TEXT MESSAGING WHILES DRIVING

It is already too bad to talk on a cell phone or watch a movie on a portable DVD and also to read books whiles driving. There has been series of accidents on this issue over the past years where people had to even lose their lives but these days it looks like the worst of them all is to text message and drive. I think that is one of the worst things that any human being could ever do.
The one thing that borders me the most is that what is there to talk about that can’t wait until a person reaches their destination. Text messaging demands a lot of concentration, thus one wants to make sure that all spellings are correct as much as to make sure you are sending it to the right person which is a serious thing because when one takes his or her eyes of the road for a second a lot happens. During my research I realized one major thing, which is the victims of these incidents, said was that they took their eyes off the road for just a second and only come around again to realize they have been involved in an accident.
The articles I read were really heartbreaking. Teenagers were the most offenders in this menace but I was very surprised to see some adults caught on cameras sending text messages. This is indeed very ridiculous since I taught adults knew best. At stop lights people can text and wouldn’t even realize that it’s green so they have to leave. It is amazing that even if people honk at them some drivers don’t hear and others have to shout at them to move.
Some states and little towns have already made laws about them but others don’t seem to care so much about the laws and just break them. Others have already proposed them but its not yet official but lets look at it this way. Text messaging and driving is just like drinking and driving. It takes your mind of what you are doing and so the fine for DUI should be exactly as texting and driving. I found out almost half of the accidents on our roads have got to do with cell phone use and most of them were people trying to text message.
New Hoosier , Enough is Enough, 30/03/07.
An article by New Hoosier 1 and posted on 3/30/07 has it that most responsible people disagree with driving whiles text messaging, however not all the people who drive are responsible. Most people drive and eat, change CD’s, read, smoke or watch DVD’s. Text messaging whiles driving has taken a different dimension and this has a concern for other road users and stakeholders. For instance, a study conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance that was released this year found that 19% of all drivers — and 37% of drivers between the ages of 18 and 27 — text message behind the wheel. This implies these folks drive with their knees, which has implications for unnecessary road accidents.
Frederick Roberts, New Jersey Considering Driver Text Messaging Ban 03/27/07
In this article, the author makes it clear that even though New Jersey’s law prohibits driving and cell phone use, police cannot pull a suspect over. Rather, a person can be pulled over for using a cell phone to send text messages whiles driving. This shows the extent to which emphasis has been put on driving and text messaging. The worst offenders in this phenomenon are young people. For example in Trenton (NJ) authorities are considering banning all drivers from using their cell phones to send text messages after research found out one in five drivers send text messages whiles driving, and one in three among the 18 to 24 age groups are drivers 2.
Susan Koeppen, Driving While Texting: A Clear Danger, New York, 11-22-2006
Koeppen makes it succinctly clear that driving whiles under the influence is one of the major causes of road accidents. However, the issue of DUI is just one thing. But deliberately allowing yourself to get distracted through applying make up, watching DVD, or talking on your cell phone is another canker to society. She adds a new dimension to this aspect of cell phone use whiles driving which is text messaging. The distractive nature of text messaging whiles driving is what Koeppen lays bare when she writes of a teenager who was involved in accident whiles driving and text messaging "I couldn't swerve my car, I couldn't move it, because he was just too close," Sims recalls. "There was nothing I could do to possibly stop the car accident from happening."3
Text Messaging and Driving: A Lethal Combination, Abclocal.go.com
This article presents facts and figures on the worst offenders of text messaging and driving who are mainly composed of teens. It also presents other scenarios where as a result of text messaging and driving, there has been a drastic increase in lane violation. This is due to the fact that an individual does not pay close attention whiles driving and as a result weaves accros lanes. The interesting aspect of this article is that it offers a very staright forward advice to parents to make sure their teens either use the cell phones or cars, and never both. 4
Lubrano, Alfred, Kids Texting Away Behind the Wheel, Associated Press, 03-05-07
What is interesting about Alfreds article is the fact that he attacks teens in no small measure branding them as ‘perpectual freedom-seekers busting around in freedom-bestowing machines’ as though teens are the worst offenders of driving and text messaging. This is perhaps no studies have yet been made to find out if adults indulg in this bad way of conducting life. 5
Davis Andrews, Texting and Driving Don’t Mix. 03-23-07
The caption of this article is more than enough to send the signal to offenders and would be offenders about the dangers associated with texting and driving. The author quotes a respondent who thinks not crushing her car whiles talking on her cell phone is enough indication that she is so far doing excellent. But police say driving whiles text messaging is more dangerous than talking on the cell phone since a persons attention is usally on what they are writing. 6
Zwillich Todd, Survey: Teens, Driving Distracted, Fast, Emotions of Teenage Drivers Play a Role in Dangerous Driving Behaviors, 01-25-07.
In this article, the author indicates that teens are not only distracted by cell phone and other factors, but by other passengers as well. These passengers are usually other teens in the car that may encourage their friends to speed. In addition, the article tells that teen’s emotions at any given time may play a significant role in their driving behaviors.7
Coomes Jessica, Proposal would ban texting while driving, The Arizona Republic, Jan. 24, 2007.
The state of Arizona is one of the States in the country that is making extra efforts to regulate and limiting technology in cars that has the tendency to distract drivers and cause accidents. As a first step, the article states that a group of bi-partisan lawmakers has cautioned drivers not be tapping out text messages on cell phones while they are on the road8.
St Auggie Boogie, Driving whiles texting crack down in Arizona, 01-29-07
This is an article by a habitual offender of text messaging whiles driving who vehemently admits to this offence. According to him, he hardly ever resist texting a buddy when he can’t race through traffic to the grocery shop or when he can’t find the directions to a place he is going. According to him, he can’t phantom why he would do a thing like that, yet he does it. 9
Send a text message while driving, go to jail.
This article, which was retrieved from www.gizmodo.com, 10 is possibly the one that has the harshest undertone. The article tells how tough Singapore is not just on driving whiles talking on a cell phone, but also on text messaging whiles driving. According to the article, violators can be fined up to $570 and six months in jail.




1 http://newhoosier.wordpress.com/2007/03/30/drvng-n-txtng/
2http://www.tgdaily.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=31362
3 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/22/earlyshow/contributors/susankoeppen/main2205559.shtml
4 http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=children_first&id=4520886
5 http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1033070.html
6 http://wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6272479
7 http://www.webmd.com/content/article/131/118091?src=RSS_PUBLIC
8 http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special12/articles/0124text24-ON.html
9 http://blogs.staugustine.com/node/35
10 http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/tag/send-a-text-message-while-driving-go-to-jail-7110.php?mail2=true