Distracted Driving, Essay Example

Technology has penetrated almost every aspect of our personal and professional lives. But even among modern technologies, some have shaped our lives to a greater extent than others. If we ask people what is one modern technology they cannot live without, many will answer ‘cell phone’. I have smart phone and I cannot imagine a life without smart phone but I also believe maximum benefit of any technology requires responsible user habits. There are few aspects of cell phone that concern me as much as its use while driving. I am not oblivious to the fact that cell phones such as smart phones have tremendous productivity potential but even the most important business task cannot justify cell phone use while driving, let alone personal reasons. I propose complete legal ban on cell phone use while driving because it will yield tremendous economic and social benefits for American society.

Laws are usually made because their expected benefits to the society usually yield the potential costs. For example, drinking is not illegal in the U.S. for as long as one meets the minimum age criterion. But even the legal right to drinking doesn’t come without certain restrictions even though some may argue that such restrictions infringe upon one’s right to freedom of speech. For example, public intoxication may result in fines or prison time and the penalty may be even stiffer for driving under the influence. In the same way, cell phone use while driving also merit legal ban because the benefits of a legal ban may far exceed any potential costs to the society. The government has an obligation to advance the overall interests of the society and ban on cell phone use while driving help the government achieve this goal. The cost of distracted driving as a result of cell phone use is so huge it is estimated that distracted driving due to factors such as cell phone use cost the U.S. economy as much as $170 billion in 2010 (Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association). Thus, it is clear ban on cell phone while driving would be justified because of the tremendous benefits to the American society.

Cell phone use should be banned while driving because there are strong ethical grounds for it. As citizens of the society, we are not only responsible to ourselves but to others as well. There is a reason we cannot smoke in many public places or cannot drink and drive because doing so unjustly put innocent people at risk. Distracted driving falls in the same area because we do not only endanger ourselves but also put others at risk whether they are fellow drivers on the road, cyclists, or pedestrians. A nationwide study found that 1,500 pedestrians were injured due to cell phone-related distracted driving in 2010 and pedestrian injuries have doubled since 2005. Study author Jack Nasar also predicted that the number of injuries may again double between 2010 and 2015 unless the trend is reversed (Nasar, 2013). Thus, cell phone use while driving should be banned because the offenders unjustly impose economic and social costs on their fellow citizens which is unethical.

It is a common knowledge that cell phone use makes driving a dangerous task and policy makers in the U.S. have not been oblivious to this fact. 14 U.S. states and D.C. ban cell phone use by all drivers and 38 states and D.C. ban cell phone use by novice drivers while driving. Texting while driving is considered even more dangerous task than oral communication on cell phone as 44 states and D.C. ban text messaging for all drivers (Governors Highway Safety Association, 2015). The danger of cell phone use while driving has also been recognized in many other countries. Some of the countries that have laws governing cell phone use while driving include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom (Insurance Information Institute, 2014). The fact that so many countries including the U.S. have driving laws that discourage and/or prohibit cell phone is an affirmation of the fact that distracted driving is a major issue with significant implications for the society.

Every generation has a responsibility to set good examples for future generations and by banning cell phone use while driving, we set good examples for our children and for future generations. When adults use cell phone while driving, they set bad examples for the younger generation who usually have poor understanding of risk and, thus, take cues from the adults regarding behavioral norms.  Thus, we should not use cell phone while driving even if no ban exists because it would set wrong message to young people that it is ok to use cell phone while driving.

Some people tell me they are efficient at multi-tasking and can easily manage both driving and cell phone use at the same time. They are claim it may happen to someone but not them as their driving record shows. I remind them that not even a single person who lost his/her life due to cell phone use while driving expected the worst thing to happen to them because if anyone did, they would never have used cell phone while driving. Many people don’t realize but we often overestimate our ability to multitask. A 2008 study at the University of Utah found that cell phone use results in poor understanding of the changing traffic conditions. Another study at the University of Utah found that cell phone users may have even slower reaction times than those driving under the influence. Probably the best argument to refute claim one can multitask while driving is that cell phone users are four times more likely to be involved in a car crash than non-phone users (National Safety Council). Driving is a full-time job in which we cannot afford even a slight distraction due to the huge costs involved. Anyone who claims he can use cell phone while also driving responsibly severely overestimates his multitasking abilities and is a grave danger to not only himself but also everyone else on the road.

Opponents of the law, that prohibits texting while driving, claim that such laws infringe on one’s freedom(Swartsell, 2012). Such an argument may not be wrong but critics fail to realize that rights are rarely absolute. The government has a vested interest in advancing the overall interests of the society and laws that yield greater benefits than costs are justified. Laws that prohibit smoking in public places also infringe on one’s freedom but such laws are necessary because of costs such as secondhand smoking and air quality. Similarly, businesses may be prevented from discriminating against certain cultural groups even though it certainly infringes upon their right to choose who to serve and who not to serve. Laws against cell phone use while driving are justified even if they may infringe on one’s freedom because such laws advance society’s overall interests.

I propose nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving because America will be better off with such a policy. Cell phone ban will help the nation reduce road fatalities, direct and indirect economic costs such as healthcare costs and loss of productivity, and create better society for young people as well as future generations. The laws already exist in several U.S. states as well as in other countries which shows they are necessary and yield tremendous benefits. Critics may argue such laws infringe upon one’s freedom but rights are rarely absolute and government has responsibility advance society’s overall interests.

References

Governors Highway Safety Association. (2015, February). Distracted Driving Laws. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Web.

Insurance Information Institute. (2014, November). Distracted Driving . Retrieved February 15, 2015. Web.

Nasar, J. (2013, June 19). Distracted Walking: Injuries Soar for Pedestrians on Phones. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Web.

National Safety Council. (n.d.). The Great Multitasking Lie. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Web.

Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. (n.d.). Cost of Auto Crashes & Statistics. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Web.

Swartsell, N. (2012, October 27). Cities Disagree on Texting-Driving Ban. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Web.