Texting and driving is a topic that has been in the limelight recently. I always get really nervous when I’m in a car with my friends and they try to multitask by driving and texting at the same time. It only takes one second for your eyes to be away from the road for you to get in a terrible wreck. There are so many forms of distractions when we drive. Some women apply makeup while driving, change CDs, or get something out the backseat. It seems that all of us have a serious problem focusing on one thing. It is nothing new that multitasking comes with our generation. But texting has taken it to a new level.
I think the reason texting has is making such a fuss is because it is really hard for our generation to see that we have a text and wait to respond. We are so used to constant responses that we get antsy at the thought of waiting to answer. But because of this we are seeing a rise in the number of wrecks caused by our texting. The government is even making an effort to change this.
Obama has recently made a law that no federal workers can text while driving. It also has become illegal in several states altogether. I think that is a really good idea but I feel like this is not something easy for the police to enforce. There is no radar gun to detect cell phone use. Eventually there will be a new device that’s going to distract us; cell phones are just the most recent. I totally agree that texting needs to be managed for our safety but we are going to continue to get distracted no matter what.
I agree completely. Especially for those touch screen phones that you have to actually look at while you are typing. I used to have a blackberry, and I could text without looking, which gave me better chances of not getting into a wreck, but now on an iPhone I can't, which is probably a good thing. I know in California the no-texting law was passed last January, I think it's a good thing but it hasn't changed much, I haven't had many friends, who I know text and drive, be pulled over. I'm sure over time they will have some sort of detector. It's really true though, texting and driving is so dangerous. One of my friends was pulling out of school last year and got a wreck because he was staring at his phone. We are so addicted, sometimes it's hard not to put the phone down and not respond while enroute. Hopefully, like cell phone calls, cars will have some sort of voice command texting in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of your comments. I know personally that my phone is on me at all times. I am never found without it, but that it a terrible habit. I used to text all the time when I was driving but I found myself almost hitting other cars because I was more focused on my phone rather than the road. It's sad that a lot of people our age can't wait five minutes to respond or send a text message. We should wait, pull over and text when we know we are not going to injure ourselves or someone else.
ReplyDeleteI agree, waiting to text Kieth back is hard. But the texting epidemic is growing and is producing casualities due to texting and driving. I don't know if laws are the answer to eliminate this problem or if it's more of a parent issue. Learning to use your blinker should be just as important as learning no to use your phone.
ReplyDeleteIn Europe, cars don't even have cup holders in their cars because they see driving as an activity and keep full focus on the road when driving so I guess this is an American epidemic.