Introduction
This is a proposal for a policy change with regards to distracted driving due to using cellphones. As a political advocate, one should be able to look into all the matters that affect the nation and one of the significant issues that can be observed in the statistics is cellphone use while driving. Driving while texting or calling a person has proven to be very dangerous and fatal. This is because there have been numerous reports of people who have been injured or killed due to distracted drivers using their phones while driving. The fact that many people have suffered because of this problem then there is a need for change to be made. The purpose of formulating this policy is to help reduce the number of accidents that occur on the roads. Many reasons could cause a person to be distracted when using a phone. Examples are that a person might receive bad news or good news and end up forgetting they were driving (McCartt, 2006, p.97). The other example is that when a person is texting, they are usually distracted and end up looking at what they are typing and forget to look at the road. These incidences have caused a number of accidents in that in many states and countries cell phone use has been made illegal. Cell phones were first introduced in the 1980s and the number of people in the world who are using cell phone has increased in that nearly everybody has cell phones.
According to research that was conducted, 28 percent of all the traffic accidents that have occurred was caused by distracted drivers using their cell phones (Larke, 2010). Another research has indicated that 27 percent of drivers who are in their twenties have caused accidents due to being distracted by their cellphones (Sacco, 2015). Ten percent of drivers who are under the age of twenty have been involved in accidents because they were distracted. It is a fact that teenage drivers are prone to be distracted especially when they are using their phones. The reason for this fact is because they tend to text one another even when they are driving. In looking at all the researches conducted, one thing is clear that there has been an increase in accidents caused by the use of cell phones. The formation of the policy has been based on by the increase of accidents due to distracted drivers who are using their cellphones.
Cognitive abilities affected while using cell phones and driving
The cognitive abilities of people are affected when a person is using their cell phones while driving. Numerous psychological researchers have discovered this fact. According to the researchers, they claim that driving is a cognitively complex activity (Breznitz, 2009). Therefore, a person is required to pay extra attention while driving because they are needed to observe, respond, concentrate and process information very fast and correctly. When a person is using cell phones while driving, the individual will lose concentration because the brain will be switching from one activity to another. While talking on the phone, the brain will concentrate on the audio information in order to process it. While doing this, the brain will ignore the visual information and therefore, the person will lose concentration on the road. In short, the cognitive abilities affected are the visual scanning, decision-making, information processing and attention (Strayer, 2005, p.61). These skills are very important when a person is driving.
Policy recommendations
Ban the usage of cellphones while driving
According to the National Safety Council, 1.6 million crashes occurs each year due to cell phone usage (Larke, 2010). The report also shows that out of four accidents one was caused by texting while driving. The number of accidents caused by distracted drivers using their cell phones is also increasing. Consequently, many have been injured while others have been killed. The increment of this accidents is alarming and; therefore, there is a need for a law to be made that would ban all usage of cell phones while driving. If this law is implemented, then there will be a decrease in accidents on the roads. This is because the drivers will not be distracted and thus, they will concentrate on their driving.
Implementation of high fines
High fines should be implemented in all states. People should be discouraged from using their cell phones while driving and this can be done when there are large fines for anyone who is caught texting. Driving while texting or talking on the phone is an offence; therefore, all people found violating this law should be charged and fined heavily or face jail time (McCartt, 2006, p.100). When people hear about this rule, they will be scared and will stop using their phones while driving. Any person who is involved in an accident due to being distracted by their phones should also be charged regardless of whether they were injured or not in the accident.
Psychological counselling
There should be an introduction of psychological counselling for the victims and the driver. If a person was involved in an accident because they were using their cell phones, then it is important that they receive psychological counselling. The victims will be able to see the reasons why the accidents occurred especially for those who were blaming themselves (Strayer, 2005). The driver who might have caused the accident due to being distracted by using their cell phones. They will learn the reasons why they were unable to stop the accident and what exactly led them to cause the accident. The meaning of this fact is that the driver will be given a chance to state the reason they were using their phones and see how dangerous using the cell phones were especially when they were driving. They will be able to see how the phone caused them to forget for a moment that they were driving.
Education
Many people especially the youth do not have the full grasp of how dangerous it is to use cell phones while driving. It is important for all people to be educated about the dangers of using cell phones while driving. It is a fact that many teens and young people are addicted to their phones. They like chatting, talking and texting one another. Therefore, for them having their cell phones near them is very vital for their lives. These facts show the importance of educating the teenagers and youths. All schools should be required to teach children about the dangers of distracted driving. Many factors cause distracted driving, and one of the rising problems is the cellular usage while driving. Colleges and universities should also implement the education policy that will ensure that all students have been given the knowledge of the dangers of cell phone use while driving (Sacco, 2015).
Ban of text messaging while driving
There are some states such Washington D.C and US Virgin Island where it has been banned to text message a person while driving. The number of accidents due to texting has been observed to have reduced significantly. It is claimed that out of all the cell phone usage texting has been found to be extremely distracting. When a person is texting, all their cognitive abilities switch and therefore, causing the driver to lose concentration. Lack of focus will cause the driver not to see an oncoming car or a pedestrian. Due to this fact, many people recommend the banning of text messaging while driving (Sacco, 2015).
In conclusion, the current relevant research that can be observed is the problem to do with distracted drivers who are using cell phones. The research shows that cell phone usage while driving is precarious because it could end up causing accidents that could be fatal. There has been an increase in cases where accidents have been caused by drivers who are distracted by their cell phones. The policies that are recommended by the researchers are banning the use of cell phones and banning texting while driving. These two policies are imperative because the lack of cell phone use in the car will cause the driver to pay full attention to their driving (Sacco, 2015). There is the need for future research to provide more statistical results from the recommendations of the policies they provided. In looking at all the research, there isn’t any statistical evidence that the policies worked in other states or not.
Reference
McCartt, AT. (2006). Cell phones and driving: review of research (pp.89-106). Traffic Injury Prevention.
Breznitz, S. (2009, October 20). How the Brain Works: Driving, Cell Phones and Cognitive Abilities. Retrieved from http://www.itworld.com/article/2763161/consumer-tech-science/how-the-brain-works--driving--cell-phones-and-cognitive-abilities.html
Larke, Y. D. (2010). FocusDriven: New Crusade Against Distracted Driving. ABC News.
Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile. ( 2013). Washington DC: Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Sacco, A. (2015, June 19). It's time to ban phone use while driving (and severely punish violators). Retrieved from http://www.cio.com/article/2937405/mobile/its-time-to-ban-phone-use-while-driving-and-severely-punish-violators.html
Strayer, D. L. (2005). Why do cell phone conversations interfere with driving? In W. R. Walker and D. Herrmann (Eds.) Cognitive Technology: Transforming Thought and Society (pp. 51-68). McFarland & Company, Inc.
