Name: Miranda G. Osborne
From: Welch, WV
Votes: 0
Dangers of Mixing Social Medial and Driving
There
is something that many new drivers do multiple times a day that can
be over three times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. It
may not come as a surprise that social media is the culprit of such
risky behavior. Using social media while driving is the newest deadly
trend that is swerving into our path.
When
cell phones first rose to popularity, people spent a lot of time
talking on the phone while driving. Cell phones are now smartphones
and talking while driving turned into texting while driving and
further evolved into something increasingly more dangerous, using
social media while driving.
Sending
or receiving a text message while driving, according to the Virginia
Tech Transportation Institute, takes a driver’s eye off of the road
ahead for an average of 4.6 seconds. To put things into perspective,
traveling at 55 mph in that short amount of time is the equivalent to
driving the entire length of a football field, completely blind. If
the 4.6 seconds it takes to send a text message can be so dangerous,
imagine how much longer it takes to use social media while driving,
and how much more hazardous it becomes.
As
stated previously, using social media while driving can be three
times more dangerous than drinking and driving. According to research
conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory and the Institute of
Advanced Motorist, the reaction time of a driver is slowed by 38%
while using their smartphone, as opposed to the 12% of someone who
has been drinking.
So,
if this new form of distracted driving is so unsafe, why is it
continuing to become such an epidemic? Unfortunately, teens are
especially prone to these types of distractions. They have grown up
in a society where it has become socially acceptable to tweet
something about the terrible traffic they are sitting in, or to post
a picture of the scenic view they are witnessing on their long drive
home.
At
this time, 44 states and Washington, DC have implemented some type of
legal ban on distracted driving. These bans vary from primary
offenses, secondary offenses, and a range of fines and penalties.
Many
drivers who avoid using their phones while driving still make an
exception while stopped at traffic lights. However, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that this really isn’t
any safer. A startling number of in-city accidents occur at
intersections and are due to driver decision errors.
Even
when your car is stopped, keep your phone safely tucked away! There
are still plenty of things that can go wrong when you quickly glance
back up at the road after being physically and mentally checked out
for even a few seconds.
It
is completely unacceptable to condone any form of distraction while
driving, and in many places, it is against the law. Resisting the
temptation to use your phone while driving is not only a good idea,
but more importantly, vital to your survival on the road.
