Speech
Technological gadgets, like cell phones, are considered contemporary men’s best friends or worst foes. There have been alarming reports and statistics that revealed that the use of cell phones while driving have significantly contributed to an increasing trend of road accidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has disclosed that “each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver” (Distracted Driving , 2013, par. 1). The alarming fact is that despite repeated warnings by regulatory agencies, drivers continue to use cellphones while driving. The recent statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disclosed that “at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving” (Aldana, 2013, par. 3). In this regard, one proposes that the use of cell phones while driving should be mandatorily banned nationwide because cell phone use causes distractions; distracted drivers are most prone to road accidents; and using cellphones while driving delays reaction time of drivers.
Using cellphones while driving has been proven to cause distractions. The use of cellphones while driving causes distractions through refocusing the attention from driving to the need to address either a call or the text message. In fact, the most serious form of distraction due to cellphone use has been identified as cognitive distraction, described as the impetus that causes the driver to take their “minds off the road and the surrounding situation” (Mobile phone use: a growing problem of driver distraction, n.d., p. 1). As such, due to these distractions, more vehicular accidents were evidently proven to have resulted.
Various authoritative sources have revealed that distracted drivers are most prone to road accidents. Distracted driving is defined as “driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving (which) can increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash” (Distracted Driving , 2013, par. 1). The key facts and statistics provided by the Distraction.Gov disclosed that “11% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash” (Key Facts and Statistics, n.d., p. 1). Thus, the negative impact that results from the distractions reportedly cause injuries, grave harm, and even death.
Finally, using cellphones while driving delays reaction time of drivers. According to the website of Disctraction.com, “driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%” (Key Facts and Statistics, n.d., p. 1). In addition, a simulated study proved that cellphone use while driving impairs driving performance (Cellphones & Driving: Research Update, 2008). The delayed reaction, as well as impaired ability to make the needed response in preventing road accidents inevitably result to grave danger for the drivers using cellphones, the passengers in the vehicles, as well as unsuspecting pedestrians on the road.
The use of cellphones while driving should be banned mandatorily nationwide. The evidences, facts, and statistics of drivers who continue to use cellphones despite warnings from regulatory agencies prove that more stringent measures and policies must be imposed to prevent road accidents that continue to result in injuries, grave harm, destruction of properties, and even death. Likewise, banning cellphones only in isolated states have still generated continued increases in people being injured and killed, in the process. The only way to stop these road accidents resulting from distractions is outright and total ban of the use of cell phones while driving on a nationwide scale.
References
Aldana, K. (2013, April 5). Motorists are urged to put down their electronic devices and focus on driving during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Retrieved from NHTSA: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/NHTSA+Survey+Finds+660,000+Drivers+Using+Cell+Phones+or+Manipulating+Electronic+Devices+While+Driving+At+Any+Given+Daylight+Moment
Cellphones & Driving: Research Update. (2008, December). Retrieved from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/CellPhonesandDrivingReport.pdf
Distracted Driving . (2013, April 5). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/
Key Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Distraction.Gov: http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html
Mobile phone use: a growing problem of driver distraction. (n.d.). Retrieved from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/distracted_driving_summary.pdf
