Have you ever thought about the risks that you are taking whenever you pick up your cell phone while behind the wheel? Do you understand how dangerous it is to reply to a text message? How about answering a phone call? Everyone needs to take precaution when necessary, especially while driving a car.

Realizing safety hazards is one thing, but actually making an effort is another. Cell phones are considered the most common and dangerous distraction for teens and also cause approximately eleven teen deaths every day according to the Institute for Highway Safety Fatality. The statistics are there but yet no one truly pays attention to the consequences. It would be helpful if more people would educate themselves, and the public, in order to put this situation to an end.

No matter the age, there never really is a good enough reason to be using your phone while driving. On average, an undistracted driver fails to notice even another drivers mistake about 3% of the time on the road (Snyder). For adults, dialing a cell phone increases that time to 13% and as a teen, the time increases to 53% (Snyder). Reviewing these facts makes me nervous to take a short trip to the local grocery store and back home. How does this make you feel? Are you anymore concerned about your safety and those also on the road when you pick up your phone?

The percentage of adults has increased dramatically within the last three years compared to that of teens who text and drive (Copeland). To my understanding, more than 98% of adults admitted they knew that using their cell phone while driving was wrong, but still continue to do it, in a survey provided by AT&T that was given to about 1,011 adult drivers (Copeland). I find this incredibly alarming. Have you ever been interested by the amount of attention that this topic receives in the news? Most of the air-time involves accidents caused by this detectable speculation.

There have been multiple pledges appointed by groups including, but not limited to, AT&T: It Can Wait campaign, Don't Text and Drive: Because Texting and Driving Kills (DTAT) webpage, and the FCC. Texting while driving has been compared to that of driving while drinking. The DTAD webpage states that you are six times more likely to cause an accident than to be driving under the influence. With that considered, texting behind the wheel is equal to that of driving blind for five seconds and also decreases your brake reaction by 18% according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society. Do you understand the possibilities?
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has provided a teen driver source site online for research on such matters. State in the article of Distracted Driving Laws, it has been said that as of March 2013, ten states along with the District of Columbia (DC), Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands have organized a ban for all drivers of hand-held cell phones. With that, thirty-four states and DC have banned all cell phone use for amateur drivers but no state has made complete bans for all drivers. Texting while driving has been restricted by thirty-nine states, DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam including six states for novice drivers. The problem has become so incredibly important that the government has taken action to help settle the dispute.

There has been conspiracy as to if the bans have helped to reduce accidents caused by cell phone usage. The answer, unfortunately, is no according to a study by the Highway Loss Institute. "While safety researchers agree that texting behind the wheel is dangerous, concern is growing that cell phone laws do not equal safer roads" (Hanes). Researches struggle with contradicting studies, like texting while driving, because of the laws that have already been established. People also fear that the bans are not being enforced enough and that drivers who do obey the law might also just be replacing the issue with another (Hanes). Do you pay attention to your actions and decisions while driving?
Have you ever considered the risks you are taking with passengers in the car while typing out a text, let alone yourself? The safety of others is very much important as your own. In 2012, a study was performed on pedestrians who text. It was said that those who text are four times less likely to look before crossing the street, use the crosswalk, or obey the traffic signals (Snyder). Imagine yourself driving a car if you consider yourself a person who finds more interest in a smartphone than in successfully, and safely, crossing the street. How about paying attention to those outside of the car?

It's understood that texting, or just being distracted in general, while driving is popular. Not so much in a positive way as it has a negative impact. Will you take the pledge to help support putting a stop to driving while being distracted?

Citations
Ahrens, Robert W., and Larry Copeland. Texting in Traffic: Adults worse than teens. N.p.: USA Today, 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/28/adults-worse-than-teens-about-texting-behind-wheel/2026331/>.

Suffern, Brooke G. Texting While Driving Needs to Come to a Stop. New York: Teen Ink, n.d. Web. 2013. <http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/what_matters/article/463526/Texting-While-Driving-Needs-To-Come-To-A-Stop/>.

Edgar Snyder & Associates. Cell Phone and Texting Accident Statistics. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 2013.
<http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html>.

Don't Text & Drive: Because Texting & Driving Kills. DWI: Driving While Intexticated. N.p.: Don't Text & Drive: Because Texting & Driving Kills, 2012. Web. 2012. <http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/>.
Teen Driver Source. Distracted Driving Laws. N.p.: Teen Driver Source, 2013. Web. 21 May 2013. <Don't Text & Drive: Because Texting & Driving Kills. DWI: Driving While Intexticated. N.p.: Don't Text & Drive: Because Texting & Driving Kills, 2012. Web. 2012. <http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.co>.

Federal Communications Commission. The Dangers of Texting While Driving. N.p.: FCC, n.d. Web. 2013. <http://www.fcc.gov/guides/texting-while-driving>.

Hanes, Stephanie. Bans on texting while driving don't reduce crashes, study says. N.p.: The Christian Science Monitor, 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0928/Bans-on-texting-while-driving-don-t-reduce-crashes-study-says>.