Cell phone companies have the technology to shut down texting while users are driving, so why aren’t they implementing it? So many accidents and deaths would be prevented if our ability to text while behind the wheel was shut down. I see no harm in companies shutting off texting while a person is driving, especially when the real harm is coming from keeping the texting feature available at all times.

 

Yes, many people understand that texting and driving can have serious consequences. However, many of us continue to do it. We are constantly connected to our phones, but that split second that you look down to check the notification of a text could cost someone the rest of their life. Unfortunately for some, a warning isn’t enough to keep their hands off their phone and on the wheel, until it happens to them.

An article from the New York Times explained how a 21-year-old woman was checking her messages while driving and crashed into a vehicle, killing the driver and passenger and leaving a child paralyzed. The driver, Ashley Kubiak now keeps her phone in the back seat. The problem is that it took the loss of two lives and the permanent damage of another for her to change. Some people do not have it in them to keep their phones out of reach, which is why phone companies need to eliminate the chances. It is already too late, too many times.

According to the United States Department of Transportation, cell phones are involved in 1.6 million auto crashes each year that cause a half million injuries and claim over 6,000 lives. Think about how many lives would be saved if texting did not work when an individual was driving. Technology is responsible for the mess of consequences associated with texting while driving and it can get us out. Not everyone has the willpower to throw their phone in the back seat while they drive, but there is no choice when technology shuts it down.

Many might argue that they need it in case of emergency. If there is such an emergency, then you dial 911. There is no need to have texting available while the car is moving. Many phone companies, such as AT&T and Verizon, offer a “driving mode” setting that prevents messages while driving, but that is up to the individual to turn on. In fact, many people do not even know this setting exists and if they do, then how often are they really taking advantage of it?

The amount of deaths and injuries due to texting and driving is significant evidence to prove that unmandated settings are not enough. People aren’t changing their ways and it’s time for car companies and phone companies to work together and shut down texting while someone is driving. People can roll their eyes at the inconvenience, but I’m sure that those who are victims of texting and driving are wondering why the technology we have to prevent these accidents wasn’t used earlier.

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