There is a 23 times more chance of being in a car accident if the driver is texting and driving. Never texting and driving is something everyone hears almost everyday of their lives. But are all of the photos, videos, speakers and commercials truly preventing people from texting and driving?
However, not texting and driving does not guarantee your safety. Texting and driving is a two-way street. No matter how cautious you are, another driver can hit you if they are not paying attention. This is why texting and driving is so dangerous.
Over three fourths of young adults are confident when it comes to texting and driving and staying safe and half of young adults believe that texting and driving is easy. The minimum amount of time a driver spends looking at their phone instead of the road while texting and driving is five seconds. While some may argue that five seconds is not a lot but in reality those five seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
However, texting is not the only risky action a person can take part in while driving. Talking on the phone and surfing the web are also hazards while driving. One in five people admit to surfing the web while driving. No matter what the driver is doing with their phone, even if they are just reaching for it, their attention is not completely on driving.
Everyone is required to pass Driver’s Ed. Throughout the course, the instructor plays videos of the aftermath of crashes. The question is whether or not so many videos lose their effect on the soon-to-be drivers.
When a survey was distributed to students in the school, there were some who said that they believe that everyone is aware of the dangers of texting and driving. But if this is true, then why do people still text and drive?
There are many ways to prevent car accidents due to the driver using their phone. First, if you are the driver, leave your phone off or on silent and put away while driving so that you are not tempted to use it. If you are the passenger of a driver who is texting while driving, take their phone away from them. Do whatever it takes to prevent an accident from occurring.
Although drivers need to understand the risks accompanied with texting and driving, there are ways to help prevent it which have not been implemented yet. Only 39 states, plus D.C., have a law against texting while driving for everyone. 32 states, and D.C., have laws banning novice drivers from using their cell phones. Finally, only 10 states, plus D.C., have laws against all drivers from using a handheld cell phones while driving.
