Distracted Drivers

¶ … solutions to the problem of distracted drivers by looking at the advantages and the disadvantages of each solution. Distracted drivers account for at least 1.2 million car accidents every year, according to the Automobile Association of America. Drivers can be distracted by anything from conversation with a passenger in the car, to eating and drinking while driving, or talking on a cell phone.

Clearly, driving while distracted is a dangerous occupation on today's highways, and it must be regulated, before more people lose their lives due to senseless and selfish distracted drivers. One major factor in driver's distraction is eating and drinking while driving. "Driving is a task that requires the driver's full attention,' said Rick Meyers, chief of accident information for the Illinois Department of Transportation. 'To distract one's self with lunch or eating doesn't do justice to the importance of driving. It is a responsibility'" (Librach 01).

The proliferation of fast-food restaurants and food designed to be consumed on the go do not help the situation, they simply make it easier for drivers to dine and drive. A ban on eating and drinking is one solution to the problem of distracted drivers. It would seem people would have enough common sense to know driving and eating do not go together, but they do not. Banning eating and drinking in a car seems like a strict penalty, but it could save numerous lives.

Automobiles were not meant to be mobile dining rooms, and driving, with more traffic on the road every day, takes concentration and attention. Clearly, a big disadvantage in banning food and drink in automobiles is the cost and time to enforce the ban. There are not enough law enforcement officers in the country to make sure that each person driving does not eat or drink while they are driving.

A ban on eating and drinking could be handled like current seat belt laws, where people are fined if they are pulled over and are not wearing a seatbelt. Another disadvantage is the popularity of fast food, and the monetary impact a ban on driving and eating might cause fast-food restaurants, who would probably fight any laws. These are certainly disadvantages, but it seems saving lives outweighs the disadvantages. Cell phones are another source of driver distraction, as just about any driver today knows.

There are numerous illustrations of the danger of cell phones. For example, "Supermodel Niki Taylor suffered severe injuries recently when a car she was riding in crashed into a utility pole after the driver answered a cell phone" (Glanz 9). This is not an isolated example, and many states, such as New York, have already banned the use of cell phones while driving. This is one solution to the problem, but there are others. One is higher mandatory fines for drivers who talk on cell phones and cause accidents.

In fact, mandatory jail time for drivers could be a major deterrent in cell phone usage during driving. If a driver knows he or she faces jail time if they cause an accident, they might think twice before they talk and drive. There are disadvantages to these solutions, too. First, a police officer has to recognize the signs of distracted driving after an accident. Second, there can never be enough police officers to totally enforce bans on cell phones, and so, accidents will still happen.

Until the fines and punishments are enough to really make people stop and think before they dial, cell phones will continue to be a large contributor to accidents and deaths on American highways. In conclusion, there are numerous factors that add to distraction in drivers,.