Critque #1: Texting While Driving

From the blog, The Earhorn, an article titled, Texting While Driving is on the Chopping Block, written by Curtis Chapman, addressing the issue about the main problem of texting while driving. The writer addresses an important issue about texting and the enforcement that states need to issue in order to receive federal funding for highways. The writer mentions the role of the federal government in funding for highways, given in forms of grants known as categorical grants that require the states to oblige to the federal government before receiving any grant.

In the article about texting written by Chapman, the writer shows support for passing a law that bans texting while driving. Using statistic as the leading evidence, he states how texting while driving is eight times the sources of distraction, and twice as dangerous. This clearly shows that texting while driving is severe and brings many negative consequences. Yet almost every Americans here in the United States have their own cell phones, and a vast majority of those that use cell phones are the younger ones. People as young as middle schoolers own cell phones, and though presently there seems to be no danger with the possession of cell phones, but the danger is actually growing as they age. Texting is not a problem if that person is situated in a stable place, not driving on the hectic road, whirling the wheel left and right is no where being stable. Teenagers as young as 16 can already drive behind the wheel, but as mentioned, young middle schoolers already owned cell phones. With inexperience driving skills, this would leave many teenagers in accidents and collisions. For this reason, I understand why Chapman would support in favor of banning texting while driving.

Yet passing a law does not mean that the people will oblige and do as follow. Law states that there can't be anyone driving while under the influence, but people still do. That's why driving while intoxicated remains the number one reason for car wrecks. Law states that there can't be anyone drinking under the age of 21, but I am pretty sure that the vast majority of teenagers have already taken a sip of their first or maybe many cups of alcohol. Even if the law does get pass, that simply can't reduce people from not doing, especially since cell phones have become so vital to many Americans' lives. Instead, I think that passing the law is one thing, but the enforcement must be strict and effective. What does this mean? This means that the punishment must be suitable and police officers do not just randomly pull someone's car over just so they can reach a certain number of tickets for each month. The police officers can start by becoming role models and they should also be ban from using cell phones while driving. If police officials were given special privilege, how must one expect the Americans to respect them if they do not oblige with the law as well? If there is something call justice, then firm regulation must be monitored, and this is regardless of their backgrounds, jobs, ethnicity, or status in America. Therefore, I agree with Curtis Chapman in his blog entry about texting while driving, and the danger that will happen. For this reason, it is important that we all understand what's at stake in this game: everyone's lives. Why everyone's lives? Because you may not be texting, but the person in front of you or behind you were, and could have hit your car. Protect yourself, and the lives of others by supporting the ban of texting while driving. Surely you wouldn't want the person in the wreck to have been you, or a special someone of yours because of someone's foolishness to text while driving, right?