Risks of Texting While Driving

Speech / Presentation / Essay Outline
Title – Texting and driving is not a skill, but a dangerous activity.
I. Introduction
· Driving is an exciting adventure for new drivers as it comes with personal responsibilities that need undivided attention.
· Distracted driving is a dangerous activity associated with some unintended and sometimes fatal consequences because of the need for undivided attention on the road.
· Texting while driving is one of the most common forms of distracted driving for both experienced and new drivers.
· Reading or sending an average text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for at least 5 seconds, which is more than enough to generate unplanned and life-changing consequences.
· Texting while driving is a dangerous activity that could result in damages to the car, accidents, and even death.
II. Texting while Driving
· Drivers are usually willing to take risks while behind the wheel for fear of missing out or due to separation anxiety, which contributes to a violation of the law (Society for Risk Analysis, 2018).
· Texting while driving is one of the most common risks among drivers and entails sending or reading text messages on phone.
· Texting while driving is a risk that develops from the tendency to use a mobile phone while behind the wheel.
· Many drivers use their phones while driving due to various factors, particularly overconfidence in their driving skills or the fear of missing out.
· Many drivers do not consider this as a dangerous activity as it has proven to be largely because of overconfidence in their skills.
· For many drivers, the effects of using a phone while driving are minor despite contrary evidence.
· New drivers are increasingly tempted to use their phones and text while driving as they cannot put them away.
· Texting while driving is a major temptation for new drivers despite their lack of experience.
C. Dangers of Texting While Driving
· Exposure to good driving behaviors is critical toward enhancing the safety of drivers and others on the road.
· However, the temptation to engage in texting while driving remains a major impediment toward ensuring the safety of all road users.
· New drivers need to be aware of and avoid bad driving behaviors like texting while driving, which is associated with some dangers/threats.
i) Damage to the Vehicle
· One of the dangers of texting while driving is damage to the vehicle.
· The risk of damaging the vehicle increases with texting while driving even if someone won’t be hurt.
· A damaged car could be expensive to repair or replace (SafeWise Team, 2020).
ii) Costly Insurance Rates
· Texting while driving could increase insurance rates in case of an accident.
· Costly insurance rates could also be brought by getting a ticket for distracted driving due to texting while driving.
iii) Fatal Accidents
· Texting while driving increases the chances of car crashes by six to 23 times (Society for Risk Analysis, 2018).
· For example, the number of people who died from road accidents increased by 6 percent from 2015 to 2016 (Morris, 2018).
· The increase in the number of fatal crashes is linked to increased tendencies by drivers to engage in texting while driving.
· Texting and driving increases the risk of a fatal crash as it makes the driver take his/her eyes off the road by an average of 5 seconds, which is more than enough to generate unintended consequences.
D. Conclusion
· Distracted driving due to texting while driving has become a common, dangerous activity.
· Despite its inherent dangers, many drivers do not consider it to be a dangerous activity.
· Texting while driving is associated with some dangers including damage to the vehicle, costly insurance rates, and fatal accidents.
· Texting while driving is a dangerous activity to avoid instead of a skill to acquire.
References
Morris, M. (2018, April 16). The Dangers of Texting While Driving: A Personal Perspective. Retrieved from Naval Safety Center website: https://safety.navylive.dodlive.mil/2018/04/16/the-dangers-of-texting-while-driving-a-personal-perspective/
SafeWise Team. (2020, October 5). What Are the Dangers of Texting While Driving. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.safewise.com/faq/auto-safety/danger-texting-driving/
Society for Risk Analysis. (2018, July 9). Majority of Drivers Don’t Believe Texting While Driving is Dangerous. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180709120143.htm