Texting And Drviving, Is It Really That Bad?

Texting and driving, is it really that bad? I would argue yes. Shamefully, I am one of the people that have this problem. I try to avoid texting and driving, but at times I tend to forget. If the state of Texas made texting and driving illegal statewide, it would be harder for people to tend to forget, and hopefully then there would be less accidents and possible fatalities.

No matter how you look at it, texting and driving is dangerous. Every person learning to drive has to take a driver’s education course. From the get-go this course teaches us that at all times we should keep both eyes on the road and keep both hands on the steering wheel. So why would anyone argue that is safe to be reading something while driving, or taking their hands off the steering wheel in order to type a message on their phones? The Los AngelesTimes stated in an article that, “According to researchers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Ft. Worth, texting behind the wheel accounted for 16,141 deaths between 2002 and 2007.” As you can see, that significant number only totals for the years up till 2007, we are now in 2012.

With growing technology, such as the new and improved iPhones each year, the demand to be on our phones has grown. Not only are people text messaging while driving, but now they are checking facebook, checking their emails, checking their schedules, and so on. So, presumably with the continuous growth in technology the fatality rate most likely will continue to increase. The International Business Times stated, “Deaths due to “distracted driving” rose 28 percent in three years to 5,870 in 2008 from 4,572 in 2005, an analysis of federal data on road fatalities said.” Can you imagine what that percentage is right now in 2012?

If government does not take action that number will continuously increase. I will be the first to admit that it will be hard to stop texting and driving completely, however, if there is a law in place and enforced, it will make a person, including myself, think twice before they pick up their phone. This is not something that is going to change overnight, but it is something that can change and that needs to change. We are endangering not only ourselves, but also innocent bystanders. You would think that alone would make a person want to change their habits. Although some opponents to this law, such as Governor Rick Perry, argue that such a law defies the rights of adults. I, however, would argue that adults are human, and humans do not always make the best decisions, so laws in general are in place in order to protect the people from possible bad decisions.

"Texting While Driving Killed at Least 16,000 in US." International Business Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2012. <http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/66405/20100928/texting-while-driving-road-accidents-in-us-texting-and-driving-road-accidents.htm>.

24, September. "Researchers Calculate the Death Toll from Texting While Driving." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 24 Sept. 2010. Web. 09 Aug. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/24/news/la-heb-distracted-driving-20100924>.