-Stop Texting While Driving

“According to the American Automobile Association, nearly 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving.”

By: Sequoia E. L.

What if you were in a car with your friend who decided to send a text while driving, what would you do? Would you tell your friend to get off the phone and concentrate on driving? What if your friend said, "What are you, a cop?"

Situations like this occur every day. But most people ignore it and do not realize the consequences behind texting and driving. “People should think more on the consequences that come with texting while driving,” said a female senior at Kean.

One Massachusetts teen has become very familiar with the risks of texting and driving. He was convicted on Wednesday June 7, 2012 of homicide, and has been sentenced to one year in prison. As I read this article, tears came to my eyes when I thought of the innocent passengers who received severe injuries and even died because of a distracted driver.

What would you do if a relative died because of another’s reckless driving?

“There are no winners today,” an Essex County district attorney said in a statement. “A beloved grandfather is dead. A once active woman can no longer work and is still racked with pain from her injuries, and a young man is going to jail. When we get behind the wheel of a car, we are obligated to drive with care. As we saw in this case, in a split second, many lives are forever changed.” For more information please use this link:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/06/justice/massachusetts-texting-trial/index.html

I agree with the attorney; life is too precious to end from avoidable things like reckless driving. Emergency or not, using electronic devices while driving a motor vehicle can lead to devastating repercussions. When operating an automobile, you should drive with caution for yourself and other drivers on the road.

Furthermore, texting while driving should be illegal in every state and country.

According to State Senator, Billy Hudson, “We need to do something to protect people. We are losing too many people.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2008 that driver distraction was the cause of 16 percent of all fatal crashes—5,800 people killed—and 21 percent of crashes resulting in an injury—515,000 people wounded.

According to the American Automobile Association, nearly 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving. Distracted driving endangers life and property and the current levels of injury and loss are unacceptable. For more information please use this link:

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/texting-while-driving

I believe each state and territory should establish laws that prohibit the use of electronic devices while driving for everyone regardless of age. If you need to use your handheld device, you should safely pull over into a parking lot or at a rest stop. Additionally, we [citizens] should encourage people that text and drive to stop.

“I am too young to die, so stop texting and concentrate on driving,” I once said to my friend who was disobeying the law by using an electronic device while driving. How would you convince someone you know to stop texting while driving?

According to SFGATE, “A 2011 NHTSA survey found nearly 90 percent of drivers have cell phones.” According to the Federal Communications Commission, there is currently no national ban on texting or using a wireless phone while driving, but a number of states have passed laws banning texting or wireless phones or requiring hands-free use of wireless phones while driving. If texting and driving is hazardous, why do people violate the law?

To decrease the number of accidents that occur because of reckless driving, parents should encourage teens to stay off the phone while driving. Also, they should lead by example and avoid multitasking while on the road. Whether you are the CEO of a large corporation or the president of the United States, put the phone and other handheld devices down. The text or call can wait, because your life and the life of others comes first.