assisnment 5
Running Head: SAFE DRIVING THROUGH REGULATIONS STANDARDIZATION
Safe Driving through Regulations Standardization
Student Name
Institution Affiliation
Date
Introduction
The use of cell phone while driving should be banned and regulations regarding the cell phone use while driving be standardized globally to enhance safe driving. In the recent past, there has been a debate on whether the increasing number of road accidents were caused by cell phone use. Studies have also been done on the issue and one of them has actually found out that the using a cell phone while driving increased the risk of accident by four. Another similar study also concluded that 20 to 30 percent of all road accidents were due to driving while distracted (World Health Organization (WHO) & WHO, 2011). The study also pointed out that the major cause of distraction was cell phone use and other causes include discussing with passengers and adjusting a radio. Other studies conducted based on simulations of driving tests infer that there is a great difficulty of multitasking among several people. This paper will provide a detailed discussion on the history of accidents and phone usage and problems leading to the need for standardization of the regulations on use of cell phones while driving.
History and Status
Since the invention of automobiles, there has been an increase in the number of deaths through road accidents. In fact, these deaths have increased and road accident is recently the major cause of children and youth deaths in the United States today. In 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of NHTSA reported over 6 million cases of automobile accidents (Ige, Banstola, & Pilkington, 2016). Analyzing this report further, the rates of accidents in 2001 is that 1 accident was reported in every 5 seconds. In addition, there was at least one injury in every 10 seconds and one death in every 15 minutes. About $230 billion is lost through road accidents in every year are reported by NHTSA (Dragutinovic & Twisk, 2005).
The use of cell phones while driving has increased rapidly over the last 20 years due to technological innovations. In 1983, the number of cell phone users was significantly low and the following is the statistics from the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association or CTIA (Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission, 2015):
1992: 9 million cell phone users,
1996: 38 million cell phone users,
2000: 97 million cell phone users,
2004: 138 cell phone users
The national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has estimated that out of these numbers, about 73% of them use their cell phones while driving (Dragutinovic & Twisk, 2005).
Several laws have also been enacted to limit the freedom of drivers and the citizens in general. An example of these laws is the regulation that prohibited drivers from drinking and even smoking when they are driving. The regulation was because people who drive under the influence of drugs are likely to have impaired reactions and decisions. There has also been regulations that have been implemented in various states to reduce the number of accidents due to cell phone use while driving (Ige et al., 2016). However, the problems that are being witnessed due to this issue are due to various states having difference regulations of handling the cell phone use while driving. Furthermore, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that no state in the U.S that has their regulations banning the use of cell phones while driving (Pöysti, Rajalin, & Summala, 2005). Most of the states have implemented regulations that allow people to use their phones in certain ways while driving in order to reduce accidents. The problems that have risen due to these differences are discussed as in the next section.
Problem statements
Use of cell phones while driving has led to increased deaths and without standardization of traffic laws and regulations, more deaths are likely to happen. The statistics from the earlier discussions in this paper show that there is an increasing rate in the accidents and deaths due to the usage of cell phones while driving. A number of states have passed laws to prohibit people from using cell phones to make calls, send text message or communicate through social media and other platforms. Some of the states have completely banned the use of cell phones while driving (Pöysti et al., 2005). Though it is a good thing, the number of accidents will continue to rise if these laws are not standardized and all states implement the law that bans cell phone use while driving. This will ensure uniformity and make drivers to be careful because the lives of their passengers and their own lives depends on the decisions they make while driving.
Cell phone use while driving has led to significant financial losses to the country and due to lack of standardization of regulations; these losses are higher and continue to increase. Cell phone usage while driving has resulted to financial losses in terms property damage, injury and death costs. Based on the data from the state and national level, economists have found out that out of the 41,000 facilities for the nation, 80 of them are destroyed annually through accidents caused by cell phone usage (Pöysti et al., 2005). The researchers have also found out that these damages are more prone in some states than others due to lack of standardization of traffic laws. People who are driving under different rules in different places are likely to cause more property damage through accidents in some regions as compared to other regions where cell phone use is banned during driving. To curb this problem, there is need to have the regulations standardized.
The final problem is the loss of labor, economic decline and social problems due to cell phone use while driving. The high number of deaths due to accidents caused by using cell phone lead to sadness and social problems to the loved ones of the victims. In general, deaths lead to sadness in the community as it robs the country the potential labor force needed to develop the economy (Pöysti et al., 2005). Lack of standardization of regulations has further contributed to these problems by allowing drivers to have more freedom in some states or regions.
Conclusion
As has been noted, there is a rapid increase in the number of deaths due to accidents caused by cell phone use while one is driving. The number of the accidents has increased and more deaths and injuries have led to huge financial losses. There is economic, social and financial problems experienced due to cell phone use while driving as discussed herein. Some states have taken initiatives to reduce the usage of cell phone by people driving through enacting various laws. However, the main solution can only be found if there were standardization of the regulations on the cell phone use while driving.
References
Dragutinovic Nina & Twisk Divera, (2005) “ Use of Mobile Phones While Driving – Effects On Road Safety” Institute for Road Safety Research, The Netherlands, Retrieved From: https://goo.gl/mSNAWu
Ige, J., Banstola, A., & Pilkington, P. (2016). Mobile phone use while driving: Underestimation of a global threat. Journal of Transport and Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2015.11.003
Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission. (2015). Hand phone users survey 2014. Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission, 48. https://doi.org/ISSN 1823-2523
Pöysti, L., Rajalin, S., & Summala, H. (2005). Factors influencing the use of cellular (mobile) phone during driving and hazards while using it. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 37(1), 47–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2004.06.003
World Health Organization (WHO), & WHO. (2011). Mobile Phone Use: A Growing Problem of Driver Distraction. Technology, 54p. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.56.121004.100003
