Texting and Driving

Texting
and Driving

According
to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, “texting while driving has
surpassed drinking and driving as the leading cause of teenage deaths
— stating that 3,000 teens die each year in crashes”. So many
people continue to participate in such a dangerous act because they
have convinced themselves that they are capable of texting and
driving without injuring anyone. It doesn’t matter if you believe
you can do both at the same time, texting and driving is against the
law. According to teensafe.com more
than 330,000
of these crashes that cause severe injury are caused by texting and
driving. Although texting and driving is common against teenagers,
adults are also guilty of doing so, which sets a bad examples for
teens and further encourages them to do so. In most states the
penalty for texting and driving is a fee that ranges from twenty to
five hundred dollars and since most people are able the pay the fees,
they don’t learn anything from it and continue. So the question we
need to ask ourselves, “is a text really worth more than our
lives?” 

 Drivers
who text and drive often fail to realize that more often than not
they are putting themselves and innocent individuals in danger.
Because the penalty for texting and driving is so soft many
people continue to do it, so stricter punishments will reduce the
number of accidents caused by texting and driving each year. The
first time one is pulled over for texting and driving they should
have their license suspended for sixty days and have to pay a fine of
500 dollars. If they are caught a third time they should have to
spend a minimum of four months in jail and have be a 1,000 dollar
fine. If these punishments are enacted people will be forced to think
twice before deciding to text and drive. It’s understandable that
there may not be a police officer each time to catch someone in the
act, but it will enforce cautiousness into people. Sure people won’t
stop right away, but it is less likely for them to continue knowing
what the consequences are because many drivers do not want to have
their license suspended or taken to jail for texting and driving. 

As
for those who end up killing innocent drivers or pedestrians due to
their reckless and thoughtless behavior, should be sentenced under
the charge of second degree murder, defined as killing
caused by dangerous conduct and the offender’s obvious lack of
concern for human life. This might seem
a little extreme, but when you look at the statistic of 330,000
people being killed each year from texting and driving, the
punishment fits the crime. Personally when thinking of texting and
driving, I don’t think people should be let off so easily because
they know the potential harm they can cause and how it can affect
people’s lives and even their own, yet they refuse to adhere from
such reckless behavior. Everyone has the choice of whether to put the
phone down or pick it up and unfortunately many people end up making
the wrong choice, but that does not mean that they should get a slap
on the wrist when they do. 

 I
have a family member, who continues to do this and I have spoken him
to him several times about how I feel on the issue and the
consequences he may face, but he continues to do so and it makes me
feel as if he does not care about his life or how it will affect mine
if anything happens to him. If the legal penalties I proposed ever
did come to pass, hopefully, then he would begin to realize how
valuable his life is and how much of an asset he is and how he cannot
afford to go to jail. The family member is one of the reasons this
topic is so important to me. 

 Texting
and driving is actually more dangerous than people perceive it to be
and unless we enforce stricter laws and consequences, people will
continue to do so. The enactment of stricter laws against texting and
driving would reduce the amount of havoc it causes on the community
and families. Other states, such as Texas where I reside have
also noticed the

problem
and are taking more action against the reckless behavior. I would
rather have people die of old age, rather than die because they could
not put their phone down.