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Ivan Johnson III

Professor Rosenfeld

13 November 2017

English 113

There are many distractions that can cause an accident today. How would you feel if one of your

loved ones died in a collision from being distracted on the road? The government make new laws

to make it safer on the road but, they dont really seem to work. As you read the article,

California Distracted Driving Laws by Kiernan Hopkins he explains how certain laws wasnt

passed by the Governor. The Senator wanted to enforce harsher punishments on anyone who

broke the California driving laws. Sometimes your punishment can be way worse than a fine or

ticket. For Example, Paul Walker the movie star died on the road after his friend who was

driving exceeded the California Speed Limit of 90 mph while driving which caused him to lose

control of the vehicle. The accident was caused because the driver was traveling at high rate of

speed which is California law. Do not exceed the Speed Limit. People do what they want

regardless of the laws that are set forth. Teenagers are the main cause of collision that happen on

the road today but adults cause accidents as well. The California Driving Laws arent effective

because your chance of getting into an accident increases. Cell phone use distracts you and

taking eyes off the road to see whats going on around you is a distraction.

Statistics show today that the accident rates are high in California. According to

Bromwich new statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 272

teenagers were killed in 2015 in what the agency described as distraction-affected crashes. The

data also showed that 3,263 of the 3,477-people killed in such crashes that year had been
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distracted while driving. This shows that around

ninety-three percent of people in the year two

thousand and fifteen died from distracted car

collisions. Its a tragedy that teenagers get

distracted while driving and potentially kill

themselves or others. Thousands of people die

California Car Laws. California Distracted Driving & Cell Phone
Usage Laws
in distracted-driving accidents every year, including more than 3,400 in 2015, according to

federal data released last week (Bromwich). This shows that the year 2015 was the main

year that the accident rates increased in California.

Cell phone use is a big distraction that has made people get into back accidents or maybe

even cause death. Today the accident rates are increasing because teens and adults are being

distracted by their cell phones while they are on the road. For Example, in the article it states

that, No text or phone call is worth the cost of a life (Hopkins). When I am driving to work or

on my way home I dont get on my cell phone to make a call or respond text messages. I dont

want to accidently take someone life because I wasnt following the California driving law. This

image shows that teenagers are focused on their cell phone and want it by them twenty-four

seven. This image on the left shows how Adults have the same that teens do when they

are driving which using cell phones. For example, Bromwich says, Late Last month, a

Texas couple filed a lawsuit against Apple over a two -thousand and fourteen accident in which a

driver using the video calling app Facetime crashed into their car killing their five-year-old

daughter. This shows that the cell phones are the main way how people break the California

driving laws. The ban of cell phone use while driving doesnt work today.
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Some may argue that the laws that are enforced doesnt matter they will continue to do

what they want on the road, however, if you do continue to do what you want you may increase

your chances of getting into an accident. According to Grover, The Driver didnt see her

because she wasnt looking, and my mom lost her life because of that. We have to do better.

People get distracted on the road using cell phones which causes them to not notice what has

happened by the time they look up from their lap. In a split second you can be fine but soon as

you put your head down then back up there can be someones life taken away from them. In

Gabe Nelson Article he states, Its also illegal to talk or text without using a hands-free device.

They do it anyway. Changing the law is simple compared with changing peoples habits. When

he says this, he expresses that no matter what law is set forth people wont follow the rules of the

road simply because they dont want too. The hands-free devices dont always guarantee safe

driving as well because you still having look at the device which can distract you. In Addition,

nelson says, Cars are increasingly being piloted by younger people who are willing to look

down briefly to read text messages while driving (Nelson). This emphasizes how attracted

teenagers cause the most accidents from wanting to look down and seem cool from texting while

driving.

When you take your eyes off the road to see what else is going on around you, it can be a

huge distraction and hands- free devices can be dangerous as well. Looking down at your lap or

looking at miscellaneous things on the road can potentially take someones life. For example,

Mr. Hill was so engrossed in the call that he ran a red light and didnt notice Linda Doyles

small sport utility vehicle until the last second. He hit her going 45 miles per hour. She was

pronounced dead shortly after (Ritchel). This shows that drivers using cell phones are more

likely to cause some accident then other drivers on the road. Today people are required to use
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hands-free devices, but they may still get distracted. For example, Ritchel states that, Five states

and the District of Columbia requires drivers who talk on the cell phones to use hands-free

devices. This shows that hands-free devices can be dangerous as well as holding a phone

because the driver is still distracted from the road either way. The hands-free devices can

malfunction or just have some people lose their mind. For Example, Ritchel states that, His

mother gave him a hands-free headset two month after the accident. She thought it would create

less distraction. He tried it once, and found his mind wandering into his phone call so much that

I nearly missed a light. This expresses how a driver can be distracted regardless of laws that

are set forth to follow and go by.

In conclusion, there are many California driving laws that arent daily. While The laws

are still set forth to follow whether you do or not, the laws aren't effective in California because

statistics show that the accident rates are high because distracted driving, using hands-free

devices doesn't prevent your chance of getting in an accident, and people do what they want

regardless of the laws. Its up to the people of the world that decide to become a legal driver to

follow the California driving laws. Failing to respect the laws can result in a tragedy either injury

or death. It could be your love one so does the best you can to follow the rules of road. I want to

live a long time Do You?

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Works Cited

Bromwich, Jonah Engel. Can a Law Stop Distracted Driving? California Hopes to Find

Out. The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Jan. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/us/cell-phone-while-driving-laws.html

Hopkins, Kiernan. California Distracted Driving Laws. Distracted Driver Accidents,

Distracted Driving Accidents, 11 Sept. 2013, http://distracteddriveraccidents.com/california-

distracted-driving-laws/

Richtel, Matt. Dismissing the Risks of a Deadly Habit: Multitasking on the Road. The New

York Times, The New York Times, 18 July 2009,

www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/technology/19distracted.html

Winton, Richard. Porsche in Paul Walker Crash Was Going Only 55 Mph, Lawsuit

Claims. Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2014,

www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-paul-walker-lawsuit-rodas-20140513-story.html