THE PERILS OF TEXTING : MIS IN ACTION

1.  Many people at state and local levels are calling for a federal law against texting while driving. Use a search engine to explore what steps the federal government has taken to discourage texting while driving.

Government Action

The Department of Transportation is taking steps to address this national epidemic. The plan includes education, funding, technology and legal measures designed to discourage distracted driving.

First an important step is teaching teenagers that texting while driving is dangerous.

Second, the DOT is also providing funding to states to step up police enforcement of state-wide bans and launch public awareness campaigns. At least 39 states, including Massachusetts, have passed anti-texting laws or comprehensive bans on cellphone use while driving.

Third the DOT is also calling for legislation to require automakers to include dashboard technologies that prevent distracted driving, while encouraging manufacturers to voluntarily install such technology. Further, the agency has pressed congress to pass a nationwide ban on cellphone use behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, many drivers continue to use cell phones while sharing the road with other drivers, passengers and by standers. Victims of distracted driving accidents may suffer from permanent disability and the loss of earning capacity for themselves and their families. If a distracted driver caused you injury, contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your legal rights.

2.  Most people are not award of the wide spread impact of texting while driving across the United States. Do a search on “texting” while driving. “Examine” all the search results for the first two pages. Enter the information into a two-column table. In the left column put the locality of thereport and year. In the right column give a brief description of the search result, e.g., accident, report, court judgement, etc. What can you conclude

Location	Report Texting while Driving
2012 Texting Pedestrian Study              Researchers from the University of Washington monitored 20 of Seattle’s busiest intersections and observed	Pedestrians who text are four times less likely to look before crossing the street, cross in crosswalks, or obey traffic signals. They also found that texting pedestrians take an average of two seconds longer to cross the street.
2011 Distracted Driving Statistics Most adults who drive admit to engaging in distracted driving behaviors, according to a HealthDay poll from November 10-14, 2011. More than 2,800 American adults responded to the poll.	Approximately 86% of drivers said they ate or drank while driving at some point, and 57% said they do it “sometimes” or “often.” Over 1/3 of drivers (37%) have sent or received text messages while driving, and 18% said they do it regularly. Forty-one percent of adult drivers have set or changed a GPS system while driving, and 21% do it “more frequently.” Many adult drivers (36%) have read a map while driving, and 10% do it “sometimes” or “often.” One in five drivers have combed or styled his or her hair while driving. One in ten does it regularly. Have you ever seen a driver putting on makeup? Approximately 14% have done it once, and 7% do it frequently. About 13% of adult drivers have surfed the Internet while driving. Results of the poll showed that younger drivers were more likely to engage in distracted driving. Men were more likely to drive while drowsy, drive after drinking, read a map, use a GPS system, and use the Internet. A large percentage of the people said they know distracted driving is dangerous, but do it anyway.
Driver Electronic Use in 2010	According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the percentage of drivers who were using a cell phone (texting or manipulating it in some way) increased to 0.9% in 2010. The percentage of drivers using a cell phone while holding it to their ears was 5% in 2010 The level of hand-held cell phone use was higher among female drivers than it was for male drivers. Younger drivers ages 16 to 24 were more likely to use a hand-held cell phone. More than three-quarters reported that they were likely to answer calls on all, most, or some trips while driving. They also said that they rarely consider traffic situations when deciding to use their cell phones. There were 3,092 deaths in distraction-related accidents in 2010, but the number is likely much higher. Most drivers said they are willing to answer a call or text while driving, but most of these same drivers said they would feel unsafe as a passenger in a car where the driver was sending or receiving text messages.
Texting While Driving Statistics	About 6,000 deaths and a half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers every year. While teenagers are texting, they spend about 10 percent of the time outside the driving lane they’re supposed to be in. Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old. Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. That is enough time to travel the length of a football field.
2009 Cell Phone and Distracted Driving Statistics	In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in the U.S. because of accidents that involved distracted driving. Another 448,000 were injured. Of the 5,474 killed because of distracted driving, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a factor. However, the number of fatalities caused by cell phone use could be much higher. For those who were injured, 24,000 involved reports of cell phone use as a distraction. The under-20 age group had the highest percentage of distracted drivers; 16% of drivers under 20 years old involved in fatal crashes were distracted while driving. The 30- to 39-year-old age group had the highest percentage of cell phone use in fatal crashes. More people are driving while distracted when they are involved in fatal crashes. The percentage of fatalities associated with distracted drivers increased from 10% in 2005 to 16% in 2009. In 2009, 867 fatal crashes were reported to have involved cell phones as a means for driver distraction (18% of all fatal distracted-driving crashes). People driving light trucks and motorcyclists had the highest percentage of total drivers reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes (12% each). A teen driver riding with one other passenger doubles the risk of being involved in a fatal car crash. With two or more passengers, the risk increases to five times as likely. Research reveals that 46% of drivers under 18 admit to texting while driving. Driver distraction is a factor in 25- to 50% of all car accidents, with 61% of teen drivers admitting to risky driving habits. In 2009, the South had the highest percentage of cell phone use while driving at 6%. The Northeast came in at 4%.
Pennsylvania Cell Phone Car Crash Stats In Pennsylvania, although there are no laws regarding talking on the cell or sending text messages while driving, there are emerging statistics that show the connection between cell phone use and car wrecks.	There were 23,059 crashes involving 16- to 19-year-olds in 2008, resulting in 194 deaths. Driver distraction contributed to about 10% of them, but the number could be much higher. In Pennsylvania, there were 1,298 cell phone related accidents in 2008. Of those accidents, 9 resulted in death. From 2003 to 2006, car accidents from cell phone use lead to 50 deaths across the state of Pennsylvania. Cell phone-related car accidents shot up 43 percent in western Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2006. A normal, undistracted driver fails to notice an important road event (like another driver mistake) 3% of the time. An adult dialing a cell phone misses that event 13% of the time, and a teenager dialing a cell phone misses it 53% of the time. According to PennDOT, from 2002 to 2006 there were 5,715 car accidents linked to the use of hand-held cell phones in PA. PennDOT also reports 367 accidents in the same time period involving hands free cell phones or Bluetooth communication devices. In 2004 alone, hand-held cell phone use contributed to over 1,170 Pennsylvania car crashes. Accidents involving talking or texting on a cell phone rose from 168 in 2003 to 228 in 2005 in the Western Pennsylvania region. That’s a 36 percent increase in over two years.

From table search result above can be conclude that now human most depend on technology like phone, and become addicted where-ever they should use the phone even while driving,or walk.

Texting while driving is a growing trend, and a national epidemic, quickly becoming one of the country’s top killers. Drivers assume they can handle texting while driving and remain safe, but the numbers don’t lie.