Texting & Driving

Driving distractions is a leading factor for crashes in Minnesota. Cell phones accounting for at least 25% of all crashes annually result in at least 70 deaths and 350 injuries alone. 81% of Americans admit that they text while drive. Using a cell phone while driving whether hands-free or hand-held, delays a driver’s reaction time as much as having an alcohol concentration level of 0.08% which is considered to be driving while intoxicated and drivers who take their eyes off the road for up to 4.6 out of every 6 seconds when texting is equivalent to driving the length of a football field at 55 mph hours without looking up.

With texting is on the rise and many new phones out with new and improved internet and advanced applications. Cell phones have become a huge distraction, whether it’d be at the dinner table with the family, at school under your desk, while a teacher is trying to teach, or even now days behind the wheel. I think the biggest problem with texting is when it takes over a person’s concentration on the road, pretty soon instead of focusing on the road a person is looking down texting a message like “hey” to a friend, but do they realize what the consequence of that could be? Does that person realize that could be their last words, their last text, do they realize not only are they responsible for what could happen to them but they could also become responsible for what is happening to the other person when they read that text.

            Driving is an activity that requires full concentration 100% of the time. With texting and driving your concentration time is cut because you are too engaged in what is happening “later” when later may not be an option if you don’t focus on what is happening “then”, while driving.  On average a person texting or making a call while driving is three times more likely to get into an accident. Texting while driving is considered to be even more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, because driving while intoxicated you are at least looking at the road and have some concentration and faster reaction time then if you were texting and had no concentration what so ever. On the other hand, texting while driving you have zero concentration, you are looking down and have no reaction time, because when you look up it could be too late. When texting behind the wheel and you crash you can cover a span of 25ft, compared to an intoxicated driver who usually only covers 4ft. It is not legal to operate a cell phone in any way while behind the wheel for anyone under 18 already, but I think it should be illegal for everyone. Think about how many lives could be saved, how much we could cut down on injuries in non-fatal crashes and many other components and risk factors would be almost eliminated. So why not put down your phone and drive, because after all it is the law, and you could be fined up to $300, Is that a big enough consequence?  The question still remains.

Social Blogging & Your Life..Be Careful.

I think that the social media once again is very strong. You need to be careful what you do on the internet anywhere and everywhere. Almost everything that you do can be traced backed to you. Besides would you want someone you don't know or for that matter someone you've never met before viewing personal things about you that you've posted on a certain site? I think that social media has got a control on some people lives. What happened to talking to people in person? Almost all talking is based through networking now days, on certain sites, but then we need to realize that what we say online, someone else could see rather then talking to someone in person, it would be basically between you and that one person. It's scary, the social networking sites, ever wonder why you are getting friend requests from 'friends' you aren't even friends with, people you have never met before, people requesting you that you have no 'mutal friends' with? It's actually quite frightening if you think about it..why did they friend request you, that's the question. People need to be more concious on what they post to the 'public' through sites and forums.

Social Media Revolution

Well what I thought, was that media really is taking over the world, not exactly a positive was but in negative ways as well. The Media Revolution is advancing in so many ways, creating more forms of communication of all kinds, and creating new internet sights daily, hourly. I think that more and more people though are finding thereselves less involved in the 'real' life, like whats going on around them. People are tuning out their family, friends everyone, everything around them and focusing more one the media and whats new, or the latest out there. It's sad how you can walk into any resturaunt now days and there at a table will be a family; a mom, a dad, maybe a 6 year old son and a 12 year old daughter, the kids are enoying their dinner or lunch or whatever and mom and dad are busy on their 'gadgets' (cell phones) they are totally disingaged, from what should be their priority, their family around them, their children. How are kids that are brought up like that going to live, what are they going to become, what will the next generation be like? Children need the family aspect of life too, but when parents are too busy or are preoccupied with other things like their cell phone, children could be getting a different message, although it may seem like it doesn't affect them, we all know it most certainly does.