sid=OVIC&xid=9c85475f. Accessed 19 Feb. 2019.
3. Petrie, David. ‘Children Distract Drivers as Much as Cell Phone Use.’ Cell Phones and Driving, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010743220/OVIC?u=mill30389&sid=OVIC&xid=a34831cf. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019. Originally published as ‘Distracted Driving: Are Backseat Kids Worse Than Texting?’ Huffington Post, Mar. 2011.
4. ‘Texting While Driving.’ Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library, Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3021900170/OVIC?u=mill30389&sid=OVIC&xid=44e502cb. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.
5. ‘Texting While Driving.’ Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999134/OVIC?u=mill30389&sid=OVIC&xid=57ef8aa3. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.

Fatal road accident can be defined as a death resulting from an unfortunate mishap happened on a public road involving one or more vehicle. The world has the highest road fatality risk among the ASEAN and made it to the top three countries in the world of the list of fatal road accidents with a death rate of 23 per 100,000 populations. By means of this, about 7000 to 8000 people in Malaysia died due to road accidents annually, based on the statistic against the estimated population of 30 million Malaysians. The resolution of this essay is to note down the leading causes of death on Malaysian roads and ways to avert the causes. First and foremost, distracted driving is stated as the leading cause of accidents according to Rivera (2018), followed by reckless drivers, automobile defects, and drunk driving. Hence, ways to avert the causes stated above are by reducing in-car distractions, create awareness, performing engine maintenance regularly and do not drink and drive.

Distracted driving is any activity that takes the attention from the task of safe driving away, including eating and drinking, talking and texting on the phone, and fiddling with the car’s radio. In addition, the most alarming distraction is paying attention to the phone. Five seconds are all it takes to send or read a text and that is like driving the length of an entire football field at 55mph with the eyes closed. Within only that five seconds, anything unwanted can happen and lead to an accident, or even worse, death.

Furthermore, reckless driving can also create a fatal accident. According to Akhbari (2018), reckless driving is an action the driver did that shows an utter disregard for the safety of the property and persons. In other words, they choose to drive dangerously despite knowing the risk. Tailgating, exceeding the speed limit, and not using turns signals when changing lanes or turning is an example of reckless driving that always be done. These are typically caused by one or more poor decisions made by the drivers. All these poor decisions made will not just harm a life, but even more than that.

The third cause of fatal accidents is automobile defects. An automobile is defined as usually four-wheeled land transportation that is powered by internal engines, such as a car. Defect is deficiency, or lack of something necessary for completeness that causes inadequacy of failure. Thus, an automobile defect can be explained as any deficiency in a car that leads to damage or injury to a person. Some examples of safety-related defects listed include wheels that crack or break and damaged steering components that can cause loss of vehicle control. Plus, the malfunction of the brake systems and the airbags that deploy when they should not lead to a worse scenario.

Last but not least, drunk driving has apparently become one of the main causes of fatal road accidents in Malaysia. A total of 1,035 road accidents was recorded due to alcohol consumption by drivers which resulted in 618 deaths between 2010 and April 2015. In many drunk driving accidents, drivers usually being drift off the road or into other lanes of oncoming traffic. It is not wrong to drink alcohol since that is an individual’s preference yet, driving under the influence of alcohol that may lead to an unwanted accident is totally a different case.

Consequently, ways to prevent distracted driving is by putting away or silenced the cell phone. This will prevent the temptation to check the phone every time you hear the notification sound, stated Hoffman (2017). Next, the driver should also reduce in-car distractions such as fiddling the car’s radio, eating, and driving. It is important to stay focus and concentrate on the drive in order to save many lives. Everything unnecessary can wait yet, your life will never be refundable.

Secondly, reckless driving can be avoided by proper awareness, said Aisha Al Janahi, an Emirati senior social media specialist in Dubai. This problem can be solved by teaching indirectly by using reverse psychology as the people do not want to take the advice directly. For instance, awareness videos of the consequences of reckless driving that can move the heart can be done. It should also be a trend, and hashtag that catches the attention of web users need to be created.

Sometimes, Laiza King (2017) stated accidents are caused by automobile defects and they cannot be avoided. Thus, precaution steps that can be done are by making sure to take note of any recalls in the news and take your car in for regular maintenance. Besides, as stated by Quint (2016), the oil needed to be changed regularly to keep the engine cool and lubricated, and never let the gas fall below a quarter tank since it can cause the electric fuel-pump motor to suck in air and wear out prematurely.

Lastly, according to Lee DeHaan (2017), ways to prevent fatal accidents caused by drunk driving are by downloading Uber, look up taxi services or assign a designated driver. Before a night of drinking, an Uber account needs to be set up and some local taxi services need to be looked up and their phone numbers need to be saved. If you feel they are somewhat burdensome, someone trustworthy and responsible in your group of friends can be appointed to be the designated driver. Most importantly, never drink and drive, for your own and others’ sake.

In a nutshell, the statistic of fatal accidents in Malaysia itself is worrisome and needed to be prevented effectively. The causes of fatal accidents are distracted driving, reckless driving, automobile defects, and drunk driving. Hence, some ways to avert them are by reducing in-car distractions, create awareness, doing car maintenance regularly and never drink and drive. By doing so, fatal road accidents can be reduced and make Malaysian roads safer.

As these immense questions arise up and around many times, as for what’s leading upon this issue of distracted drivers, and the solution to this varies upon our community’s viewpoints for some can be positive or negative as for some, distracted driving is defined as “ the preparation of driving a vehicle while engaging in another activity, typically one that involves the use of cellular phones or other electronic devices.” Texting while driving is one hazard, many do not realize until something extreme happens. Then again me being the passenger as an acquitted witness, involves my opinion stands in behalf of “when taking your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or taking your mind of the task of driving” as proven by the fundamentals of “Motor Vehicle Safety”.

Technology influences each and every one of us primarily for the better but it’s not following upon this case of driving. In today’s day and age people seem to rely on the use of their devises more than anything typically when and where ever and while surrounded by many age groups such as a high school, middle school, and elementary peers are likely not even to exist without having a conversation throughout social media such as Messenger, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, hangouts, and etc. Which is all connected being on or off the road. As we all come with different outlooks upon driving safe and or hazardous, either to be in a hurry, to show off, or just being a responsible driver. This time of year, we all have some type of electronic devise new or old, all leaning toward some type of vast distraction, this causing severe accidents, but as a wise one told me “when driving look upon, you are carrying a weapon, you can hurt yourself and others. Being able to focus on your surroundings there are many possibly and chances to change and to make these years’ safe. As a website states “Each day in the United States, approximately 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.” Notably, researches have depicted that texting while driving is one of the major causes of road accidents. As a matter of fact, accidents caused due to messaging while driving has superseded those, which are instigated by drunk drivers. Drivers are inclined to the belief that they can send some messages without negatively impacting on their driving abilities.

However, studies have revealed that drivers are not as capable of multi-tasking as they believe they are. Researchers have discovered that drivers who text while driving look at the road 400 times less compared to those who do not message. After all the research it shows that texting and driving increases the risks of accidents and could even be deadly. Texting and Driving is a widespread problem that is killing Americans across the country. Nearly everyone agrees that texting and driving is dangerous. Most people do it anyway. Texting and driving falls under a category of safety risks called distracted driving. Distracted driving covers any non-driving act that keeps drivers from safely operating their vehicles. Texting and driving is particularly hazardous because it takes the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods of time.