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Introduction

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

indicate that texting distracts a driver and slows his reaction by about 35%. On the other

hand, drinking alcohol lowers a driver’s reaction by 12%. Therefore, texting when driving is

more dangerous than drunk driving. Across the country, drunk driving is taken seriously

because of the risk it poses to other road users. Texting should also be treated with such

seriousness because it blurs the driver’s judgment and the inherent ability to react to

particular road conditions effectively. However, supporters of texting while driving has

always argued that they may be responding to different emergencies. This should not be the

case, as responding to an emergency puts other people at different types of risks. This paper

explains why texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving.

Texting When Driving should be Treated as Drunk Driving

Texting takes a driver’s eyes off the road for a significant number of seconds. If a

driver texts five seconds to text when driving at 55 miles per second, he would cover

approximately 100 yards. The distance is large enough to cause an accident, especially on

busy highways. The five seconds a driver spends texting is more than enough to miss another

driver's signs in front of him (Farris 3). For example, a driver in front may abruptly hit the

brakes. If the driver was distracted by texting when the other driver gave indications that he

was about to hit a brake, an accident might occur. Alternatively, texting while driving may

distract a driver causing him to drift out of his lane in traffic. The results may be catastrophic
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in such cases as he may end up hitting other vehicles. The prevention strategy for such a

situation is simply to avoid texting when driving.

Safe driving requires full attention. A lot of people are at risk when the driver gets

distracted for a moment. For example, a distraction near a children’s playfield may hit them

as they may not know that the driver is not paying attention. Texting takes over the driver's

attention, making him momentarily forget he is on the road and needs to ensure both his

safety and that of the other road users (Caird 312). When the driver is engaged in complex

conversations, his driving ability will be ultimately impaired, and his attention strained.

Drunk driving also impairs driving ability and judgment. As a result, texting while driving

and drunk driving have a similar effect on the driver's judgment. Therefore, texting when

driving should be treated as drunk driving.

Texting when Driving should not be Treated as Drunk Driving

Texting when driving often occurs as an impulse, and it is not always a driver’s

intention. Even though a driver might have been advised severally on the dangers of texting

when driving, the decision to text may sometimes be emotional. The decision can also be

automatic and subconscious. The driver may seem not to be in control as he knows he is not

supposed to be texting, yet he finds himself texting. Texting when driving is a psychological

example of human decisions' imperfections (Hayashi et al. 84). In this digital era, individuals

use their phones in almost every situation. The driver may subconsciously find himself using

the phone. Therefore, texting when driving should not be treated like drunk driving because

the latter is done consciously while the former is done unconsciously.

Conclusion

Texting when driving should be treated as drunk driving because they have similar

effects. They both pose dangers to other road users because they impair the driver’s
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judgment. Texting when driving distracts the driver and makes him more responsive to the

traffic and other road events. Distraction is a leading cause of accidents. Even though texting

when driving may be subconscious, there is no justification for it if it ends up causing

accidents.
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Works Cited

Caird, Jeff K., et al. "A meta-analysis of the effects of texting on driving." Accident Analysis

& Prevention 71 (2014): 311-318.

Farris, Alexis M. "LOL-Texting While Driving is No Laughing Matter: Proposing a

Coordinated Response to Curb this Dangerous Activity." Wash. UJL & Pol'y 36

(2011): 233.

Hayashi, Yusuke, Christopher T. Russo, and Oliver Wirth. "Texting while driving as

impulsive choice: A behavioral economic analysis." Accident Analysis &

Prevention 83 (2015): 182-189.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Distracted driving/ electronic device use.

2020.