Driver's Ed

Matt Richtel, writer for the New York Times, has recently been facing a challenge, such as the other day, when he publically exposed the dangers of texting while driving in his article, “Driver Texting Now an Issue in the Back Seat.” Richtel makes excellent observations in this article as well as other articles about the harmful effect that technology has had on drivers’ concentrations while they face the task of driving their vehicles. At first, technological advances were praised when they first introduced their mobile cellular devices. Soon enough, these seemingly harmless devices became more and more intricate in their ‘SMS’ texting abilities and even emails forwarded to these cell phones. Drivers are now bringing these phones in cars and using them while driving, which distracts their sensory motor skills from paying full attention to the conditions on the streets.

A multitude of teenagers and adults that Richtel has interviewed claim that they “barely even look at their phone when they text” (Richtel). For this reason, it is safe to make the assumption that nowadays, texting has become a second nature and more shocking- an addiction. The disgusting habit of texting that plagues many teens during school, which keeps them from focusing during class, also affects the concentration of drivers on the road. But people believe that a simple habit of texting won’t affect their focus, can it? Texting has most definitely become an addiction that affects our focus and the “ability to focus is the foundation to all successful pursuits” (SHS Sports Guest Speaker). Without complete focus on the wheel, drivers have become more prone to get in accidents then ever imagined. Richtel goes on to display statistics that are evidence of how harmful roadside texting truly is:

These critics say such devices not only put lives at risk, but also steal attention from passengers hoping for some quality catch-up time… The multitaskers counter with the view that they must, and like, to...