Overview Of The Issue And Dangers Of Texting And Driving

Table of Contents

Inception

This is an introduction to the topic at hand.

Use of Smartphones while Driving

Phone calls are the first cause

The second cause: Text messages

Use of Smartphones while Driving: The Effects

The First Result: Car Accidents

The second effect: Road/Property damage

Solutions to Problems of Driving with Smartphones

Traditional Solutions

Dispose of your Smartphone

Let someone else do the work

Wearing reminders, or putting an X in one’s thumbs

Modern Solutions

Helping with Smartphone Apps

In conclusion,

Work Cite

An opening

Distractions while driving are quite common these days. The most dangerous distraction is driving while using a smartphone. This distraction can lead to car accidents that cause injury and death. Many countries have regulations that ban smartphones from being used while driving. Some even have cameras that detect the culprits and issue a fine to reduce the impact of the problem. This report was created because of the alarming and frightening rise in smartphone usage while driving over the past decade. This report will address the issue of driving while using smartphones, as well as its causes and potential solutions.

There are many reasons why you might use your smartphone while driving. We will only discuss the most common reasons for using smartphones while driving. Bluetooth technology is being added to new vehicles. This allows for voice activation as well as hands-free phone usage. Drivers still use hand-held phones despite this. Driving while talking on a cellphone is dangerous. This is partly because our brains cannot give 100% attention to multiple tasks. Talking on the phone while driving can cause your brain to split attention between two tasks, which is why talking on the cellphone and driving can be dangerous. (SafeWise Team).

The second reason: Text messagesText messaging is more hazardous than phone calls because you have to look at your phone to type and to read. Text messaging is more common among younger and/or less experienced drivers.

The Effects of Driving With Smartphones

The First Effect: Vehicle AccidentsWhat’s the cause of an increasing risk of getting into a collision while using a smartphone on the road? What makes smartphones so dangerous when they are in vehicles? Drivers could be distracted by smartphones in many ways. They can be physically distracted by it. Drivers should use both their hands to manipulate their phone, instead of concentrating solely on driving. They are also distracted visually by it. Drivers could be visually distracted by smartphones in two ways. First, they will need to shift their focus from the road to the smartphone. Second, drivers can be distracted by their smartphone while driving. Drivers may ‘look but don’t see’ when they are talking on their smartphones. Drivers may also become distracted by the sounds of their smartphones. Drivers can be distracted auditory by focusing on the sounds and conversations on their smartphones, instead of the road environment. This is especially true in low-quality environments. Another way to distract yourself from your smartphone is cognitive distraction. Drivers instead of focusing their attention on driving, they focus their attention on the conversation on their phone (Research Department 3, 4,). These distractions can cause serious car accidents with very severe consequences.

The second effect: Road/Property damage A car accident can cause damage to roads and property, including commercial signs, fences, trees, and shrubbery. Insurance companies often cover the property damage from a car collision. These property owners are frustrated by this, however. Some owners would sue their driver if they saw such conditions.

Solutions to Problems of Driving With Smartphones. Driving with a smartphone can lead to very sad outcomes. These are the simple solutions, but many smartphone-using drivers fail to recognize these life-saving tips. This report will discuss a few of these solutions.

Traditional solutionsPutting your smartphone away This is the most difficult solution to driving with a smartphone.

Benefit

This solution has a pro: driving mindfulness.

Drawback

However, this solution comes with a con: drivers won’t be able to use their phone for any other functions such as navigation.

Letting someone else do the work Passenger are more than happy to help the driver send messages to other passengers if they are in the vehicle with them.

Benefit

It promotes awareness.

Drawback

It could cause privacy invasions and can’t be used by a driver who is not there.

Reminders and Wearing Reminders This is an indispensible reminder to be attentive to the road.

Benefit

This promotes awareness of the issue.

Drawback

It doesn’t prevent you from using your smartphone while driving.

Modern SolutionsSelf-Driving (Autopilot) Cars

A self-driving vehicle is one that can sense its surroundings and move safely without any human input. This type car helps reduce car accidents that are caused by a lack or attention. When the sensors on the car detect the presence of objects (e.g. cars, animals, pedestrians), the car will automatically control its movement. Tesla Inc., a US self-driving car company, had one accident per 4.94 million km driven. This is despite Autopilot being activated. The company had one accident for every 2.63,000,000 kilometers (Tesla 1) for drivers who did not have Autopilot. These statistics clearly demonstrate the superiority of self-driving automobiles.

Benefit

Drivers could be distracted while driving and the car would compensate, potentially saving their lives.

Drawback

Technology cannot be relied upon completely. These complex systems might have minor problems that could cause them to malfunction and stop working.

Helping Smartphone Apps Many apps are available that can help you reduce distractions. These apps respond to text messages using virtual assistants. Voice queries and natural-language interfaces are used by virtual assistants. They can understand partially received messages and create logical answers.

Benefit

This solution prevents one from texting while driving and sends auto-replies.

Drawback

Imprecision. Sometimes smartphones have restrictions on the messages that assisting apps can send, which makes them less precise than manual texting.

ConclusionThis report focuses on the dangers and causes of using smartphones while driving. Car accidents are often caused by distracted driving. Incoming calls and text messages are the main causes of distracted driving. You can endanger your vehicle and cause property damage by using your smartphone while driving. Although there is no 100% solution to driving with a smartphone, there are several ways to reduce the impact. There are two options to address this issue: self-driving vehicles and assisting smartphone apps. I’d recommend trying at least one solution rather than just using your phone. Liz Marks is a driver who lost control of her phone while driving and was in an accident as a result. She says she ignored all warnings that texting was dangerous because everyone else was doing the same thing. It was fine to me. I believed that I was immortal. But I was clearly wrong” (1).

Work Cite

McEntire, Katie. “Is it Safe to Use a Hands-free Device to Talk on a Cellphone While Driving?” SafeWise, 12 October 2018, www.safewise.com/faq/auto-safety/use-cellphone-driving/

Research Department, RSA. “USE OF MOBILE PHONES WHILE DRIVING – Effects on Road Safety” RSA, 17 May 2010, www.rsa.ie/Documents/Campaigns/Mobile%20Phone/RSA_Research_Mobile_Phones.pdf

Skousen, Gulbrandsen & Patience “15 Texting and Driving Quotes and Slogans to Remind You to Stay Off Your Phone” PLC, 15 February 2020, https://www.sgplaw.com/texting-driving-quotes/

Tesla. “Tesla Vehicle Safety Report” Tesla, 18 January 2020, https://www.tesla.com/VehicleSafetyReport