Preview

Personal Narrative: The Science Behind Distracted Driving

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
993 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Personal Narrative: The Science Behind Distracted Driving
We all know that my 16th birthday is coming up. I realize that I have been on my phone an unhealthy amount of time. But that’s when I’m home. I promise you that I will not text and drive. You see how responsible I am in and out of the house. You recognize how cautious I am. As I’ve said before, I’m responsible. I help out around the house. I take care of our little puppy, Ralph. Rain or shine, I still walk Ralph everyday. I even bathe him when necessary and you know how hard it is to bathe Ralph. I still remember the story of when I “lost” Ralph. I mean, yes, it was irresponsible of me to walk him without a leash in the forest, but in the end, I did the responsible thing and searched for him for hours until I found him. I cried when I saw …show more content…
I know not to take any life-threatening risks. I understand how dangerous texting and driving is. According to Strayer, a researcher who studied distracted driver for 15 years, “a crash risk that is eight times greater than someone giving the road their undivided attention” (Strayer, “The Science behind Distracted Driving”, pg 139). Obviously, no one wants to increase their crash risky why 800%. In another source, Just/Keller said, “deterioration in driving performance that occurs when one is also processing language [such as texting]” (Just/Keller, “How the Brain Reacts”, pg 147). Additionally, I recognize how texting and driving can devastate families. In the film, “From One Second to the Next”, one of the victim’s sibling talks about how terribly the accident affected her family, “It’s heartbreaking to see my sister like this”(Elizabeth, Debbie’s sister, Herzog August 2013). I know that I’m not always responsible or cautious, but I will always be sensible and attentive when it comes to texting and driving. Because you know I would never want to hurt our family or break the hearts of anyone I love and care about, you also know that I would never text and drive. I would never ruin a family’s happiness or cause anyone pain. I would never hurt a family, I promise you this. I am also very careful when it comes to making meaningful decisions. I am mindful of what I spend my money on. I only buy what I need such as school supplies or medicine. As you also know, I am currently saving up for college. As for my health, I am in very healthful shape and I rarely get sick or injuries. I don’t do damaging drugs that negatively affect my health. I also exercise daily so I don’t run out of breath while walking up the stairs. On top of exercising, I eat my recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and never eat too much sugar than advised. Along with health and finances, I am cautious and responsible when it comes to my
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Distracted Driving: A Modern Day Aemic
    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Distracted Driving: A Modern Day Aemic

    Distracted driving is a modern day epidemic. The National Safety Council reports that cellphone use while driving leads to over one-million car accidents a year. This image clearly shows the dangers of using electronics while on the road.…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Distracted Driver From A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Distracted Driver From A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

    My research topic is on distracted driving and how Max Weber would view this issue from a symbolic interactionist perspective. My research question is: who is more likely to be a distracted driver? Fortunately, I have researched this topic last year in another class. I believe that distracted driving is a major problem in the United States and there should be more laws that prohibit distracted driving. I am interested in researching who is more likely to drink or text while driving.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Texting And Driving Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Texting And Driving Rhetorical Analysis

    Over 100,000 accidents a year involve drivers who are texting. (www.itcanwait.com) Our natural instinct when we feel the vibration from our cell phones or hear our cell phones going off is to check it, right? We do this often, especially when behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Most of us do not see the danger we put not only ourselves, but others, in every time we check a text or email or phone call while driving. The advertisement, “Texting and Driving: SD Department of Highway Safety”, is a very touching and emotional advertisement aimed at educating the public of what could possibly happen when distracted driving occurs due to our cell phone.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Texting And Driving
    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Texting And Driving

    Each day we go about our lives without rethinking the repercussions that could arise from our routine actions. Roughly, over 8 people are killed and 1,150 are injured each day from vehicular crashes involving a distracted driver (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). “New research from AT&T shows nearly 4-in-10 smartphone users tap into social media while driving. Almost 3-in-10 surf the net. And surprisingly, 1-in-10 video chat (AT&T).” “7-in-10 people engage in smartphone activities while driving (AT&T).” “A recent AT&T survey found that 97 percent of teens say they know that texting is dangerous. The survey also found: 75 percent of teens surveyed say that texting while driving is “common” among their friends; Almost all teens (89 percent) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less; And 77…

    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Texting And Driving Synthesis Essay
    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Texting And Driving Synthesis Essay

    Texting while driving is hazardous and puts not only you, but the people around you in danger. In the US, people should be more informed about the effects of using cellphones while driving as it causes 26% of car crashes in America. Using cell phones while driving cause over 10% of fatal crashes with teen drivers (Document F). Teens should not assume that they are invincible because they are young, so we have to be careful about the distraction that phones cause. Looking at…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Distracted Driving Research Paper
    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Distracted Driving Research Paper

    Distracted driving is dangerous because it can kill any driver or passenger; however, steps can be taken to reduce the causes of distracted driving and the number of fatalities that result from it. There are many different distractions behind the wheel, the one most people do and it is very dangerous is texting and driving. More and more Studies are found everyday this is not safe, people should care if they’re putting their lives at risk. “In Study 1, we found that males reported more frequent texting while driving and speeding than females and, in terms of age, sixteen year olds reported frequent texting while driving than older participants. In Study 2, which was conducted two years later, males again reported more…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Texting Gone Wrong Analysis
    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Texting Gone Wrong Analysis

    Do you check it and text while you’re driving, or do you wait until you are done driving? According to Erin Shumaker, on average, about 9 Americans are killed every day from motor vehicle accidents that involve being distracted driving by using a cell phone, texting, or eating. So that means over 3,000 deaths per year are because of driver’s being distracted by their phones. Texting while driving is not only dangerous, but has become more mind controlling to younger people in today’s society more than ever. Shumaker adds in his article that the age group most likely to send a text or email while driving is the ages between twenty one and twenty four and the risk of crashing are four times more if using a cell phone. Certainly a discomforting statistic for most that would seemingly be made aware to younger age drivers, but only becomes more of a growing problem every year.…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Distracted Driving As A Social Problem
    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page

    Distracted Driving As A Social Problem

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drivers under the age of 20 have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. Shinning a light on this particular social issue because distracted driving is a pandemic that is effecting all lives. At the age of 18, this writer totaled a vehicle by crashing into a brick mailbox while texting, luckily no one was hurt. By vowing to never be a victim of distracting driving is vital to sharing this story and innovating ideas to mitigate this social issue.…

    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Texting and Driving
    • 1119 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Texting and Driving

    Five seconds are the average time your eyes are off the road while texting, when traveling at 55mph, that's enough to cover the length of an entire football field. (2009,VTTI) That's also enough time to get into a severe car accident. Many people realize the risk they are taking by texting and driving, but they seem to not care, seeing as how their phone is always in the palm of their hands, and they're paying more attention to it than their driving and surroundings. Forty nine percent of drivers under the age of 35 send or read text messages while driving. (2011, Harris Poll) That's an extremely high percentage, and any one of those people could cause the biggest collision you've ever seen in your entire life, in a matter of seconds. When you're texting and driving, you're reaction time is significantly decreased, so those five seconds you used to look at your phone, you could've used to notice that cars were beginning to brake, and you should've too.Congratulations,…

    • 1119 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Texting While Driving
    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Texting While Driving

    I’d be lying if I said I never text while driving. But I recognize the dangers, and try to do it as little as possible. However, there are still incidents that occur. One day, I was driving down Highway 6, passing Walmart, and received a text from my brother asking what time baseball practice was. I went to reply and took my focus off my driving. This immediately endangered myself, anyone else in the car, and everyone in the cars around me. While texting, I have no ability to respond to events as they occur around me on the road. Even if I may be able to text while driving and maintain control and not crash, if someone around was to do something dumb, my ability to react safely to that is severely diminished. For example,…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Preventing Distracted Driving
    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Preventing Distracted Driving

    Over the past decade, distracted driving has increased dramatically with the technological advances of cell phones and cars. Distracted driving is not just using the phone for texting or calling people anymore, apps and having a passenger to talk too is now considered distracted driving. Other forms of distracted driving is eating, drinking, changing radio stations, and using the GPS. There are three different terms for distracted driving visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual is when the driver takes their eyes off the road. Manual is when the driver takes their hands off the wheel. Lastly, cognitive is when the driver takes their mind off what they are doing. Distracted driving affects millions of people every year. According to National Conference of State Legislature, “Nearly 303 million people in the United States have cell phones. At any given moment during the…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Distracted Driving Research
    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Distracted Driving Research

    The use of cell phones has spread like a wildfire over the past 10 years. It has become an everyday necessity, and many people depend on them to carry out daily operations. Unfortunately, many of these daily operations occur while the individual is driving. Failed attempts to make operating a cell phone behind the wheel hands-free has just created more distractions. As a result, many accidents have taken place in the last ten years due to the use of cellular phones while on the road.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Are The Dangers Of Texting And Driving Essay
    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Are The Dangers Of Texting And Driving Essay

    A reason why texting and driving is a serious issue is because it causes a disproportionate amount of accidents every year. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were injured in distraction-affected crashes (NHTSA). It’s a shocking realization that so many lives are taken every year over something that could have been simply avoided, yet the number of accidents still continue to rise. Part of the reason that so many lives are being taken away is because driving while using a cellphone is a distraction that can inevitably hinder…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cell Phone Impact
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cell Phone Impact

    Another important and most prevalent issue we face when it comes the safety of others is texting and driving. Texting while driving accounts for a major percentage of accidents involving younger drivers. “Research has demonstrated that drivers are well aware of this danger but over 90% of drivers report using a cell phone while driving”( LaVoie ) Texting while driving not only endangers the people in the car but also pedestrians and others on the roads.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Texting While Driving Argumentative Essay
    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Texting While Driving Argumentative Essay

    Texting or using a cell phone while driving is very hazardous to yourself and the people surrounding you. One reason the majority of people are against this action is because it causes a great amount of car accidents every year. While driving, adults and teenagers cannot resist the urge to pick up their cell phone and send a text or respond to one, and as soon as the driver’s eyes meet their cellular device, their focus on the road is drawn away. In 2009, 5,474 lives were taken and 448,000 people got injured from car accidents from being distracted while driving, says the “Outlawing Text Messaging WHile Driving: Legislators in Several States Respond to Safety Concerns” U.S. News and World Report article. The lives of innocent people are being taken every day due to a simple distraction. Car crashes are four times more common to take place while the driver is on their mobile device over any other causes. Most people don’t seem to realize how careless they can be while driving a car. When they engage in a text message, it’s not possible to look in both directions at once, therefore all of their focus goes straight to the screen of the cell phone, which results in many car crashes…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics