On the MSNBC news site, I read a news story about how congress and the Obama Administration are considering putting a nationwide ban on texting while driving. Currently, several towns in the chicagoland area have bans on texting while driving, and by 2010, the entire state of Illinois will ban texting while driving. Should the nation follow?
I believe that the nation should ban texting while driving because texting is a task that requires use of at least one hand and also involves looking at the phone screen, so any texter texting while driving has only one or no hands on the wheel and is focusing on the screen rather than the road. Also, there have been deaths from accidents connected to texting while driving. On a personal level, if i'm texting in the halls, I bump into people, so i've never even tried to text while operating a car.
In class, we have been discussing how laws reflect the culture enforcing them. How does the illinois enforcement of texting bans, and the possible nationwide ban of texting, reflect us as an american nation? First of all, these laws reflect that texting is now a phenomenon. I vaguely remember news stories from when texting was a new thing, and now it's quite commonplace to text. My parents even text me on occasion. But on another level, I think that we are becoming enveloped in our newly technological world (think about it; our parents didn't have sophisticated computers growing up) and we are reaping the significant benefits but also seeing the negative effects of a world obsessed with communication. What do you think texting bans say about us as a nation? Should texting be banned throughout the country?
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I wholeheartedly agree that no one should be texting while they drive. It seems to me like texting is just as bad as being inebriated while driving. You are just as distracted, and perhaps even more so. I once heard that you are 23 times as likely to get into a crash if you are texting.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like many people think that it is okay to text at a stoplight, but even this is dangerous. I think that this topic says more about our casual attitude towards cars rather than our attitude towards communication. We tend to forget that we are operating large, deadly machines every time we step behind the wheel.
I believe that as we evolve and technology progresses, it is inevitable that things like texting will thrive. It is easy, quick and efficient and we have changed as people and evolved to things that make our lives easier. I myself am a huge fan of texting. However, texting on the road is extremely dangerous. On the news they said that texting while driving is about as dangerous as drunk driving. Although I text probably more than the average person, there's a time and place.
ReplyDeleteI think it is extremely unfortunate that this generation is full of young people who would sooner risk their lives by sending text messages than just place a call via mobile phone. What does it say about our culture? We don't value communication on a personal level the way we once did. It may be considered more convenient to text because it saves the trouble of carrying out a true conversation. Basically, I think we're too darn lazy to communicate fully and actively, and it's becoming a real hazard.
ReplyDeleteI came across a text-while-you-drive stimulation game that I thought you might enjoy. You go through a series of a text conversation while trying to switch lanes at the same time. They give you your reaction times at the end. It was shocking to me how hard it is to text while you drive (even if it is really just a game). But I think that we should ban texting while driving for sure. Check it out!! http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/technology/20090719-driving-game.html?em
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