Persuasive Essay 8-A

English Composition I
Persuasive Essay – Assignment 8-A

Dear Editor,
In a society with ever evolving technology comes new concerns. With the introduction of the cell phone and texting the risk to the driver has increased ten folds. The driver no longer just has to just worry about the inexperienced driver and the drunk driver, but now must be concerned with the new threat of distracted driver’s texting while operating motor vehicles.
Texting while driving should be illegal as it poses many dangers such as increasing response times, taking the driver's attention off the road, and causes widespread accidents, deaths and injuries. Without some type of legislation forbidding this distraction, the problem will only continue to get worse, and people will continue to die. In several recent studies the findings show that text-messaging is one of the most dangerous distractions for the driver. Despite the large number of people that use cell phones or text while they drive, a recent Harris poll shows that 80% of the participants recognize there is a need to create a law forbidding this type of activity while driving (Wiehl, 2007). Through this public support and the recognition of the dangerous consequences of texting while driving the hope is legislators will recognize the need to prevent this dangerous distraction.
More states need legislation that makes texting while driving illegal. Most states have established legislation making it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving, but only a few states, such as Indiana, have enacted legislation that forbids texting while driving. In Indiana, if a driver is caught sending, receiving, or reading a text while operating a motor vehicle they will be subject to a $500 dollar fine. Teenagers are forbidden any type of cell phone usage while in a car and are subject to license suspicion of privileges and up to a $500 dollar fine (Abel, 2011). In order to lower the number of drivers on the roads being distracted by texting, other states will need to follow the example of the state of Indiana. Texting while driving drastically reduces a driver’s response time. When a driver is paying attention to the road they are able to apply enough pressure to braking the car or make the necessary maneuvers to avoid unnecessary accidents but when they are texting the driver requires four additional seconds to respond properly to the potential crash incident. While texting to driving is generational and something that is more common for younger drivers studies have shown that 25% of drivers that text are over the age of 30 (Abel, 2011). Despite the fact that the older driver understands the risks of using a cell phone or texting while they are driving this has not stopped them from participating in this dangerous behavior. Texting while driving takes the driver’s attention off the road and can be dangerous for drivers of any age. It causes the driver to look away from the road, takes their minds off driving the car, and watching for potential dangers. In a study by released the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute the findings show that drivers who text are twenty three times more at risk for crashing or almost crashing than the driver that is not distracted (Snyder, 2012). This clearly shows how dangerous texting while driving is. Teenage drivers already have many distractions such as listening to the radio and having friends in the car. The additional distraction of the cell phone can result in deadly consequences for the young driver as well as any other driver on the road. Through the distraction of texting the driver not only put themselves at risk but puts other drivers on the road at risk. When the driver is text messaging they fail to recognize the warning signs of the potential dangers on the road. Because the driver is distracted by the activity of texting they do not have the same response time as the undistracted driver in the event of a crash or near crash. Texting also causes erratic driving that can put other drivers and even pedestrians at risk and results in what could have been an avoidable event.
Texting while driving causes widespread accidents, deaths and injuries. Distracted drivers cause over 6,000 deaths each year. Of the six thousand deaths, 30% are associated with texting while driving incidents. In the almost half a million accidents reported in the United States each year, 24,000 were due to texting while driving, while an additional 100,000 were distracted by the use of a cell phone (Snyder, 2012). With all of these additional deaths, it is essential for public interest groups and politicians to take a special interest in ensuring these incidents are deterred through legislation. New technology has forever changed every aspect of society, but with new technology comes new challenges. When people are dying because other people do not have the common sense to put down their cell phones and pay attention to the road, it is time for the government to step in and legislate this behavior. When there are laws in place, a good percent of society will follow these laws and be deterred by the potential consequences of being caught texting while driving. If new laws are not put into place, the number of people being killed by the distracted driver will continue to increase.