Perils of Texting Essay Example for Free

Perils of Texting EssayCell call ins boast become a staple of modern society. Nearly everyone has them, and concourse carry and exercise them at each(prenominal) hours of the day. For the most part, this is a good thing the benefits of staying connected at any(prenominal) time and at any location are considerable. But if youre like most Americans, you may regularly talk on the telephone or even text piece of music at the wheel of a car. This dangerous demeanour has resulted in increasing numbers of accidents and fatalities caused by cell phone us term. The trend shows no sign of lag down. In 2003, a federal study of 10,000 drivers by the National Highway Traffic Safety plaque (NHTSA) set out to determine the effects of using cell phones behind the wheel. The results were conclusive talking on the phone is equivalent to a 10- point reduction in IQ and a .08 blood alcoholic beverage level, which law enforcement considers intoxicated. Handsfree sets were ineffective in e liminating risk, the study found, because the conversation itself is what distracts drivers, not holding the phone. Cell phone use caused 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents in 2002.Related studies indicated that drivers that talked on the phone slice driving increased their crash risk fourfold, and drivers that texted opus driving increased their crash risk by a whopping 23 times. Since that study, vigorous imposture usage has grown by an order of magnitude, worsening this already dangerous situation. The number of wireless subscribers in America has increased by around 1,000 percent since 1995 to nearly 300 million overall in 2010, and Americans usage of wireless minutes increased by approximately 6,000 percent. This increase in cell phone usage has been accompanied by an upsurge in phone-related fatalities and accidents In 2010, its estimated that texting caused 5,870 fatalities and 515,000 accidents, up considerably from antecedent old age. These figures are roughly half of equivalent statistics for drunk driving. Studies show that drivers get that using the phone magic spell driving is one of the most dangerous things you can do on the road, but refuse to engage that its dangerous when they themselves do it. Of users that text while driving, the more youthful demographic groups, such as the 1829 age group, are by outlying(prenominal) the most frequent texters.About iii quarters of Americans in this age group regularly text, compared to just 22 percent of the 3544 age group. Correspondingly, the majority of accidents involving mobile device use behind the wheel involve young adults. Among this age group, texting behindthe wheel is just one of a litany of problems increase by frequent texting anxiety, distraction, failing grades, instant stress injuries, and sleep deprivation are just nearly of the other problems brought about by immoderate use of mobile devices. Teenagers are particularly prone to using cell phones to text because they want to know whats happening to their friends and are anxious about being socially isolated. Analysts predict that over 800 trillion text messages will be sent in 2010. Texting is clearly here to stay, and in fact has supplanted phone calls as the most commonly used method of mobile communication. People are unwilling to go out up their mobile devices because of the pressures of staying connected.Neurologists own found that the neural response to multitasking by texting while driving suggests that people develop addictions to the digital devices they use most, getting quick bursts of adrenaline, without which driving becomes boring. There are interests opposed to code prohibiting cell phone use in cars. A number of legislators believe that its not farming or federal governments role to prohibit poor decision making. Auto makers, and some safety researchers, are arguing that with the proper technology and under appropriate conditions, communicating from a base vehicle is a manageabl e risk.Louis Tijerina, a veteran of the NHTSA and Ford Motor Co. researcher, notes that even as mobile phone subscriptions have surged to over 250 million during the past decade, the death rate from accidents on the highways has fallen. Nevertheless, lawmakers are progressively recognizing the need for more powerful legislation barring drivers from texting behind the wheel. Many states have made inroads with laws prohibiting texting while operating vehicles. In Utah, drivers crashing while texting can receive 15 years in prison, by far the toughest sentence for texting while driving in the nation when the legislation was enacted. Utahs law assumes that drivers understand the risks of texting while driving, whereas in other states, prosecutors must prove that the driver knew about the risks of texting while driving forward doing so. Utahs tough law was the result of a horrifying accident in which a speeding college student, texting at the wheel, rear-ended a car in front. The car lost control, entered the opposite side of the road, and was relieve oneself head-on by a pickup truck hauling a trailer, killing the driver instantly.In September 2008, a train engineer in California was texting within a minute precedent to the most fatal trainaccident in almost two decades. Californian authorities responded by dismissning the use of cell phones by train workers while on duty. In total, 31 states have banned texting while driving in some form, and most of those states have a full ban for phone users of all ages. The remaining states are likely to follow suit in coming years as well. President Obama also banned texting while driving for all federal government employees in October 2009. Still, theres more work to be done to combat this dangerous and life-threatening practice.SourcesPaulo Salazar, forbiddance Texting While Driving, WCBI.com, August 7, 2010 Jerry Hirsch, Teen Drivers Dangerously Divide Their Attention, Los Angeles Times, August 3, 2010 www.drivingl aws. org, accessed July 2010 www.drivinglaws.org, accessed July 7, 2010 mat Richtel, Driver Texting Now an introduce in the Back Seat, The New York Times, September 9, 2009 Matt Richtel, Utah Gets Tough With Texting Drivers, The New York Times, August 29, 2009 Matt Richtel, In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin, The New York Times, July 28, 2009 Matt Richtel, D rivers and Legislators Dismiss cellular phone Risks, The New York Times, July 19, 2009 Tom Regan, Some Sobering Stats on Texting While Driving, The Christian Science Monitor, whitethorn 28, 2009 Katie Hafner, Texting May be Taking a Toll on Teenagers, The New York Times, May 26, 2009 and Tara Parker-Pope, Texting Until Their Thumbs Hurt, The New York Times, May 26, 2009.Questions to be answered 1. Which of the five moral dimensions of information systems identified is involved in this case? 2. What are the ethical, social, and political issues raised by this case? 3. Which of the ethical principles described ar e useful for decision making about texting while driving?