In response to my first blog, I agree with the both of you. It is ridiculous Tamara, and laws would be extremely helpful, Owen. Therefore, there is a law that was taken into effect on July 1st to ban texting while driving. This law was enforced to decrease the hazard of accidents and deaths. According to CBS, 30 states, including the District of Columbia partake in this law and banned texting while driving . Although, according to CBS again, the ban is not being very effective. To be honest with you Owen, no I don't think there is a way that police officers could actually enforce this law. I think that everyone should obey the law and not text while driving out of spite just because there is a law banning this. Many are putting their lives at stake when not obeying this law. According to an article on texting while driving, 5,870 people died in car crashes in 2008 due to texting while driving, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Also, according to the same article, adults outnumbered teenagers in texting while driving, 47 percent adults and 34 percent teenagers. This article shows the many statistics of texting while driving. There are many alternatives and ways to avoid the deaths and accidents that occur, only if people will use them. What is one way you think that can help decrease the rates of deaths due to texting while driving?
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ReplyDeleteThis topic always seem to interest me. I like that your blog was easy to read and is a very recent topic. Your title is very relavent to your topic. I never really realized how unsafe it was to text and drive, untill i recived some of the emails and seen some of the pictures, that resulted in fatal accidents from texting and driving. There is no text message that is worth my life being in danger. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GS64Pt8bRc Looking at this video gives you an idea as to how serious texting and driving can be. Also reviewing the comments that follow the video , shows that some people are just ignorant to the thought of fatality. This is an extremly serious issue and im glad there are laws in attempt to change this.
ReplyDeleteYour blog on texting while driving caught my attention immediately because I have put in the situation where I am riding with a friend who is seemingly, illegally texting while she drives us around. I don’t really trust her driving because of this. Your picture stood out to me after reading your blog entry and it really added to the content of your blog. It reads “AVIOD TEXTING WHILE DRIVING”, instead of “DO NOT TEXT WHILE DRIVING.” This is a bit unsettling because it isn’t telling drivers not to text while driving, but, instead it gives the drivers the option, which does not agree with the laws mentioned in your blog. In other words, no one is really trying to do anything about the problem; instead politicians and law enforcement are attempting to ignore it. Besides, it’s hard enough for police officers as it is trying to figure out if a driver is texting while he or she is driving. In an article by WBZTV, (Article: http://wbztv.com/local/texting.driving.ban.2.1963229.html) a police officer states that the suspicion of texting is not enough because driver’s are more discreet than just holding their cell phones near the top of the steering wheel, instead most hold the phone near their lap. Also, it mentions that part of what makes the law unenforceable is that officers can’t require a driver to hand over the cell phone, which would prove that the driver was texting while driving through their cell phone records. Therefore, if the legislature doesn’t harshen the penalties and enforcement, then nothing can be done about this problem.
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