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Mark Kennedy Malcolm Campbell English 1102 23 October 2013 Last Message

My name that's irrelevant, but my story is what you want to know. I lived a typical male life, graduated with honors, high paying job in corporate America, nice car and home. I loved and I lost, I'm what you would a call a risk taker. Not knowing that everyday I was taking a risk with my life, by doing the most common thing we all do while driving, "Texting". I would read and respond to messages while driving. Now was I wrong? Yes, but I did it anyway, ignoring all the ramifications that comes with texting while driving. I figured I'm good at driving so why can't I do both? That question was answered on August 22, 2012. Coming from working out at the local gym, heading home driving on the interstate, I got my last message. While trying to respond within spilt seconds it felt like, I was involved in a fatal crash, that not only took my life but also the life of a 5 year old boy. Whether the story you just read may be true or not, that doesnt matter. The main purpose for it is to bring attention to an ongoing problem, texting and driving. This problem is happening everyday in America. "Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver (Distracted Driving Web). Why are we being so careless? We

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!"##"$%& (& act like the only time we can read and send messages are when were driving. I know personally driving takes all of my attention to whats going around me. So how can you focus on both texting and driving? You cant, obviously it's a major distraction. "Have you ever read or sent a text message while driving and then had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting another car? Or have you missed an exit or turn because you were distracted by a phone call? It only takes seconds for a crash to happen. Distracted driving makes crashes all the more likely (Distracted Driving Web). Yes, I think we all have done that, because you realize how easy it is to get distracted. "Distracted driving increases your chance of being in a crash. It involves doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving (Distracted Driving Web). So that activity now is texting. We live in the now when it comes to technology, so whether youre walking or driving the need to use text messaging has become an addiction. Are we addicted? Well according to Websters dictionary the word addiction means "A strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)" (Webster). How can this be? The problem is we have to respond to every message, we act like were missing out if we dont respond in a timely manner. We have to realize that trying to text while driving has so much more consequences now. How have we neglected our responsibility to staying focused while driving? We have a license to operate a motor vehicle, not to be distracted while operating it. Paul Atchley a researcher at the University of Kansas says "If you're addicted to something, you make irrational decisions," Atchley points out. An alcoholic, for example, won't seek out the best booze; he'll just want to satisfy the craving, even if it means using rubbing alcohol--an irrational decision, he says. But with texting, it's different: In one experiment, Atchley and his team

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!"##"$%& )& found that people wanted to answer texts from their significant others before responding to acquaintances--the equivalent of seeking out good liquor, he says (Shortsleeve). That makes a lot sense, decisions are off because your not focus on the main thing. When driving you have to pay attention to detail. "Texting isn't an addiction; it's a compulsive behavior, he says. You see information loses value quickly. After 6 hours, there's no point in texting your girlfriend back--you just want your phone back, Atchley says. That might explain why in one set of experiments, people were willing to give up a large reward to text a significant other back within a half hour instead of waiting that 6 hours (Shortsleeve). I think its both. The behavior has become so addictive that we in endanger our lives. Why do we continue to ignore all the signs? With so much advertising promoting no texting while driving, were still breaking the rules. So whats the next option? With the technology changing companies are making smart cars with hands free speaking. Where now you can have your messages be sent and read through your car. Im all for that, but what about the privacy factor? What if youre riding in the car with a friend? No one wants to hear your messages, and Im pretty sure you dont want everyone to know what youre talking about. Some things are just private. Its just like when youre talking on the phone in the car and you have an audience, you try to be courteous and not say anything inappropriate. Now who wants to go through all that? I think we have to make an effort though. From the information Ive learned while researching this topic, it shows me how easily we get distracted by using our phones. Drivers using cell phones behind the wheel miss half of the information in their driving environment. Texting while driving increases your

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!"##"$%& *& chances of a crash by up to 8 to 23 times (Distracted Driving Web). The more I think about it, the more I recognized that text messaging is the easiest way to communicate with someone. Instead of calling them you can send them a short message, especially if you cant talk or dont want to talk them, it allows you to express yourself in ways you might not be able to do face to face, important information is shared via text. Happy birthday, I love you, I miss you, credit information, DOB, social security etc. It is instant gratification, you send and receive messages all day, and you can literally have a conversation just like you were talking on the phone but with your fingers. How wonderful it is to still be able to communicate without answering the phone? We know that texting is so popular but did you know text message was primarily to be used by the hearing impaired, But it became popular by the year 2000 (Hotz). In other words, texting became a phenomenon over night, as you look around more consumers are starting to text more than they talk. With the improvement in the cellular communications, text messaging has started to be first option when using your phone? Now, 11 years, later, it is reported that teenagers, on average, currently send and receive 10,000 text messages per month. This calculates to more than 330 text messages per day (Hotz). Its amazing how quickly texting has become an addiction, because of its capability to reach anyone at anytime. How can it get any worst? I dont like the word addiction, personally I think were smitten. Were like young lovers who are afraid too much talking will spoil the romance. We cant take our eyes off the things, even when we should! Security cameras caught a poor woman walking, with confidence straight into a fountain. She just got wet, but another man could have been killed as he nonchalantly strolled off a train platform (Spencer).

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!"##"$%& +& Just as you would imagine all the people walking around texting, not paying attention to where theyre going. Around the country last year there were more than a thousand emergency room visits for these sorts of injuries (Spencer). Can you imagine paying a hospital bill because you got hurt while using your cellphone? As funny as it sounds its also sad, that we have to respond to every text message, no matter what were doing? While sitting here observing my fellow peers, I cant help but notice how guilty we are of not paying attention? We get so distracted by either responding to a message or reading one, our faces are head down focusing on the mobile screen. Now think about how were just walking and texting? How about driving? Texting is more distracting than most things people do in their care, said Beth Ebel, the studys principal investigator and a trauma doctor in the injury Prevention and Research Center at Harborview Medical Center. Your eyes are off the road and your brain is also off the road. The worlds not going to stop if you dont respond to a text (Thurnball). How about the young lady in the car? Was the message so important that it caused her to be so distracted behind the wheel? Is the need to send or respond to a message, more important that staying focus on the road? Keep in mind that driving itself is a handful, staying alert at all times, and now youre trying to text while driving. Youre doing too much! Texting while driving is not unlike drunken driving, she said, noting studies that show sending messages while behind the wheel increases the risk of a car crash 23 times similar to driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.19 percent (Thurnball). So would it be safe to say texting and driving is dangerous? Yes, its not worth it, best to wait until you get to you destination to

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!"##"$%& ,& respond or send your message. We learn how easy it is to get distracted, but getting distracted while driving comes at a price. It could be your life or someone else is! We need to do everything in our power to do more advocating about the dangers of texting and driving. We all can take a little bit more responsibility, when it comes to utilizing our phones while driving. What have we learned? If we continue to ignore the consequences, its only going to get worst. Why wait until it happens to you? If you drive, just wait until you get to your destination. The next time you use your phone while driving could be your last message.

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!"##"$%& -& Works Cited Injury Prevention & Control: Motor Vehicle Safety. Cdc.gov. center for disease control, 23 May. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013 Shortsleeve, Cassie. Why do we still text and drive?. living.Msn.com. msnliving, Web. 22 Oct. 2013 Hotlz, Julia. Texting-an-obesssion. Corcordy.com. concordiensis, 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2013 Spencer, Susan. Texting: Can we pull the plug on our Obsession. Cbsnews.com. CBS Interactive, 9 Jun. 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013 Thurnball, Lornet. Study finds drivers in state busy on cellphones, texting. Seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times Company, 8 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013

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