Txting+and+Driving

Brandi Bartlett Sonja Mack English 112 31 January 2012 Txting Can Wait “Where u at?” This was the text message being read by Mariah West, who was one day away of graduating from high school. While reading that three word message, she lost control of her car and did not survive the fatal crash that followed. An even more simple text that read, “yeah” caused the accident of a young girl named Ashley. The text was sent from her sister and while looking down she lost control, flipped her truck multiple times causing her to be ejected from the driver’s side window 300 feet away. She was killed instantly. Unfortunately, there are an abundance of similar stories and no text worth a precious life. Being distracted by a text message can be just as dangerous as driving down the road taking swigs of vodka. In a survey conducted in 2009, Car and Driver Magazine tested two staff members under a variety of conditions. On average, when driving at 70 mph, one tester, with a .08 blood alcohol level, traveled 4 feet beyond his baseline performance when braking suddenly. While reading an email on a phone, sober, the same man traveled 36 feet beyond the baseline test and 70 feet beyond while sending a text message. Among the worst results while texting, he traveled 319 feet beyond the baseline before stopping. At a more reasonable speed of 55 mph, texting on average will take your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds, allowing you to travel an entire football field without looking up. Some people may say that not using their phone isn’t optional because it is part of their work. Some may say their phone calls are too important to screen while driving, but there are many alternatives that can help keep your eyes on the road. There are many applications you can buy that can sense when you are driving, by GPS speed, and disables all or most of your phones functions until you are stopped. These can be purchased on all smartphones for a small price, much smaller than the price of losing your life. Text-to-speech/speech-to-text is also available on most smart phones. It allows you to verbally write your text and will read any new messages or emails aloud. This is a good hands free option with docking systems available. Even though using your phone while driving has been completely banned in states like California, there are some states that have no bans in place and many states are somewhere in the middle. One of the states in the middle would be Michigan. Although talking on your cell phone is not against the law, texting can hold up to a 200 dollar fine. Commercial drivers caught using their cell phones in any way could face fines up to $2,750 and get their license revoked. Do these bans work though? A quite simple answer is no, they don’t. In a study conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute, the amount of distracted automobile accidents has not decreased in the states that have these bans in place. In order to drive safely I propose these two simple plans: First, check with you cell phone provider and see what applications for texting and driving are available for you and find out how affordable they are. Second, is to keep your stresses at home. Consider driving as your relaxation time. Ignore all the phone calls every time your phone rings or dings. Take a break, it will be worth it. You are not only putting yourself at risk, but others as well. Such was the case with Xzavier Davis-Bilbo, a five year old boy that was struck by a young woman that was texting and driving. She did not see him crossing the street. He is now paralyzed from the diaphragm down. Don’t be a part of the 16,000 people who have died from 2001-2007 from cell phone use. No txt is worth ur life - arrive alive.