It is pretty much public knowledge that texting and driving is a major safety hazard. But the need to keep that constant connection of communication has become such a need for Americans that they are completely oblivious to the kind of danger that they are putting themselves in.
According to the article “Hands-Free Texting by Drivers Still Dangerous”, USA Today states that “new research suggests it’s just as unsafe to use a voice-to-text app while driving as it is to text manually”. It turns out that the hands-free texting app requires more concentration when trying to send a text. Most times, the words become jumbled and that messages come out wrong resulting in the driver having to redo the message. This then requires more of the driver’s concentration. According to the U.S. Transportation Department, 3,331 people were killed and 387,000 were injured in distracted-driving crashes in 2011. This new age of texting and connectivity can be of significant blame for these numbers.
When in a car, the average person’s attention is elsewhere which thereby automatically makes that driver a threat on the road. People will use the hands-free texting app as an excuse for themselves to believe that they can still communicate and send unimportant messages while driving. It is the unfortunate fact that even for people who aren’t texting and driving, they are still in danger because of those who are driving while being distracted. Many cases have been shown on TV about people being killed because of a distracted driver. The worst part is that the people who are continuing this detrimental act don’t seem to care because they continue to do it.
Law enforcement is working to minimize the amount of texting drivers we have on the road but that isn’t enough. People themselves need to realize this terrible flaw and make the effort to change what they are doing if not for themselves, for the person in the lane next to them. Technology is getting better every day but with every new invention or improvement, that’s another distraction added on to the list. Driving isn’t looked at as such a big responsibility anymore. It is take for granted that other people will be paying more attention to your mistakes than the actual wrong doer will be. It is not everyone else’s responsibility to look out for you, it is up to everyone else to be responsible for themselves.
sandeeprambaran11 