With an 80% of texting while driving, males took the win. Women however did not fall too far behind with a 73%. Even though gender and age does not matter when it comes to safety, the fact is that adult drivers tend to have more experience driving and respond faster in critical conditions. The fact is that accidents can be prevented and that focus is indispensable when operating a motor vehicle. The National Phone Survey of Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors found that while most respondents felt that texting made no difference on their own driving performance. However 90% said they would feel very unsafe as a passenger if their driver was using a hand-held device. Teens who text while drive spend approximately 10% of their driving time outside of their lane. Which proves that even though it seems like texting and driving is harmless, it really does lower driving performance. “10% of all drivers 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the crashes. The percentage of drivers’ text-messaging or visibly manipulating handheld devices increased from 1.7 percent in 2013 to 2.2 percent in 2014. Since 2007, young drivers (age 16-24) have been observed manipulating electronic devices at higher rates than older drivers.”(NHTSA) …show more content…
Since 2010, 30 states have taken action to prevent the increasing number of distracted related accidents. So what else needs to happen for the other 20 states to address the issue? Nine out of ten Americans believe that texting and driving should be illegal. Meanwhile each individual can take steps to avoid being part of the statistics. There are several different apps available to smart phone users to help them prevent distractions while driving. To name a few, Drive Assist, Drive Safe, and Zoom safe are all top rated and effective tools in decreasing distractions. They use the phones integrated GPS to determine whether a vehicle is moving or not. If so, the application “locks” and can only be used for emergency calls. The price ranges from $6-$12 and Drive Safe also has the capability of letting parents know if a certain maximum predetermined speed was exceeded. Taking action, and education can help make a