Technology Will Beat Us to the Punch

Let Technology Takes it Course

We are so reactive when we hear statistics and facts on such matters as cell phones and their relationships with auto accidents. We are rushing to call our state legislators or write to them on why we need to ban this activity; however, if we just let technology takes its course the issue will become a non factor. New technologies like Collision Avoidance in the new Volvos, where the system will get your attention via a light or a vibration in your seat to warn you to brake. Lane Departure Warning in Audis, BMWs, Buicks, Cadillacs and others where an alert will sound if you weave into another lane without signaling; a Blind Spot Monitoring system where an indicator will let you know someone is in your blind spot like in the new Audi, Buick and Cadillacs. (Chuck)

Blind Spot Monitoring

Lane Departure Warning

Collision Avoidance

Pictures courtesy of MSN Auto.

Technology like GM’s OnStar system, an Emergency Response System when you get into an auto accident. Your interior lights will come on; the doors unlocked and automatic fuel shutoff engages. ERS will also alert the authorities in extreme cases (Car). Many newer cars on the market now has some sort of blue-tooth connectivity system that will take the place of fumbling with a hand held device. For example; in 2008 out of the 369 available new car models, 105 of them have some sort of bluetooth connectivity system standard or as an option. That is a 17% increase from 2007, 75 out of 395 (Tavanger5).

Instead of spending money on research on texting and driving why don’t we invest them into those above mention technologies. Because if you really think about it, in a few years the technology probably would exceed what state legislators couldn't’t. And that's eliminating drivers using hand-held devices while driving.


Works Cited

"Car Insurance: Life-saving car technologies." DirectLine 2010. Web. 8 February 2010.

Chuck Tannert. "The Coolest New Car Tech for 2009." MSN Auto. August 2009. Web. 8 February 2010.

Tavenger5. "Bluetooth Cell Phone in Car on the Rise." Cellphoneforums.net 2007. Web. 25 February 2010

Texting While Driving

On August 1, 2008, Governor Tim Pawlenty proclaimed texting while driving illegal in Minnesota, becoming the twentieth state to affirm this law (Copeland). In my opinion, this law is necessary due to the fact that cell phones are a major distraction for drivers. The majority of people who text while they are driving include teenagers and young adults. However, the use of cell phones has become increasingly popular for older adults as well. Most people do not hesitate to pull out their phone while they are driving 70 mph on the freeway. Even though people may not realize it, texting while driving causes major distractions and can result in fatal accidents. Although it is illegal for people to text while they are driving, this does not stop a large number of people from doing so.

Over the past few years, statistics have shown that cell phones use has become increasingly dangerous for drivers. In 2007, texting while behind the wheel caused approximately 1,000 accidents. In 2008, almost 6,000 people were killed and half a million people were seriously injured due to cell phone distractions. Within these samples, 16 to 19 year old drivers were found to have caused the majority of these accidents (GSHA). Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty stated, “We have a statistic that is especially concerning to me that one out of every three teen drivers regularly texts while they drive, and for that reason, I think it's very important that we move forward with legislation like this”. For this reason, Pawlenty signed a bill prohibiting texting while driving. This law entails that Minnesota drivers will be banned from sending or reading text messages while they are driving a motorized vehicle. However, the act of texting while driving is considered a secondary offense, meaning an individual must be pulled over for another reason aside from texting before they can be accused. For example, if someone is pulled over for running a red light, and the police officer finds that they were texting, they can be apprehended for a petty misdemeanor. If proof can be provided that an individual was texting while they were driving, a fine can be given for up to $300 (Lauritsen).

Nevertheless, people continue to text while they are driving despite Pawlenty’s law. Many people ignore the fact that texting while driving is illegal, especially teenagers. In general, texting is most common among teenagers. Many teens would admit that texting is their primary source of communication. In fact, 48 percent of teens confess that they text while they are driving (Park). These, “Inexperienced drivers” seem to look past the fact that they can continue their conversations as soon as they reach their destination and are no longer driving a car. “Those who incorporate texting into every other aspect of their waking lives are hard pressed to let their thumbs go idle just because they're behind the wheel” (Chang). So many teenagers are addicted to their phones that they find it nearly impossible to stop while they are driving. Some teens claim that they are too skilled at texting to cause an accident on the road. What is it going to take for these naive teens to follow the law? Are they going to wait until one of their family members or friends is killed by someone who is distracted by their phone before they realize the severity of the issue?

To make matters worse, teens are not the only ones who ignore this restricting law. Older adults are also guilty of this violation. Even though texting is most common among teenagers, adults have also adapted to this form of communication. A survey conducted by Cingular in 2006 revealed that out of 1,175 parents, almost half claimed that their children introduced them to texting (Johnson). Throughout the years, adults have followed in teenagers footsteps by texting while driving. According to FindLaw, 27% of drivers who are 25 to 34 years old admitted to text messaging while driving a vehicle (Park). These adults are adding to the number of accidents that are occurring due to texting while driving.

Unfortunately, many of these teens and adults state that they know that texting while driving involves risks, but they continue to text anyway. If people are texting, then they cannot put their full attention on the road. Some people may say that they are skilled at multitasking; therefore, they can text at the same time as they drive with no problem. However, Marcel Just, a neuroscientist at Carnegie Mellon University, came up with a demonstration that proves that the human brain struggles when an unexpected or highly thought-provoking circumstance arises (Hamilton). For instance, if someone receives a text that catches him off guard, such as a text revealing startling or unexpected news, he will be more likely to swerve off the road and possibly cause a deadly accident. Also, studies show that the brain is incapable of focusing completely on more than one activity at the same time (Rosen). When an individual is texting while driving, his mind is focused on the message that he is creating. Even if the individual is capable of texting without looking at his phone, his brain will still be concentrating on the information that is being incorporated into his texting instead of focusing his full attention on driving. Studies show that several hundred thousand accidents have been caused by the distractions of cell phones (Kelley).

I fully support the law that Governor Pawlenty passed that banished texting while driving. Unfortunately, many drivers do not abide by this law, which is resulting in numerous distractions that lead to car accidents. Teenagers, as well as adults, are choosing to ignore the conditions of this law and continue to text their fingers away while they are driving, putting other drivers at severe risk. Many people may ignore this issue, until one of their family members is killed because of someone who cannot put down their phone.


Works Cited

“Cell Phone Driving Laws.” Governors Safety Highway Association Feb. 2010. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

Chang, Bea. “Pawlenty signs ban on texting while driving, plus teen driver restrictions.” Kare11.com 6 Feb. 2010. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb 2010.

Copeland, Larry. “States go after texting drivers.” USA Today 25 Jan. 2010. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

Hamilton, Jon. “Multitasking In The Car: Just Like Drunken Driving.” Npr 16 Oct. 2008. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Mar. 2010.

Johnson, Carolyn. “Parents say texting kids improves communication.” Chicago Tribune 28 Dec. 2006. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

Kelley, Craig. “Cell Phone Dialing and Texting While Driving - How Many Deaths and Serious Accidents Will it Take??” InjuryBoard.com 16 April 2008. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

Lauritsen, John. “Pawlenty Signs Texting-While-Driving Ban Into Law.” WCCO 23 May 2008 Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb 2010.

Park, Will. ”Are you texting while driving? New study suggests you are.” IntoMobile 12 Aug. 2008. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

Rosen, Christine. “The Myth of Multitasking.” The New Atlantis 20.1(2008): 105-110. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

Driving and Texting?

Driving and Texting?

      Using cell phones has become an everyday thing in the United States, with an estimated 233 million subscribers in 2006 (Lee). Is the use of a cell phone while driving a right or a privilege? This is become a heated debate in many different states and countries. President Obama has expressed his opinion in Executive Order 13513, stating that government employees are not allowed to text message while operating any government owned machinery, including cars and trucks. Do not get me wrong, cell phones are an extremely nice thing, and in fact are needed, but they have their place and that is not in the hands of a person operating a motor vehicle.


      A study done by the Los Angles Time stated, “cell phones were involved in almost 4,700 crashes in California between January and September 2001 alone (thirty-one people were killed and thousands injured in these incidents)” (Lee). Those 31 lives could have been saved if phones were not used by people driving. In a Harvard University study there were estimated 330,000 annual injuries in the U.S. due to cell phone-related auto accidents, leading to 2,600 fatalities (Pearson). One life lost is too many. My friend, Jason Thibault, and his mother were killed in June of 2006 by a driver believed to be texting, leaving the two other members of their family behind. The loss of their lives hit the White Bear area really hard, and hopefully taught them a lesson. It is a sad way to have to learn not to text and drive. Before this I had no idea what the laws were about texting and driving in this state, but now I feel texting should be outlawed and if the only way to stop that is to have phones removed from drivers’ hands entirely.

      Even with texting being banned in Minnesota (Farrell), people still are doing it. You see it every day as you are driving down the road. Not enough to stop people from doing it is in place. The driver of the car that killed Jason was later fined $500 for careless driving (Anderson). A fine of $500 is not enough for two-lives, nothing is-but there needs to be stronger punishment in place. Drivers who do text and drive are unlikely to get caught and in the rare circumstance that they are paying a small fine is not going to send a message to others saying stop. In other countries fines range from $380 to $1000 and can include jail time of three to six months (Person). If your friend was fined $1000 and thrown in jail for six months for simply sending or read a message on his phone, would you keep texting while driving?

      A study done in Great Britian showed that drinking and driving at the legal limit (.08) was safer than using your cell phone and driving (Pearson). There are thousands of laws in place to keep people from driving while intoxicated, some resulting in license suspension, and even prison time. There is nothing comparable to that if you are using your phone, even though it has been proven to be more dangerous. The government needs to catch up, and put laws in place stopping the use of phones in the hands of drivers before more people’s lives are lost.

      Many lives have been lost in auto accidents, nearly 43,000 in 2002 (Pearson). Between the ages of three and 35, you are most likely to die in an auto accident worldwide (Pearson). These days people are so against going to war because of the cost of lives, but those same people are willing to endanger lives by using their mobile phones while behind the wheel. Cell phones are one of many devices that make life easier, and they have their places, but behind the wheel of a vehicle is not where they should be used.

Works Cited

Anderson, Julie. “Driver Sentenced for Killing Half of Family.” Myfoxtwincities.com. Fox9.com, 09 Oct.      2009. Web. 5 Feb. 2010.

Beard, David. "Lawmakers seek ban on texting while driving: Bill also addresses cell phone conversations." Dominion Post, The (Morgantown, WV) 03 Feb. 2010: Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 4 Feb. 2010.

Farrell, Michael B. "The spread of bans on driving while texting. (cover story)." Christian Science Monitor 21 July 2008: 1. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 4 Feb. 2010.

Lee, M., and Tracey M. DiLascio. "Counterpoint: Cell Phone Use Should Be Regulated." Points of View: Cell Phones (2009): 3. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 4 Feb. 2010.

Obama, Barack H. "Executive Order 13513--Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving." Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents (2009): 1. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 4 Feb. 2010.

Pearson, John. "Counterpoint: Cell Phone Bans Make Sense." Points of View: Cell Phones (2009): 5. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Feb. 2010.

Valenzuela, Beatriz E. "DEADLY DISTRACTION: Driver who struck and killed a Hesperia teen admits she was texting while driving." Daily Press (Victorville, CA) 16 Jan. 2010: Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 4 Feb. 2010.

Below is a short clip from a Public Service Announcement released by the United Kingdom.

Banning cell phones while driving?

My personal view on the matter is simple. The banning of cell phone usage while driving is simply overkill. Although most drivers would agree that using their cell phone while driving is a distraction. There is not enough evidence real evidence to warrant a ban on them. I bet those same drivers would also agree that drinking a beverage, changing a compact disc on their car stereo, having screaming children in the backseat and even looking at a global positioning screens are distractions too. But are we writing to our legislators and protesting to ban these activities while driving? I didn’t think so. We are putting way too much emphasis on cell phones and it is simply a waste of time and money. We are too quick to blame something or someone else when an issue like this matter arises when we should be taking personal responsibility and use some common sense.
California State Senator Joe Simitian of D-Palo Alto, author of California’s landmark laws on hand-held cell phones and texting and a pro ban on cell phones and driving, says that current and past data collected on the issue are not precise. Simitian tells associated administrators their research gives “narrow review” and they agree (Bizjak). When I was comparing research statistics on cell phone users and accidents I noticed variations in data collected. It made me wonder how they can derive a conclusion from inconsistent statistics.

For example:

Harvard researchers estimated that drivers on cellphones cause about 2,600 fatal crashes a year and 570,000 accidents (Turn).

The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cell phones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured (Car).

1.4 million accidents annually, are caused by cell phone conversations, and 200,000 are blamed on text messaging according to the National Safety Council (Halsey III).

All of these research statistics do have one thing in common as Senator Simitian pointed out though. They all focused their attention at cell phones while driving. If we are going to pick this fight why not attack the overall issue, distracted driving, why focus only on cell phones. I am sure it’s because it is the easiest issue to gain support for.

It is hard for me to support a ban on cell phones while driving when there are many other distractions just as dangerous as cell phone use that are getting ignored. In fact I can’t even find any statistics on how many accidents occur while people where eating, putting on make-up, shaving, drinking (non-alcoholic beverage) or just tuning their radios. And if you are going to support a ban on such matters why are there variables such as, use of a hand-held device or only bans on teen drivers. This makes no sense to me.

Works Cited

Bizjak, Tony. "CELL PHONE BAN FAILING; NOW WHAT?" The Modesto Bee. 4 Feb. 2010, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

“Car Accident Cell Phone Statistics.” Edgar Snyder and Associates 2010, Web. Feb 8 2010.

Halsey III, Ashley. “28 percent of accidents involve talking, texting on cellphones” Washington Post. 10 Jan 2010. Web. 8 February 2010.

"Turn Car On; Turn Phone Off." New York Times 13 Dec. 2009: 8. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.