The Perils of Texting While Driving

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131011135349.htm

This article describes the dangers of texting while driving and briefly goes over the idea of
“multitasking.” The article starts off by describing the results of a study about texting while driving.
Researchers found that 80% of US student drivers in college have used their phones to text while
driving, despite knowing about the dangers and possible repercussions it may bring. Also, male drivers
tend to think that they are proficient drivers and are more likely to text while driving. This tendency to
text while driving was labeled “texting impulsiveness” by a team in the International Journal of
Sustainable Strategic Management. Also, previous studies have shown that texting while driving can
cause a loss of reaction time that is equal to or greater than the loss of reaction time when intoxicated.

The article goes on to state that only about 2.5% of people are capable of competently doing two or
more tasks at once. Also, the people being able to multitask does not mean that they are able to do
two things at the same time, but instead that they can seamlessly switch between the two tasks. The
article then goes back to the original topic of texting while driving. It states that, "There seems to be a
mentality that use of electronic devices is dangerous for everyone but 'me'." The article also mentions
the US government’s public awareness campaign at www.distraction.gov. It also suggests the creation
of a promotional campaign about the dangers of texting while driving and how this could be more
harmful that driving while intoxicated. The article ends with Gerold Lantz, a scientist at the McGowan
School of Business, saying that, “Our study, particularly our measurement of impulsiveness, is
exploratory. We have been working to develop that measurement and it is still a work in progress.”

This story appealed to me because texting while driving has become a huge problem in America.
Approximately 3,500 people die every year due to accidents cause by distracted driving. One of the
main causes of distracted driving is texting or calling while driving. This worries me as I text and use
messaging services a lot. I was interested to learn more about this problem and the actual facts about
it, as this may affect my life in the future. I am almost fifteen years old and I will start driving in about a
year. I want to be aware of the several driving-related problems in the United States and how I can
avoid them to be the safest driver that I can be.