Reem Aljohani

December 5, 2014
Ryan Cales
Univ-112
Ethical Analysis Essay
Texting while Driving
I planned on writing this essay when I was working on one of my
previous projects in regards to the ethical problems with Waze, which is a
popular social networking app available on android and IOS platforms.
While I was researching the various ethical problems associated with this
application, I came across an ethical concern that had a much wider
context than Waze. It involved the usage of smartphones in general while
driving, particularly writing text messages while driving. This idea took me
by surprise, and motivated me to write a comprehensive essay to
highlight this ethical dilemma.
The biggest strength of this paper is the fact that it is backed with
adequate secondary data from valid and reliable sources that helps me
prove my thesis statement right. The weakest point, in my point of view, is
that it does not involve sampling in itself, and tends to generalize the
findings already present.
If I had more time to complete this essay, I would have made it
more organized and segregated into headings and subheadings that
elaborate each and every aspect with great attention to detail and focus.

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Texting while Driving
Introduction
Diverted driving has turned into a wellspring of becoming concern
among governments, street security analysts and the general population
in the previous decade. This is expected, to some extent, to worry that
diverted driving helps expanded accident hazard, and, partially as a result
of the connection that has been built between at any rate a few sorts of
preoccupations and expanded accident hazard. These issues have been
generally reported in the writing (Governors Highway Safety Association
2011). Specifically, inquire about obviously shows that messaging while
driving is a perilous conduct on the grounds that messaging is a critical
wellspring of preoccupation. This conduct is particularly risky for high
schooler drivers who are all the more frequently pulled in to and all the
more promptly receive new correspondence innovations (Lee, 2011). This
is on the grounds that are teenagers more unpracticed at driving, as well
as, also, their brains are not completely created which makes them more
powerless to preoccupations and misguided thinking (Smiley, 2008).
The extensive use of cellphones even while driving does not really
have some real or affirmative motives; rather, it has become more of a
practice that brings pleasure to people. This is more in line with Zizeks
explanation of Cultural Capitalism (Zizek, 2009); consumers buy products
to yield the experience provided by them for a mere motive of making our
lives pleasurable, regardless of their utility. The expanded relative danger
of adolescent and youthful drivers being included in a preoccupation
related crash can be ascribed to conduct and demeanor among this age
bunch. As of late, a broadly illustrative overview of occupied driving
mentality and conduct found that drivers under 25 are significantly more
probable than more seasoned drivers to send instant messages or
messages while driving. Among 16- 25 year old respondents, pretty nearly
70% confessed to sending instant messages or messages while driving
contrasted with 14% of all respondents (Schroeder,. 2013). Also, while

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practically all drivers accept that sending instant messages while driving
is extremely dangerous, adolescent travelers are more hesitant than more
seasoned travelers to talk up if the driver is messaging in the driver's seat
(NHTSA 2012). The accident danger connected with hands-fre messaging
while driving is not too comprehended in light of the fact that in-auto
voice- to-content innovation is moderately new, and few studies
researching this particular issue have been finished to date. What is
known, nonetheless, underpins the dispute that without hands messaging
while driving postures critical diversion, and thusly, unsuitable accident
hazard. To put this activity security issue and general wellbeing concern
into viewpoint, this paper draws after existing research keeping in mind
the end goal to impart knowledge into key features of diverted driving and
the suggestions for messaging-while-driving conduct among adolescent
drivers.
Thesis Statement
Building on the vast amounts of retrospective data supporting the
various consequences of texting while driving, I tend to explore the
pertaining drawbacks of this ethical problem, and to identify the different
methodologies that can help to resolve this problem.
Dangers of Texting While Driving
It is a common observation that literally thousands of road accidents
happen across the globe every day, and out of these, a majority of
accidents happen because of distracted driving. There are many
contributors of distraction while driving, but the most common and
prominent distraction is texting while driving. Many of us observe
hundreds of drivers busy in either texting someone or searching for
something via the smartphone integrations like GPS and others. Especially
since the advent of the smartphone era, and the social media era with
addictive social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Waze, use
of cellphones while driving has significantly increased. According to a
survey by the national safety council, approximately 213,000 car crashes
in the US in the year 2011 occurred as a consequence of texting while

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driving (Neyfakh, 2013), which is also remarkably higher than the
preceding years figures. Studies also contend that drivers busy in texting
are twice as likely to be involved in car accidents, than those who
maintain a focus on the road. According to the national highway traffic
safety administration, almost 18% of all fatal crashes in 2010 were due to
driver distraction caused by use of cell phones (Federal Communications
Commission, 2014).
In a late meta-examination of accident information and naturalistic
studies on wireless impacts on accident hazard, Elvik (2011) inferred that
crash danger is around three times more noteworthy when utilizing a
mobile phone. Furthermore, a late GHSA (2011) audit of the occupied
driving exploration reasons that wireless utilization expands accident
danger to some degree however there is no agreement on the extent of
the increment. The potential increment in accident hazard that can come
about because of cell utilization represents a noteworthy concern in light
of the predominance of this conduct and the evaluated commitment of
driver diversion to street crashes. As indicated by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008 there were an expected
11% of vehicles whose drivers were utilizing some sort of telephone
(handheld or hands free) while driving at any given time. In a worldwide
correlation of reported toward oneself driving conduct, it was accounted
for among drivers matured 18-64, 21% of British drivers and 69% of
American drivers chatted on a phone while driving in any event once in
the previous 30 days. The predominance of drivers who had perused or
sent an email or instant message while driving in the previous 30 days
went from 15% in Spain to 31% in Portugal and the United States (Centers
for Disease Control 2013). A few telephone overviews have been directed
in the United States to gage open mentality and practices in regards to
diverted driving. In 2009, the Insurance
Facts about Texting While Driving

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IIHS reported that 13% of respondents of all ages confessed to
messaging while driving. Among 18-24 year olds, 43% answered that they
content and drive. In 2010, a study by NHTSA reported that, in general,
18% of respondents sent messages or messages while driving, though
49% of 21-24 year olds insisted this sort of conduct. In a 2012 NHTSA
overview 21% of respondents asserted that they sent messages or
messages while driving. Later, in the review, respondents were inquired as
to whether they occupied with this kind of conduct. Of course, less (14%)
respondents kept on conceding they sent messages or messages while
driving. In any case, 71% of 16-20 year olds and 69% of 21-24 year olds
endured positive association in messaging or messaging while driving
(Schroeder, 2013).
Drivers License; increased responsibility
At the point when one is given drivers permit; they are likewise
given a lot of obligation. Not just are they working a vehicle that can
possibly take their life, yet it can possibly take the life of others too.
Driving obliges a lot of center and obliges numerous sorts of fixation,
which ought not be broken. Sending instant messages or "messaging"
while driving additionally obliges a lot of consideration and is assessed to
cause 28% of auto collisions for every year (Pascual-Ferr, P). At the point
when an individual decides to send content while driving, they are giving
up their capacity to focus and weakening their judgment.
In place for a change to be made in the way drivers perspective
messaging and driving, drivers must open their eyes to the negative
impacts

messaging

can

have

on

their

driving

capacities.

Proof

demonstrates that states, which have banned the demonstration of

messaging and driving, demonstrate an amazing reduction in yearly
mishaps. Due to this, it can be expected that if messaging while driving
was made unlawful in the greater part of the United States, the quantity of
yearly mishaps would abatement, making the street a more secure spot.

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Numerous individuals, most being new drivers, accept that they are
fit for giving full regard for the street while sending instant messages at
the same time. Then again, it has been demonstrated that individuals
regularly overestimate these capacities and have a false feeling of
certainty. More mischances have been created by the individuals, who
were messaging and driving, than those which included medications and
liquor joined (Pascual-Ferr, P). Paola Pascual-Ferra, a doctoral understudy
in the School of Communication, collaborated with the National Safety
Commission and Research and discovered 1.6 million mishaps have been
brought on by this hazardous type of "multi-tasking." She is endeavoring
to get a law passed that will boycott messaging and driving in each of the
50 states. Pascual-Ferra perceives that it is difficult to pass a law that can
be authorized viably, she accepts that it is vital to consider drivers
responsible for their activities. Albeit messaging is hard to distinguish
when cars are going at high speeds or when going during the evening, she
urges drivers to end up educated and educate those around them of the
dangers of messaging and driving (Pascual-Ferra).
Measures to Curtail Texting While Driving
There are numerous associations, which are attempting to show
adolescent grown-ups the dangers of messaging while driving. One of
these associations is known as "Content Kills." "Content Kills" visits
secondary schools across the country to exhibit how messaging impedes
judgment while driving (Textkills). Through a reenactment exercise, high
schoolers are placed in a stationary vehicles in which they ride with a
phone in the traveler seat. The consequences of this reproduction
demonstrated that when the PDA made a beeping commotion, despite the
fact that it was not theirs, understudies snatched it naturally, taking their
eyes off of the street. Understudies report that amid the activity they
smashed commonly, and felt like they were not in full control of the
vehicle. After this presentation, understudies were asked to sign a vow
expressing they would avoid messaging while driving for no less than 12

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months. Through these activities, numerous youthful grown-ups get to be
more mindful of the dangers of messaging and driving, and are less
inclined to content and drive knowing the mischief it can bring about
(Tolbert, 2012).
Messaging while driving is a danger to open security, and, as
specified in the recent past, numerous drivers are frequently excessively
certain with their driving capacities. Maybe the most sure are young
people. As the utilization of innovation increments, and as youngsters are
given cells at more youthful ages, it gets to be more probable that
adolescent grown-ups will utilize their phone gadget to call and send
instant messages while working a vehicle. This stems from today's social
standard of multi-tasking and doing things quicker. We now have fast
Internet, quicker nourishment administration, and what is by all accounts
a "speedy fix" for anything. With these constant advances, individuals are
urged to carry on with a quick paced life. That being said, numerous
drivers assume that they can't hold up to answer an instant message until
they are pulled off or in a safe area. Rather, they reach for their phones
and react rapidly to the individual they were messaging. Parts of the more
youthful era have a tendency to be agreeable with innovation, as well as
dependent on it also. At the point when these youthful drivers take their
eyes off the street, actually for a couple of seconds, they can result in an
accident.
Conclusion
Where driving distractions can prove to be fatal, the most dangerous
of all distractions is the drivers involvement in texting while driving. With
the increasing trends in the smartphone industry, and the rising popularity
of the social networking applications, usage of smartphones across the
globe has significantly increased. It has created a kind of addiction among
the users; an addiction so fierce that one cannot even let go of it at the
expense of his/her life. While this ethical concern continues to grow by the

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hour, a potential way out might be the introduction and encouragement of
hands-free texting and voice typing.

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Reference
Elvik, R. (2011). The effects on accident risk of using mobile phones:
problems of meta-analysis when studies are few and bad.
Transportation Research Board 2011 Annual Meeting, paper 110134. amonline.trb.org
Federal Communications Commission. (2014). The Dangers of Texting
While Driving. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/texting-while-driving
Governors Highway Safety Association (2011). Distracted Driving: What
Research Shows and What States Can Do. Washington, DC: GHSA
Lee, S.E., Simons-Morton, B.G., Klauer, S.G., Ouimet, M.C., & Dingus, T.A.
(2011). Naturalistic assessment of novice teenage crash experience.
Accident Analysis & Prevention 43(4), 1472- 1479.
Neyfakh, L. (2013). Texting and driving: A deadly habit. The Week.
Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://theweek.com/article/index/252059/texting-and-driving-adeadly-habit
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2012). Blueprint for
Ending Distracted Driving. DOT HS 811 629. U.S. Department of
Transportation,Washington, DC.
Pascual-Ferr, P., Liu, Y., & Beatty, M. J. (2012). A Meta-Analytic
Comparison of the Effects of Text Messaging to Substance-Induced
Impairment on Driving Performance. Communication Research
Reports, 29(3), 227-238.
Smiley, A., Caird, J.K., Smahel, T., Donderi, D.C., Chisolm, S., Lockhart, J.,
Teteris, E. (2008). The Effects of Cellphone and CD Use on Novice
and Experienced Driver Performance. Executive Summary. Driver
Distraction. Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Schroeder, P., Meyers, M., Kostyniuk, L. (2013). National Survey on
Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors- 2012. DOT HS 811 729.
U.S. Department of Transportation. Washington, DC

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Tolbert, M. (2012). Texting While Driving. Retrieved November 17, 2014,
from
https://sites.google.com/site/morgantolbertgwrtcsection066/researc
h-paper
Zizek, S. (2009). First as Tragedy, then as Farce. London. Verso