The document discusses the issue of texting while driving in New Mexico. It finds through research that texting while driving is a major cause of deaths among teens in New Mexico. While it is illegal to text and drive in New Mexico, the law and community are not doing enough to prevent it. The results of the research show a need for more education, awareness and enforcement of laws against texting while driving in order to reduce deaths from this careless act. The conclusion states that New Mexico must make more effort to improve laws, policies and enforcement against texting while driving to help reduce deaths on the roads.
The document discusses the issue of texting while driving in New Mexico. It finds through research that texting while driving is a major cause of deaths among teens in New Mexico. While it is illegal to text and drive in New Mexico, the law and community are not doing enough to prevent it. The results of the research show a need for more education, awareness and enforcement of laws against texting while driving in order to reduce deaths from this careless act. The conclusion states that New Mexico must make more effort to improve laws, policies and enforcement against texting while driving to help reduce deaths on the roads.
The document discusses the issue of texting while driving in New Mexico. It finds through research that texting while driving is a major cause of deaths among teens in New Mexico. While it is illegal to text and drive in New Mexico, the law and community are not doing enough to prevent it. The results of the research show a need for more education, awareness and enforcement of laws against texting while driving in order to reduce deaths from this careless act. The conclusion states that New Mexico must make more effort to improve laws, policies and enforcement against texting while driving to help reduce deaths on the roads.
The document discusses the issue of texting while driving in New Mexico. It finds through research that texting while driving is a major cause of deaths among teens in New Mexico. While it is illegal to text and drive in New Mexico, the law and community are not doing enough to prevent it. The results of the research show a need for more education, awareness and enforcement of laws against texting while driving in order to reduce deaths from this careless act. The conclusion states that New Mexico must make more effort to improve laws, policies and enforcement against texting while driving to help reduce deaths on the roads.
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 6
Texting & Driving
Aide Delgado English 219-042 Professor Erin Lebacqz December 23, 2015
Introduction As a New Mexico Native I have seen this issue go on for years. With a rising increase of deaths in the state because of car accident fatalities, we can see that New Mexico has among the worst drivers in the country. As a conductor myself in the state I am a living witness that we drive with some of the worst drivers. One of the leading cause of deaths in the country for teens is texting and driving. To add this issue to our drivers here in NM is a disaster. As a young adult I know this is an issue that cost precious lives over something so insignificant. Although it is illegal to text and drive in New Mexico, I dont think the law or our community is doing enough to prevent this. This action is a careless act for the people on the road in NM.
Compared to the rest of the states, you would assume that our policies would improve our statistics and facts but they seem to be getting worst throughout the years. So the question lies in where are we going wrong? The enforcement of these policies are not being enforced the way they should. As a driver in NM I have found myself driving on a 65mph freeway and the car next to me is on the phone or texting. If you look at the chart above you can see that NM is not banded from Hand-held phone use ban for all drivers. All drivers should always be hand free on the road. Our lives depend on the accuracy and efficiency of other drivers.
Methodology We conducted our research in several ways. 1) We ourselves went into deep observation of what the causes and effects of texting and driving 2) we investigated some the role of texting in driving 3) we collected data and compared it to other states. We as an organization each went with a young teen that we knew personally and drove with the 5-10 times. We each found that A teen will pick up there phone almost every time sometime while on the road or behind the wheel. We also found that the mental state that they think they have good concentration, and good reflexes. These roles played into the situation for why they think texting and driving is ok. Next we wanted to investigate what role did texting and driving take when it came to deaths, crashes, and driving. We found that most people are impaired by this situation. People are more likely to drive incautiously when using their phone device. Distracted driving is adding the the causes of these factors on the road. Lastly we collected data that proved that there is a problem specifically in NM. On the New Mexico state government website for transportation we found an enormous section dedicated to DWI. However we found close to nothing on texting and driving. They issued the importance of how it was dangerous to drink and drive and it is true but for there to be no education on texting and driving really concerns me. We also collected data by interviewing some young teens around the community about their drivers Ed courses. Although most of them said they did have a texting and driving section, they said that is the only time they have some across that topic in a course. So what about adults who havent gone to drivers Ed in years and forget their fundamentals. I know it happens to everyone where they begin to get comfortable in the road and start speeding and doing all these other things. This is why more texting and driving should be brought upon for more awareness.
Results The results lead me to think we need more education, awareness, and enforcement on texting and driving. The results have shown in our state as bad driving. The results of this methodology in distracted driving are the lack of importance. We have taken lives for granted over a text message. The results is the loss of respect on the road, the respect for others lives. We often do this so occasionally that we forget, distracted driving is a crime. The results are plain and simple, deaths and fatalities. We should not injure someone for life nor take their life because of the lack of education we have on distracted driving. Moving aside from this even those who seem to know about the dangers of this seems to think its ok to text and drive. The results have shown that people are aware of the risks and dangers of this habit but continue to do so. I think it goes back to our foundation of skills and education. We must think before them, we must think before people even drive. We must teach them the consequences of distracted driving. The results have shown the lack of interest for this matter. People seem to not care enough to change.
Discussion
For a normal human being, I think taking someones life away is a good enough of a reason not to do something. The lack of interest and demand in distracted driving is what intends to be the problem. People think oh it wont happen to me till its too late. People should care because its a danger to yourself and others on the road. Think of this, yourself driving home after work and your mom texts you where are you? Would replying on my way home account for some high school senior life on her way to her graduation ceremony? I think typing those four letters would haunt me for the rest of my life. To know I had taken away a bright future out of the selfishness of my carelessness. Whats most important here is saving lives.
Conclusion Furthermore we have seen the problem, the causes, and the potential solution. We as state must make a step to better our laws, policies, and enforcement on texting and driving. Deaths are being the end result of this issue. We must make an effort to reduce this careless act and promote better driving. As simple as this may seem its something as easy as doing it. According to drivinglaws.org New Mexico remains one of the dozen or so states with no restrictions on texting while driving. With the exception of novice drivers, there is no state-wide
prohibition on cell phone or texting use while driving in New Mexico.
However there are cell phone and texting prohibitions based on local ordinances in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Gallup, Taos and Espanola. State-wide, novice drivers are prohibited from texting while driving. The exception for this issue must become important for peoples lives.
Reference Sheet (Jennifer K. Ibrahim, PhD, MPH, Evan D. Anderson, JD, Scott C. Burris, JD, Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD, State Laws Restricting Driver Use of Mobile Communications Devices Distracted-Driving Provisions, 19922010, June 2011)
(J.D. Catherine Chase , U.S. State and Federal Laws Targeting Distracted Driving, March 2014) (Neil M. Issar, The link between texting and motor vehicle collision frequency in the orthopaedic trauma population, June 2013)
