According to American Public Health, more than three quarters of American adults possess a smartphone in 2016. The average American adult taps, clicks and swipes on their phone 2,617 times every day. Sometimes, these taps, clicks and swipes occur behind the wheel.
Young adults especially are nearly always on the internet. According to Personal Injury San Diego, “69 percent of drivers aged 18 to 64 in the U.S admitted to using their cell phone while driving.”
“I never felt unsafe when I was in the car with my brother. He always texts and drives and he’s been doing it for so long and he does it safely,” Lily Weber, a junior graphic design major, said.
Though some feel perfectly safe with a texting driver, many deaths are caused because the driver was texting.
According to the National highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, in 2015, 3,4777 lives were lost because of texting and driving. In recent years, new laws have come out to help stop texting and driving.
According to the Governers Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, Washington was the first state in 2007 to past a texting ban and currently 47 states have banned text messaging for all drivers.
“I only text and drive when I’m at stop lights and stop signs. Other than that, I never text and drive when I’m on the highway,” sophomore early childhood education major Danielle Basile said.
In the state of Pennsylvania, the law does not ban hand-held devices and school bus drivers are still allowed to use their cellphones while driving.
However, according to PennDot, “The law prohibits any driver from using an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based communication while his or her vehicle is in motion.”
In the United States, because of distracted driving, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured in crashes every single day, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
When someone is texting and driving, it is really dangerous. When a driver sends or reads a text message, it takes his or her eyes off the road for about five seconds. For a driver traveling at a speed of 55 mph and sending or reading a text message, it is a long enough time period to cover the length of a football field.
“I always text and drive, but I do it at stop lights and stop signs, too,” Weber said.
“It is difficult for pretty much everyone to do several things at once. In fact, studies have shown that people who have the most confidence that they can multitask are actually the worst at it,” Dr. Earl K. Miller, professor of neuroscience at MIT, said in an interview with Fox News Tech.
The National Safety Council reported that the use of a cell phone while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that drivers who are caught texting and drive will receive a penalty that can be up to $2,750 for drivers.
“I think that the new feature on the iPhone that helps turn off notifications when driving is very helpful. That way, I don’t hear my phone buzz and I wont have to pick it up,” Basile said.
