The statistics are very sad, because according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, and 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. Additionally, a recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that drivers who are texting are twice as likely to crash write a satirical essay, or almost crash, as those who are focused on the road. These statistics are reaching higher numbers because people are using their cell phones more and more, especially the adolescents. The statistics on texting and using your phone while driving and ideas to break those habits The author's comments: Copeland, Larry. “Texting bans may add risk to roads.” USA Today 28 Sept. 2010 01A. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Contex. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. Is it really that important to stay connected during every hour of the day? According to Ian Mulgrew, a journalist/author from Canada, many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage. (Mulgrew) Many drivers today have such busy lives and never have time to get the things they need to do completed in one day’s time. This leaves them to get things done while on the road. Checking emails is a top priority for Americans and since many havsmartphonees, they will do it on the road as well as send text messages.There are many laws being established to try to prevent distracted driving from happening, although they can’t completely stop it. No matter what age the driver is, under no circumstance should they be texting while driving. This is a persuasive essay I wrote in Freshman Writing Seminar class. In 1984, Congress created the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and the Crime Victims Fund, which provides funds to organizations, like PADD essay pictures, for victim assistance and compensation programs that offer support and services to those affected by violent crimes. Because the Crime Victims Fund comes entirely from criminal fines and other penalties writing an formal essay, spending from the Fund does not add to the national debt or deficit and does not hurt taxpayers. The Dangers of Distracted Driving PADD now has campaigns in The United States, Canada and Europe. With your support we can eliminate distracted driving injuries and deaths throughout the world. Every donation, even $1.00, can help save lives around the world. PADD thanks all those who have donated and supported us as we continue to make a difference. Distracted driving does not discriminate, please don't wait until it knocks on your door. Hulmes Racing enters its second year with PADD® at bridgeport NJ If you know or represent a school, town, group or organiaztion and would like to know how to receive our signs or schedule a presentation, please fill out this FORM PADD relies on VOCA funds to help serve distracted driving victims in many states. Although we are proud that distracted driving has been brought out in the publics eyes since our founding through "Nikki's Law", there are still over 3,500 people killed and 300,000 injured each year due to this violent crime. VOCA funding is critical to help us achieve our mission of serving victims of distracted driving. We have established what has been done thus far so now the question is what else can be done to deal with this issue? What I would do to deal with this issue is go to local car dealership and found out where the nearest cars are manufactured. Once getting this information I would contact them and find out, what is the proto type that is used to create the blue tooth system in cars. Technology is undoubtedly advancing, that is the very reason behind why the amount of distracted driving has increased, but what if technology can be utilized to stop distracted driving? I would talk to the manufacturers about a built in blue tooth system that is created in a unique way that would create a magnetic field that as soon as one enters the car they would not be able to send or receive texts or access the internet/ use their phone because the cars new Bluetooth signal system would prevent the signal from working. This system would automatically turn on as soon as someone started the car, and all calls that were to be administered would only be accessible through the blue tooth device. The only exception to this rule would be to call emergency services such as 911. After bringing up this prototype idea to the manufacturers and suppose they decide to create this prototype I would go back to my local dealership and ask them to start selling these cars with the new feature. As an incentive I would tell them that each car that they sold with this new feature available, the local government would give them a reimbursement of 5% of the total value of the car. This would give the dealership an incentive to sell more of these cars and the government would benefit because the fatality rate would go down, as well as the costs of the damages of the accident would go down. That idea might be a little farfetched and more difficult to put to action. Another possible idea however is the creation of an app on the cell phone that would prompt people to turn off text messaging and calling features unless it was through Bluetooth as soon as they entered the car. They could go to local wireless carrier stores and ask them to spread the word about this new app my character traits essay, and if they were to download and use this app each month the wireless provider would reduce their total phone bill by a portion. In this class we talked about starting small and working our way up. Distracted driving deaths are a epidemic that have swept the nation, taking lives of many young adults. This issue is something that needs to be addressed immediately and the best way to do so is by starting at a local level. I would talk to my local mayor about spreading the word of this new app and suggest that in return for cell phone companies doing so the local government would reimburse each store with 5% of the total revenue that was made from these phones. I would go about and advocate this new app in schools through assemblies as well as go to driving schools and talk about this new app to spread the word. I would talk about it to parents as well with children that are young drivers and make sure at local community and city hall meetings I would illustrate the importance of this app and how it could prevent fatalities occurring due to distracted driving. Also I would talk to insurance companies and through the government give them an incentive to lower peoples insurance if they have this app and use it. We all know how expensive insurance can be for new drivers so this would provide an incentive for parents to make their children get this app. Once I have begun to launch my new app and illustrate to the community the benefits of having this add I would collect statistics of the rate of crashes occurring due to distracted driving and I would go to the state government and attempt to have legislation passed to mandate that children and young adults aged 16-20 must turn this app on every time they are behind the wheel. Similar to the red sticker law that was passed for drivers that were under the age of 18. There are many ways to attempt and go about preventing this issue. The easiest way to do so is by working our way up from local governments to higher forms of government. It’s not easy to get legislation passed undoubtedly, but if we all just remain indifferent to issues no change will come about. The only way to change and solve an issue is by taking that first step. Professor Adam Zellner Distracted driving is defined as “the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity, typically one that involves the use of a cellular phone or other electronic device”. It basically translates to if any activity is being conducted that takes the drivers attention away from the road, that is a classification of distracted driving. Examples of distracted driving include but are not limited to example of personal essay writing, texting, using a cell phone, taking a selfie, using a hand held device, adjusting the radio or music system, watching a video or going through pictures, adjusting the navigation system, reading, talking to passengers and doing ones hair or makeup even (Distraction.Gov). Some of these examples might sound ridiculous, but they all do contribute to distracted driving in one-way shape or form. There are three types of distracted driving. These are, visual, manual and cognitive. Visual distractions are when you take your eyes of the road. Manual distractions are when you take your hands of the wheel. Cognitive distractions are when you take your mind of the task of driving. Texting is a form of all three. (PADD.org). Distracted driving is so dangerous because it not only affects the driver, but the passengers and the innocent bystanders as well. The number one contributory factor in causes of death of crashes involving distracted drivers, as well as the biggest concern of organizations that are against distracted driving is the use of cell phones and texting. In 2012 alone, 3,328 people were killed in distracted driving crashes, a number that continues to go up (Distraction.Gov). The spread of technology and the increase of distracted driving on our roadways have created an epidemic that is greatly affecting the population. There is no doubt that statistics clearly show how dangerous distracted driving can be. In 2012, there were over 400,000 people that were injured in car accidents involving a distracted driver, which is significantly higher than the 387,000 in 2011 (Distraction.gov). Although this is a problem for people of all ages, drivers under 20 years of age seem to make up a large portion of the distracted drivers. For drivers ages 15-19 involved in fatal car accidents, 21% were using a cell phone at the time of the cars (NHTSA). Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted (Distraction.Gov), It was also found that 25% of teens respond to a text message at least once every time they drive, usually more and 20% of teen drivers admitted to having extended multi-text message conversations with different people while driving (UMTRI). I have seen first hand the impact distracted driving can have on not just a family, but for an entire community. In this day and age technology has become such a huge part of our lives. It influences each and every one of us primarily for the better but that is not always the case. In this past century the use of cell phones and other handheld devices have increased significantly. Along with that so has the amount of distracted driving. In the state of New Jersey there is a handheld ban for all drivers. Novice drivers under the age of 21 are banned from cell phone usage whether it is hand held or hands free. There is a ban on texting for all drivers. These are the three primary laws that exist in New Jersey. This does not stop distracted drivers however. One out of four accidents are caused by distracted driving. Texting and driving is one of the largest epidemics to sweep our nation. The progression of text messaging good topics for thesis statements, with more capable phones and larger numbers of people engaging than ever before, has turned into one of the largest distractions in our world. People are constantly fixated on their phones, checking Twitter, Facebook and text messages. The use of a cell phone while driving is extremely distracting and dangerous to the person behind the wheel good essay topics for persuasive writing, and everyone else on the road as well. Every year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of using their cell phone while behind the wheel. This statistic is expected to grow as much as 4% every year. But, this is not just a problem among teen drivers. One-fifth of adult drivers in the United States also report sending text messages while driving (“Cell Phone & Texting Accidents”). To combat this problem, the United States government much take a stronger stance and pass legislation that unifies texting while driving laws and punishments, as well as installing much more education about the dangers of texting behind the wheel to convey the much needed message to the future drivers of the United States. The dangers of distracted driving outline of a well written research paper, specifically texting while driving, cost thousands of Americans their lives every year. The number has steadily increased as texting has become increasingly popular. Presently, the fifty states also have their own respective laws regarding policy and punishment when it comes to texting while driving, many of which are not a strong enough deterrent to force people to put their phones down. Due to these ominous facts, it is imperative that the United States’ government takes strong action against the rising epidemic. In order to effectively diminish the amount of texting while driving deaths, it is necessary that the federal government pass legislation that will unify laws against and strengthen punishment for texting while driving. The new laws must also include all ages, not just young drivers, because distracted driving affects everyone’s ability to drive safely. It should also no longer be a question when and where texting behind the wheel is illegal. Every state should have the same exact laws against texting. The punishments must also be stiffened, forcing people to reach deeper into their pockets if caught texting. A heftier fine, as well as license suspension would be a strong deterrent for people to keep their fingers off the keypad. Besides new laws against texting while driving, it is also vital that the government provide strong education programs thoroughly describing the dangers of all types of distracted driving, specifically focusing on texting. Making it a requirement to pass a mandatory distracted driving class is the final step in ensuring that our country understands the horrific danger that can occur simply from reading “Where u at.” Automobile crashes as a result of texting while driving is an epidemic that has taken our nation by storm over the past decade. Whether people think they can safely type on their phone while driving, or just don’t think there is any real danger in the act does not matter. Texting while driving must be stopped. To do this our government must take action to both add uniformity to the laws and punishments bestowed on the offenders. But, it is also vital that the government provide ample educational programs in order to spread the message about the dangers of tapping the keyboard while behind the wheel. As well as unifying laws against texting behind the wheel, the United States must make sure that the sanctions for violating such a law are strong enough to deter drivers from typing while driving. Massachusetts has some of the strictest texting while driving sanctions in the country and should be a model for others to follow. In the state of Massachusetts, any novice driver found to be texting while driving is subject to a $100 fine, a sixty day license suspension, and a required attendance of a “driver attitudinal retraining course.” The penalties only increase for minors. A second violation is punished by a 180 day license suspension and $250 fine, and for a third violation the driver’s license is suspended for an entire year and the fine is $500. For adults in the state of Massachusetts, a first violation carries a penalty of a $100 dollar fine. The sanctions increase for subsequent offenses as well, with the second violation calling for a $250 fine and the third and subsequent violations carrying $500 fines each. Violators are also punished severely if they cause an accident while texting behind the wheel (Chretien). Some states, such as California and Virginia only have fines of $20 for breaking their texting while driving laws (“Texting While Driving Legislation”). Imposing only a fine of such low monetary value does not properly convey the seriousness of the offense or work strongly enough to deter drivers from putting their phones down while driving. In order to properly unify application letter is, enforce, and deter texting while driving punishment for breaking the law should be uniform across the country, using the model that Massachusetts has already set. Currently, thirty-five states have enacted complete bans on texting for all drivers. Another seven have banned it from novice drivers, or those who have their license but are under the age of eighteen, with three more banning it for only school bus drivers (”Map of Texting Bans”). This leaves seven more states that have no ban at all. All of these numbers must be changed by a unified, national ban on texting while driving. The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, recommended this past December that there should be a national ban on all cell phone use inside vehicles, even hands free devices. This law would be much stricter than any current state law, and a drastic step towards vehicular safety. Chairman Deborah Hersman said of the new recommendation by the board, “We’re not here to win a popularity contest. No email, no text, no update, no call is worth a human life.” (Lowy). A law banning all use of cell phones would cause dissatisfaction within certain members of the American population, as it would cause the need for complying to a completely new rule that is combatting what has become ingrained behavior for many Americans. But, any law that bans texting while driving would undoubtedly save hundreds of American lives. Each year, six thousand deaths and half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers (“Cell Phone & Texting Accidents”). A national ban on texting while driving would aid in cutting this number down immediately. “Map of Texting Bans.” Iihs.org. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Mar. 2012. Web. <http:/www.iihs.org/laws/maptextingbans.aspx>. In 2007, 5917 people died, and 448,000 people were injured all because people made the decision to drive distracted. Too many innocent lives have been taken because someone made the decision to text and drive. Each state has different laws set in place for texting and driving. As of April of 2012 ten states have banned teenagers from texting driving and there are strict laws to enforce it (Hossansky). As hard as it is to take your eyes away from your phone while driving, it needs to happen; otherwise far too many people will lose their lives from this act. Although a lot of people are in favor of this law that would ban texting while driving, others think it should not be banned. The views of people against banning texting while driving think, if you need to urgently text someone you should be able to and not have to worry about getting a ticket. Some other people say it’s harmless to text and drive if you are texting with your voice or using a hands free device. Date: 21 March 2016 Custom Student Mr. Teacher ENG 1001-04 21 March 2016 The laws are strict and people are changing there habits. So if people were able to learn about drunk driving, more people need to inform people about the risks of texting while driving. Once people figure that out, I believe more and more people will be more aware that texting and driving can cause lots of damage, and should be illegal. In conclusion texting while driving needs to be banned. It puts many peoples life’s at risk, and not enough people are listening to the facts about the dangers of texting and driving. If you are choosing to text and drive, just remember you are not only putting your life at risk, but also the peoples life’s around you that are innocent at risk. The text can wait, and instead of driving distracted focus on the road. Another argument people would make is cops shouldn’t be spending time just on the lookout for texting and driving; they should fight crime or stop people who are actually breaking the law. Those points are very valid arguments too; however it’s been proven that people aren’t distracted when talking, it’s when they look down at the device. The average time it takes to read a text message is 4.6 seconds, and going 55 MPH while reading 4.6 seconds, that’s like driving the length of a football field blindly (VTTI). That is dangerous research paper on schizophrenia example, and if people knew the facts of texting and driving people would stop. If texting and driving isn’t bad enough, many people have compared it to drunk driving. Drunk driving is
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