Texting and Driving: It is Time to Stop

Technology has advanced very much over the last few years. The world is revolving faster than I ever thought. 30 years ago, I was using a rotary phone at my grandmother's house. Due to the cord attached, I couldn't walk more than 3 feet away from the base of the phone. Computers were extremely slow and used a floppy diskette. Electric car windows were just making their introduction.

In the present time, we have cars you can talk and they talk back. we have computers that are faster than the speed of light. But the technology that is both great and a horrible idea is the texting feature on cell phones. It is amazing how we are always connected. We can use cell phones for calling and we can facetime. Texting, however, seems the most convenient and quickest of all technology to be reached instantaneously at any given time.

Texting has its positives. It is use to keep in touch with one another ranging from down the street to across the other side of the world. A quick text to a friend to just say you are thinking about him or her may brighten their darkest day. Quick access to important information for reasons such as a password to the internet network setup in your home, your partner's complete birthdate to fill out medical forms, the confirmation number of an app you share that you are logging into, or to chat with an associate of a business you belong for their support are only a few extremely good uses of texting.

Cellphones are wonderful to have and have many positive uses. They are convenient, they are quick, and they are necessary. Unfortunately, there is a major flaw in cellphones regarding one of its greatest uses. When commonsense of human race falls in a certain area, that is when extreme failure arises. Texting is one of those flaws in respect to texting and driving.

Teenagers get the most excited around the age of 15 years old. Not only are they making many decisions on their own, teenagers are starting to learn to drive a car. I recall getting excited every time my Drivers ED teacher picked me to teach me to drive. It is a major part of becoming closer to being an adult. The responsibility we gain as we are issued a driver's license weighs heavy on us. When we are young drivers, we care more, we focus more, but most of all, we follow rules more.

Distractions, no matter what they may be, cause many issues in life. Not all distractions are detrimental. The damages of being distracted while driving are innumerable. The most distractive thing one can do while driving is texting.

I a sickened and angered each time I notice a driver texting while driving. The moment I see that, something rises up in me that just wants to scream out. I would feel much safer and happier if there was a way to catch these individuals in that moment. An immediate fine perhaps? It amazes me just how individuals can be so self-absorbed that they put others and themselves in danger.

There is no valid reason one can give me that would suffice to witness the irreparable damages texting and driving has caused to some of the individuals I have come in contact. The damages I have heard are loss of limb, mental issues, and even death. Not only have these accidents occurred by the individual driving their own car and texting, accidents from other drivers who were in the act of texting while causing an accident.

Each time I am behind the wheel, I focus on safety for myself and others. I am no saint and I get distracted as well. But the one thing I try and never do is to touch my phone. It is a shame that my biggest distraction I find is watching out for other drivers that are one their phone. At any given day, just from my 15 min ride to work, I could count and there would be over 20 drivers texting. At the end of the day the number of drivers text doubles, if not triples. I have been a victim of a driver texting while driving. Just 3 weeks after purchasing a brand new car, the first payment hadn't even been made, a guy on his cell phone rear-ended me at a stoplight. The freshness and worth of the car dropped tremendously. Thank God that I was not injured other than a few muscle aches and a small fear that it may happen again.

I should be paying more attention to getting to my destination and keeping my passengers and myself safe. Instead, I am having to watch for other drivers swerving into my lane. I have to keep an eye in the front and back of my car in order that I may somehow avoid someone rear-ending me or having to "interrupt and irritate" the person sitting at the stoplight, that didn't notice the light turning green, while I and 10 drivers behind me lay on our horn to get the distracted, texting, selfish, inconsiderate, and senseless persons attention.

There has to be more that can be done to decrease this nonsense. Enough is enough. The accidents, trauma, and death caused by texting and driving is at an all time high. There are entirely too many drivers behind the wheel that should have better sense to cause these damages. Enough with the distracted drivers. I hope, pray, and vote on changes to take place and sooner rather than later.

So here we are in a world such amazing technology yet with little to no commonsense. It is a selfish thing to text and drive. It is time to put it to a stop!