This paper examines texting while driving as a serious public health and safety issue affecting both teenagers and adults across the United States. The author argues that inconsistent state laws and insufficient penalties fail to deter dangerous behavior and presents a two-pronged solution: federal legislation establishing uniform texting bans with penalties modeled on Massachusetts's strict framework, and mandatory distracted-driving education programs integrated into driver licensing. The paper reviews current state regulations, analyzes counterarguments, and advocates for comprehensive national action comparable to successful anti-drunk-driving campaigns.
Texting while driving has become a very serious issue, not only among teenagers but also among adults. This issue is on the rise as texting has become the primary mode of communication for many people today. However, when the common task of texting is combined with driving, the result is rarely a positive one. Although most drivers are aware of the risks of texting while driving, many still choose to risk everything to read or send seemingly unimportant messages. Car crashes resulting from texting while driving are a widespread problem that has swept across the nation over the past ten years. The problem underlying this issue is that people believe they can safely type on their phone while driving, or they simply do not recognize the real danger involved. In order to stop this epidemic, the government must take action to add consistency to the laws and penalties imposed on offenders. Additionally, it is crucial that the government provides sufficient educational programs to spread awareness about the dangers of using a keyboard while behind the wheel.
"Where u at" were the simple last words that Mariah West, a high school senior one day away from graduation, saw in this world. On that fateful summer night, she was texting her friend while driving to a baseball game. As she looked down at her phone to read a new text message, she lost control of her car, which slid across the median, struck a bridge, and killed the young girl with a promising future. An officer from the Missouri State Highway Patrol was one of the first responders at the scene. He later described the horrific scene to reporters: "When I got to the scene, her face was disfigured from sliding down the roadway. Lying in the roadway in a large pool of blood, I noticed her shoes and I thought this is a young girl. That's the first thing I thought when I saw this. And at that point, I noticed her cap and gown was still in her car. She was going to graduate the next day. It was just a really horrific scene, all because of a senseless text message. It's just sad, sorry, it's just sad." (Att.com, 2015)
Texting and driving is one of the largest epidemics to sweep the nation, yet it receives relatively little focused attention. With carriers offering popular devices such as the iPhone and Android, many have shifted from verbal communication to SMS communication, or texting. Texting and cell phone use has become the highest cause of road casualties. The arrival of iPhones, Blackberry, and other text-friendly phones has led to hundreds of billions of texts being sent in a single year. As wireless telecommunications and smartphone use increases, texting has become a typical form of communication. According to distraction.gov, the official U.S. government website for distracted driving, the year 2010 registered a total of 3,000 deaths as a result of crashes due to distracted driving. People are constantly fixated on their phones, checking Twitter, Facebook, and text messages. The use of a cell phone while driving is extremely distracting and dangerous to the driver, and poses risks to everyone else on the road. Multitasking is very dangerous while driving since both activities demand full attention. When a person texts while driving, their full attention is not on the road, making them vulnerable to accidents. Whether a driver crashes into a tree at night, hits another vehicle, or strikes a pedestrian, texting while driving is undoubtedly a safety concern. While this concern has been primarily directed at younger drivers who are more accustomed to wireless phones, it also applies to most of society that has embraced wireless devices for email, web browsing, and chatting through various channels. As this problem becomes increasingly common, the root causes require further exploration.
Every year, 21 percent of deadly car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 result from cell phone use while driving. This statistic is likely to grow by as much as 4 percent annually. However, this is not merely a problem among teen drivers. One-fifth of adult drivers in the United States also report sending text messages while driving. To address this problem, the United States government should take a stronger stance and pass legislation that combines texting-while-driving laws and punishments with better educational plans about the hazards of texting behind the wheel, directed at upcoming drivers across the country.
Presently, thirty-five states have approved comprehensive bans on texting for all drivers. An additional seven states have banned it for beginner drivers or anyone under the age of eighteen with a license, and three others have banned it only for school bus drivers. This leaves seven states with no ban at all. All of these numbers must change through a combined, nationwide ban on texting while driving. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggested that there should be a national ban on all cell phone use inside vehicles, including hands-free devices. This law would be much stricter than any current state law and represent an extreme step toward vehicular safety. Any law prohibiting all cell phone use will cause dissatisfaction among the American population because it would require compliance with a new rule that attempts to stop a behavior that has become deeply ingrained for many Americans. Nevertheless, any law that bans texting while driving would unquestionably save hundreds of American lives. A national ban on texting while driving would immediately help cut this number down.
In addition to uniting laws against texting behind the wheel, the United States must ensure that punishments for violating such laws are strict enough to discourage drivers from typing while driving. Massachusetts has some of the strictest texting-while-driving penalties in the country and should serve as a model for others. In Massachusetts, any beginner driver found texting while driving faces a $100 fine, a sixty-day license suspension, and mandatory attendance at a driver attitudinal retraining course. Penalties only increase for minors. A second violation results in a 180-day license suspension and a $250 fine, and a third violation brings a one-year license suspension and a $500 fine. For adults in Massachusetts, a first violation carries a $100 fine. Sanctions increase for subsequent offenses, with a second violation calling for a $250 fine and third and subsequent violations carrying $500 fines each. Violators face even more severe punishment if they cause an accident while texting behind the wheel. By contrast, some states such as California and Virginia impose only $20 fines for violating their texting-while-driving laws. Such low monetary penalties do not adequately communicate the seriousness of the violation or effectively discourage drivers from putting their phones down while driving. In order to appropriately unite, enforce, and prevent texting while driving, punishments for breaking the law should be uniform across the country, modeled on the framework that Massachusetts has already established.
Some people argue against texting-while-driving bans and harsher punishments on the grounds that it is not the federal government's job to pass such legislation. They contend that it infringes on both individual and states' rights and that Washington has more important issues than micromanaging the states. Although it is typically the responsibility of the fifty states to form laws such as those regarding drinking age, the federal government already plays a key role in shaping how these laws function. When it comes to the safety of the nation, it is the federal government's job to protect its citizens by passing legislation that does so. The need for national coordination on distracted driving safety reflects this fundamental duty to establish baseline protections that transcend state borders.
Even though it is vital that the United States enforce texting-while-driving laws strictly, it is equally important—if not more so—that solid educational programs be made both accessible and mandatory for future drivers. As David Coursey of PC World states, "We need, right now, a national education campaign, like our anti-drunk driving efforts, to tell people forcefully that there is no totally safe way to use a cellular telephone while driving. And that texting while driving, using current technology, is incredibly dangerous. Period." The United States government must take as clear a stance on the issue as Mr. Coursey advocates. Undeniably, drunk driving is another major contributing cause of many deaths each year. People are taught from childhood that drinking and driving is very dangerous and should never be done. The same approach must be adopted in the United States regarding texting and driving education.
Currently, one of the only programs designed to deter drivers from using their phones while driving is run by the private company AT&T. AT&T, a major cell phone carrier, has taken a progressive step forward by launching its "It Can Wait" campaign. The campaign's objective is to provide facts, statistics, and stories while using an emotionally powerful documentary film to inspire young people to put their phones down while driving. Ray LaHood, then U.S. Transportation Secretary, said in an AT&T press release, "Distracted driving is an epidemic, particularly among teens who are confident in their ability to text or talk while driving. Of the 5,500 people killed last year due to distracted driving, the largest proportion of fatalities occurred among young people under the age of 20. I hope teens will take this powerful video to heart and realize that when you're behind the wheel, no text message or phone call is worth the risk."
Although the U.S. Transportation Secretary backing the "It Can Wait" campaign is a positive sign, additional guidelines and support for this program must be established to provide all Americans with exposure to the presentation across the country. The government should enact legislation to fund the "It Can Wait" campaign so it can expand further and reach every school in America. By spreading the message through these strong demonstrations, the number of losses resulting from texting while driving would undeniably drop. Without this education, a new driver may think: "No biggie, it only takes two or three seconds to fire off this text." But an educator on distracted driving would respond with critical questions: "Did you also know that you can easily cover 190 feet of road in just two seconds at 65 miles per hour? And what do you think your reaction time is if you spot danger just 50-100 feet away? Or how long would it take your car to stop or change directions in time?" Showing students these facts while they are still new drivers should be a top priority in driver education.
Potential drivers are already required to pass a written test on the rules of the road to obtain a learner's permit, so an additional test on safe, distraction-free driving is not an unrealistic proposal. To further education on texting while driving, the government should require attendance at a two-hour class on distracted driving, focused primarily on texting, and mandate passing a related test. Driver education is currently taught in schools across the country as well as through numerous independent driving schools. This education typically focuses on technique and rules of the road but does not adequately address driving safety. Requiring this as part of the government's policy to obtain a learner's permit would ensure that new drivers pay attention during pre-driving education, making it worthwhile investment of government resources. By mandating an additional class on distracted driving and its consequences, driver education would come full circle, providing students with the information needed to be both educated and safe drivers.
People who oppose texting-while-driving bans and harsher punishments will argue that it is not the federal government's job to pass such legislation. They will also argue that it infringes on both individual and states' rights and that Washington has bigger issues to concern itself with than micromanaging the states. Although it is typically the job of the fifty states to form laws such as those regarding drinking age, the federal government already plays a key role in shaping how these laws function. When it comes to national safety, it is the federal government's responsibility to protect its citizens by passing protective legislation.
"Responses to federalism and alternative-technology-based objections"
As we have seen, texting and driving has become a common aspect of American culture, just as mobile devices have. Cell phone carriers have only recently begun to advertise safe device use, and much of this messaging is largely absent from radio, print, and other advertising channels. The dangers of distracted driving, specifically texting while driving, cost thousands of Americans their lives every year. The number has gradually increased as texting has become increasingly popular. Just as drinking and driving has become a culturally recognized area of serious concern, texting and driving is a comparable problem that can be solved in much the same way. At this moment, fifty states have their own individual laws concerning policy and punishment for texting while driving, many of which are not strong enough to compel people to put their phones down. It is vital that the United States government takes strong action against this escalating epidemic.
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