Texting and Driving: Is That You and Is That Ethical?
The content of this thread is about the ethics of texting when driving and my visitor's views on this currently common activity. When one reads the statistics available regarding the extent of the texting while driving activity and the known statistics of the outcomes of distracted driving, unless my visitors represent a special statistical outlier population, it could be reasonable to consider that half of my visitors are out there texting and driving. Am I correct?
OK..what are the statistics? According to the article in the March 28 2013 issue of USA Today as extracted: Forget teenagers. Adults are the biggest texting-while-driving problem in the USA. What's worse — they know it's wrong.Almost half [49%] of all adults admit to texting while driving in a survey by AT&T provided to USA TODAY, compared with 43% of teenagers. More than 98% of adults — almost all of them — admit they know it's wrong. Six in 10 say they weren't doing it three years ago."I was a little bit surprised," Charlene Lake, AT&T's senior vice president-public affairs, says of the survey of 1,011 adult drivers. "It was sobering to realize that texting while driving by adults is not only high, it's really gone up in the last three years."
Though statistics of death and injuries are not yet available regarding the activity of texting itself which is considered as distracting driving, according to US Government statistics "in 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010. An additional, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 416,000 injured in 2010. 18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-affected crashes." It appears that repeated texting while driving can be a habit of major health significance such as smoking, excess alcohol or illicit drug use.
You are writing anonymously, so speak up! ..Maurice.
Graphic: Photograph taken by me today and edited with Picasa3.
posted by Maurice Bernstein, M.D. @ 8:00:00 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
This is a question for the young predominately.
I have enough trouble texting when I'm lying down let alone while driving. Undeniable that texting is dangerous.
I am wondering if any of my visitors can come up with an ethical "good", a value or benefit of texting while driving that is of such benefit that it would trump the danger of driving at 40 miles/hr 5 or more seconds without paying attention either visually or mentally to the road ahead. Or is the statistical probability that something bad would happen in those 5 or more seconds is so minute that any value of texting would be a satisfactory excuse. ..Maurice.
I personally think that it should be illegal to text while driving. I used to text a little or look at my cell phone while I drove some when I went on business trips when I was in my late 20s. I stopped texting after I realized how dangerous it was.
It is not worth putting your life or someone else's life in danger. Texting can wait until you have stopped driving.
I also personally think that people should not talk on cell phone while they are driving especially if they have to dial numbers (as bad as texting). Look at an example of a fatal accident involving a lady who was talking on her cell phone.
Misty
The problem regarding enforcing laws against texting while driving is simply or not so simply that police cannot, in advance of an accident, detect all the illegal behavior and have the ability to pull the driver over. An alternative to police detection of the illegal activity is to develop an electronic system to prevent all phones from operating within a moving automobile. Would this be unconstitutional, taking away the right of free speech or would this be the same as making it illegal to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire? Any suggestion regarding this enforcement issue? ..Maurice.
I do not think that the example about yelling that there is a fire in a theater is a good comparison because a false fire alarm does not have the potential of killing people. I do not think it is appropriate to make a false fire alarm though.
I personally think it would be a good idea for all new cars to be equipped with an electronic system that prevents cell phones from operating within a moving automobile. I believe we would see a decrease in car accidents. The person could use the cell phone as soon as the car stops. I feel the same way about drunk driving. I wish that all automobiles will not start if a person has too much alcohol in his/her blood. In fact, one of my friends who was arrested for DUI had to take a breathalyzer test before her car would start. I feel it would be unconstitutional for the police to monitor a person’s use of cell phone due to privacy reasons.
I also feel that there needs to be a lot of awareness programs in communities about the dangers of texting.
Misty
I don't have a problem talking on a cell phone, particularly hands free. People do all sorts of things in cars - argue with their wife, yell at their kids, eat their Big Mac. But they can still have their eyes on the road.
Texting - obviously it's dangerous. You shouldn't read the morning paper either.
TAM
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