Sociology

Texting While Driving
SOC 100
November 15, 2010
Christa Raines

Texting while driving has within the last few years become a large social issue.   Although people have acknowledged many dangers of texting while driving their response to the problem is pure ignorance.   Studies have shown that more than 46 % of driver’s ages 16 – 27 admit to texting while driving.   Further studies have shown that only 14 % of those ages 28 – 44 well admit to doing it.   Teenagers are said to be the most common individuals to text while they are driving and are labeled at a much higher risk compared to any other age group.   I will discuss this issue through the lens of sociology and look into the discussion on the ban of texting while driving, death rate, and state laws.
Many states in the United States have placed bans on the problem.   The senate introduced a bill in July 2009 that would require all states to impose a ban on texting while driving; currently 31 states have passed such a ban.   Most recently Massachusetts joined this group of states to have passed such bans.   Texting while driving is a very distractive human behavior that needs to stop.   Unfortunately, there have been many studies done that state texting while driving bans may not work and hurt as people well be more distracted trying to conceal their texting.
The death rate continues to go up each year.   Many drivers out there continue to believe that they are capable of multi-tasking while they are driving.   Studies have shown that at least 1.6 million accidents are caused each year by cell phone texting and cell phone talking.   Cell phone distraction causes nearly 25 % of all accidents.   Texting while driving is about six times more likely to cause an accident than driving while intoxicated.   Of all cell phone related tasks including talking, dialing, and reaching for the phone- texting while driving is the most dangerous.
The scientific literature on the dangers of driving while sending a text message from...