"First, have you ever texted while driving? Or, have you ever seen friends or family members text and drive? Do you see why it’s dangerous? Do you think it should be illegal everywhere?"
I have in fact been a victim to texting while driving and I can confirm that it is extremely dangerous and could lead to fatal injuries. It is absolutely just as bad, if not worse than drunken driving because your attention is completely shifted to another place that is not the road.
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"Texting while driving should be treated like drunken driving because both activities pose a similar threat to public safety. Just as driving under the influence of alcohol impairs reaction time and judgment, texting while driving diverts attention from the road and increases the risk of accidents. The devastating consequences of both behaviors are comparable, with both resulting in preventable fatalities. Treating texting while driving as seriously as drunken driving, with stricter penalties and increased enforcement, would send a strong message about the importance of road safety and potentially save lives."
I texted while driving. I also caused a major accident because I was drunk. I do think texting while operating any vehicle should be like drunk driving. Especially if that act takes someone else’s life. I think the verdict is fair. Too many people get away with it daily. A punishment must fit the crime. So, if you get to live sixty more years after killing someone from texting and driving, I think ten years is light compared to what you are taking. Most people search for a justification to get around the actions that cause distress. I think the biggest way to reverse this trend is to teach in a different way, fine, and hold accountable. A vehicle is roughly two thousand pounds or more. Please stay off your phone, it can wait, if it is an emergency, it is so easy to pull over. But we must make dinner and let the dog out. Be safe everyone, think before you act.
I personally believe that it should be held at the same level as drinking and driving. Regardless of how you look at it, your ability is impaired by the fact that your concentration isn't on the road. I've seen many people texting and driving and most, not all but most, have driven off road, crossed either the white or yellow lines, ran a stop sign, or have almost hit someone trying to cross the street. According to distracted driving and statistics, taking your eyes off the road for 5 second to read or respond to a text, you have driven the length of a football field blind folded. In my opinion, anyone caught texting and driving, especially if they've hit someone, the accountability should be held as the same regards, if not higher, than drinking and driving.
I do believe that Alexandra Mansonet should have been found guilty. She made a choice to text while driving and in doing so killed someone. Just as you don’t drive while drunk because of slower reaction time, you don’t drive while texting.
Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, people's dependence on mobile phones is increasing. While I don't think it's a bad thing, I support the idea that texting should be considered as serious as drunk driving. In China, from 2012 to 2017, 450,000 traffic accidents were caused by mobile phones in cars, accounting for 10.56 percent of the total. And it kills 270,000 people a year. That's a huge number to prove that texting while driving is dangerous. Usually, the suppression of such incidents can be achieved by increasing the punishment. And if you have an urgent message, you can pull over first and then reply. It is easy for people to make mistakes while driving under the influence of other factors. My father, for example, sometimes when we're in the car and we're having a nice conversation with him, he forgets to listen to the navigation advice and drives the wrong way. This is because people need to be highly concentrated while driving, and any external factors can lead to a serious mistake. Even chatting will affect the driver, let alone sending a message? In addition, there have been many successful cases in China of increasing penalties to curb the occurrence of mistakes, so I fully support that texting while driving should be treated as a serious case as drunk driving.
I think texting while driving should be treated the same as texting while driving. Texting while driving can cause a accident that could be a minor injury or a serious injury. Texting while driving can even cause death. You are endangering yourself and others. It have been times I would have to remind myself to put my phone down and pay more attention to the road. You have to drive for yourself and others. It have been times I almost ran into the back of someone car because I wasn't paying attention to the road. Reading this have honestly been a eye opener to me because you not paying attention to the road can claim someone life. You have to understand the consequences of texting while driving. Drunk drivers are not focused enough to be driving. When under the influence of alcohol, the cerebellum, which coordinates movement, is slowed, increasing reaction time, but yet one still has a chance of reacting. Where as when texting and driving, one has their head down in their lap, typing and focusing on a conversation, not focused on the road to any capacity for this duration of time. Nothing should be more important that making sure you get to your destination safely.
I think texting while driving should be on par with drunk driving because both are very dangerous and can cause accidents that are either very minor in injury or fatal in injury and can even cause deaths. There should be consequences for texting while driving because it is an action you are choosing to do and you are not only endangering yourself, but others around you by doing so. There have been many instances where I have to take my father's phone and turn it completely off or tell him to put it away because he is texting while driving or reading some article while in a fast food line or waiting for the light to turn green. He doesn't pay attention to the light as he is on his phone so i have to remind him to put the phone away and pay attention to the road. Not only have we gotten into a few accidents because of another driver texting on their phone or being on their phone in general, but also because drivers don't pay attention to the outside world when they are on their phone, which can cause crashes. Honestly, if an accident is caused, or someone is injured, texting while driving should be treated the same as drunk driving. If an accident isn't caused but officers pull over a person who ran a red light or was speeding because they were texting, then the driver should be given a fine.
There should be consequences for texting while driving, and I feel it should be treated like drunken driving. When you are texting while driving you have no almost no awareness of what is happening around you which cause serious crashes. Not only is it a risk for people on the road but also for the driver or people in the car. There have been times where I have had to even remind my parents to turn off their phone while driving because I catch them texting while driving. As people become consumed more by their phones they will drive while on them more. Overall I think it should be treated like drunk driving depending on if an accident happened or not.
Texting while driving seems much less serious than drunken driving, however, the more you think about it the more you realise how hard driving while texting is. It is no secret that driving requires a high level of concentration.
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@Andrei Texting and driving is just as serious as drunk driving. "According to the 2020 NHTSA data, cell phone use or texting while driving was a factor in 9% of all police-reported distraction-affected crashes. Another estimate suggests that every year 390k injuries occur from accidents while texting and driving in which is 6x's more likely to cause an accident than it is to driving drunk." Yes, you're definitely right about it not being a secret that driving takes a high level of concentration and, with that being said, texting and driving takes all the focus off the road whereas, drinking and driving you're more likely to keep all focus on the road so you don't create any focus on yourself, so you don't get pulled over.
Should texting and driving be treated like drunk driving? Wow. This is a very interesting question and lots of interesting points could be made but in my eyes yes it should be treated in a very similar way. Being a 15 year old kid with only my permit, I haven't personally texted while I was driving but I have witnessed people do it before. I can tell that this takes a lot of skill and can be super distracting, which as we can see in this story can lead to bad things. Reading this for the first time was honestly eye opening to me. It made me realize how people's lives can completely change in a matter of seconds due to someone just looking at their phones. I really can't believe that people have become so addicted to their phones in recent years that it has come to enforcing laws and rules on them. I believe that nothing can be more important than making sure you get somewhere safely and make sure that's the same for the people around you.
PART 1:
Texting while driving may seem much more innocent than drunk driving, but both of these are crimes that can result in unnecessary fatality. When it comes down to it, both texting while driving and drunk driving impair the driver’s ability to focus on the road, so both crimes should have the same consequences in the court of law. This means that yes, I do believe that Alexandra Mansonet deserves the conviction that she received for taking the life of that promising New Jersey woman while she was texting in the driver’s seat.
Don’t get me wrong, Alexandra Mansonet is likely a very nice woman. The article said that she was an outstanding citizen who worked for a nonprofit to help troubled youth. In fact, I feel sorry for Mansonet and everybody involved in the situation. That being said, it doesn’t exempt Mansonet from paying for her crimes; her negligence caused the death of another person, and that simply cannot go unpunished. My heart goes out to the family of the victim and I hope that people can learn from Mansonet’s mistakes. I think that technology has become such a staple in our everyday lives that people often forget how serious, dangerous, and illegal it is to use it behind the wheel.
PART 2:
A fair few of my friends use their phones when they drive places and it always makes me nervous. I don’t want to tell them what to do in their own car, but it scares me when I hear about stories like the one in the article. When I got my license, my parents told me that they didn’t even want my phone in the front of the car with me while driving, and they also don’t want me to drive other kids around because it could potentially distract me. I don’t always like or follow all of their rules, but I don’t mess with the ‘no phone while driving’ rule. In fact, I always put the phone in the back seat so that it will never pose as a distraction. As a new driver, it’s very important to keep the distractions to a minimum, but I think that I’ll keep my phone in the back even as I become more experienced.
All in all, anything that you choose to do as a driver that limits your control over the vehicle, whether that be drunken driving or texting, should be punishable in a court of law. Unless you are driving and something out of your control happens, like a heart attack or another unpredictable medical emergency, it is your duty as the driver to pay attention to the road and look out for pedestrians that may be crossing it. Although I don’t think that texting while driving is as serious as drunken driving if nobody is hurt, both can create lasting damage if a crash were to occur due to the irresponsibility of the driver.
Wow. This story is absolutely insane. Its crazy just how fast things can fast and just how innocent the victim and in some cases, how innocent the assailant can be. In todays world, phones control our lives and most of us will spend more than 3 1/2 hours on there phone every day. Just like drinking while driving, texting while driving is a choice and a dangerous one at that.
In the article it explains how Alexandra Mansonet is a "chief executive of a nonprofit in a city that had once lauded her as a civic leader of the year for her extensive work with troubled youth." This just goes to show how controlling our phones really can be. From this quote you can infer that Mrs. Mansonet was a good person that was highly thought of by her city. She worked at a nonprofit and was once lauded civic leader for her work with troubled youth. I mean how much better can one person get?! On the other hand, the victim of this terrible incident was your average woman trying to start a family.
Knowing all of this, I think that drunk driving and texting while driving should both be treated with the same sobriety and both have the same punishments. With some limitations though. I think that if you're caught texting while driving you should receive a warning first. Instead of being automatically arrested.
@Charlie Kilbourne, Block 4 (Part 2)
The difference in drinking and driving is the age factor. If you're drinking while driving you must be over 21 and you must be over the illegal alcohol level to go to jail. Any 16 year old can have a phone and that makes it easier for police to catch them.
@Charlie Kilbourne, Block 4
I definitely agree with you here on enforcing rules but also a having some sort of limitations. I think that people need to stop being so addicted to there phones and this could help do that
I will not text while driving, I understand the consequences of my actions if I do so. My parents often text while driving and I offer to text for them because I am scared for my safety and those around us. I think it should be illegal everywhere because there is no reason for it not to be. We have all of this technology in our cars that allows us to take important calls or get directions, so what is the excuse for being on your phone? It should be treated like drunk driving because as if you were drunk, you have the intention of driving while impaired. You have to understand the consequences of your actions as drunk drivers do. How would you feel if someone who was texting while driving killed one of your loved ones and only got fined for it?
I believe the article about Mr. Qiu and his wife is heartbreaking. I completely understand his frustration as well as relief that the person who killed his wife is in prison. I think it was very impactful when, at the end of the article he said, “In some sense, my wife’s death does become more meaningful… I have to take some comfort from that.” Her case has changed the fate of many others who were killed by people texting and driving. I think it should be treated the same as it is deadly just like driving while intoxicated.
Part 1:
I was left saddened after reading this article, that one woman who was not paying attention while driving fatally injures another woman, who was just out on a walk as a break from work. How a phone was the cause of all of this, simply because one couldn’t put it down for a few minutes and couldn’t pay attention to the road.
I feel like the phone almost has a chokehold on everyone, forcing them to be constantly looking at it, constantly worried about their whole life on their device, constantly itching to communicate with someone in some way. People have the need to pick it up and check it frequently, no matter where they are or who they are with, it’s like they’re tied to the phone, and it’s their lifeline.
@Maria, Block 1
Part 2:
Texting while driving should definitely be treated like drunken driving because it is equally as dangerous. Just as a drunk person doesn’t have their wits about them and aren’t alert to anything happening around them, people who text and drive are unaware of the world around them, and have slow reaction times. They are risking other people’s lives around them who could be affected if they are hit, and they are risking themselves, as they could be fatally injured as well if they are involved in an accident. It makes me nervous as a new driver that others aren’t paying attention, that they could potentially hit me simply because they were looking down at their phone, that both of our lives could be at risk. I know that I could never text and drive at the same time after reading stories like this.
@Maria, Block 1
I agree so much! I am also always so worried that a random car could come out of nowhere and clip me while I'm driving or when I'm on a run. You never know who's behind the wheel and it can be a scary to think about it.
Wow. That story is terrible and horrifying. Texting while driving espeically in morning traffic or even at all is not only putting your life and risk but everyone else's. It is a very selfish and dangerous thing to do as we see in this article.
An innocent woman fatally injured just trying to take a walk for fresh air. Granted the other woman was an innocent woman driving but the fact she was texting as well changes the entire situation. I find it crazy that in such an early time that morning everyone is already on their phones worrying about that when they should be focused on getting where they need to be safely.
I believe texting while driving should be a more serious offense honestly because when your texting and driving even if your looking up then back down your eye's are not on the road at all times and things can happen in just a split second. As well as your brain is focused on what's happening on your phone not what's happening on the road around you. Making it a more serious offense could make people take this more seriously and change their habits.
Personally I try to not text and drive. As a 16 year old teen I am on my phone a lot and sometimes it's hard to get off and focus on driving. We get in the middle of a texting conversation and think we can do both until you hit someone or get in a serious wreck. My parents made me install an app so I wouldn't get notifications while I am driving. This honestly really helped me focus on the road instead of my phone.
@Caroline Harris, Block 1
You bring up a good point when you say anything can happen in a split second. It's true. Because the woman in the article was not paying attention at that moment, she got herself into an accident that was fatal for the other person.
Stories like these also help me focus more on the road and compel me to put my phone away whenever I'm in the car.
@Caroline Harris, Block 1 I agree 100%. I think texting while driving is very dangerous and shouldn't be practiced by anybody. It is crazy that people are on there phones that early and it just goes to show how addicted people can become to there phones.
The speaker aims to provoke the reader to think twice about texting and driving through the unfortunate event of a pedestrian hit by a distracted driver. Beyond that, the speaker comparing texting and driving to drunk driving emphasizes the seriousness of the action. When under the influence of alcohol, the cerebellum, which coordinates movement, is slowed, increasing reaction time, but yet one still has a chance of reacting. Where as when texting and driving, one has their head down in their lap, typing and focusing on a conversation, not focused on the road to any capacity for this duration of time. An accident can happen in seconds of not watching the road; texting and driving is worse than driving drunk, therefore one committing this action should be punished the same as if driving drunk.
Im 13 years old and i even know that texting and driving is a very dangerous thing to do, I have been in accidents caused by texting and driving. YOUR TEXT CAN WAIT! all im saying is that this woman deserves everything that comes at her.
To date I have never texted while driving and I promise I will never do so because texting while driving is one of the stupidest and most dangerous things a person can do. By trying to focus on two things at the same time in a high-risk environment like driving, you are setting yourself and innocent victims up for dangerous consequences. For this reason, texting and driving should be considered driving under the influences. Both of these actions result in injuries and deaths to the driver and other innocent people, so they should both be treated equally. If someone is caught texting while driving, their driver's license should be suspended or revoked altogether. If they kill or fatally injure someone, they should be jailed, just like they would for drunk driving. There should be no excuses for people who text while driving, and they should not be free to do these acts without severe punishment. These added consequences will make drivers less likely to choose to text while driving and the roads will become safer.
Texting and driving is very dangerous. I am 16 years old. I still drive with my permit. While my parents are in the car. I am never on my phone. I have seen multiple people drive and scroll through social media. Some student motorists that attend my High School think it's funny to text and drive. I believe experienced and inexperienced drive should not have their phones in hand while driving. Being irresponsible while controlling your vehicle can result in you losing your life or costing someone else theirs. All because you were on your stupid phone. Please protect yourselves and others at all times.
Seeing some of these comments makes me wonder how much faith I really have in this new generation. Texting and driving is extremely dangerous and no app or gadget can change that. If you truly believe its okay to take your attention away from driving for anything I would rethink your morals.
I completely see why texting and driving is dangerous, and fortunately I see it very rarely. Due to the dangerous aspects of texting and driving, I do think it should be illegal everywhere. Drivers who disagree with this standpoint may say that texting and driving isn’t the problem of accidents but rather the driving skills of the person behind the wheel. The skills of the driver is not the main problem of accidents while texting because no matter the drivers skill level everyone can get distracted-especially by texting. Distractions are what cause crashes, because when you are distracted your previous knowledge of driving is throw out the window. Additionally, pedestrians deaths have approached a thirty year high last year. The high amounts of death can be tied back to an increased amount of technology and therefore an increased amount of distractions. To reverse this devastating trend I think the state governments must treat texting and driving like they do drinking and driving; because although they differ from chemically induced distractions to technology, they are both driving under some type of influence and should be treated as such.
I have never texted and drove, but my parents do it a lot. It is very dangerous because it takes their eyes of the road for too long and it should be illegal. I think the verdict was fair. She killed someone with her car, just because she was "distracted" doesn't make it any better. Her lawyer says it's going to be difficult to be put in jail for something we're all guilty of doing on a daily basis. I don't know, I guess this is a "me" thing but I don't kill people on a daily basis. To reverse the trend of pedestrian deaths we need to be more strict with driving.
@Will McAlpine I also think the verdict was fair. Although a lot of people do text and drive that doesn't make up for the fact she killed someone doing it. My parents also text and drive a lot and I think sometimes it can be a really bad influence on young drivers because they see their parents doing it and think it is okay. I think it is a sad reality when her lawyer said it would be difficult to be put in jail for something we are all guilty of doing. People these days are so consumed in their phone's they can't for 15 minutes trying to get somewhere without being wrapped up in whatever it is happening on their phone.
I believe that texting while driving should be treated as a more serious offense when it is causing a significant issue or putting others at risk, but there needs to be limits as to when it is severely punishable. For a lot of people, when they are driving and receive notifications, they have the urge to check their phone and respond, especially if it is something urgent. Yet, that is where the hands-free systems in most cars come to great use. This way, drivers can respond and communicate without moving their eyes away from the road. Yet, many people still often feel the need or cannot resist the temptation to check their phone behind the wheel. Personally, I believe that this should be an offense, maybe worth a ticket, but not a full arrest. Yet, when this distraction leads to a car crash or an accident that may even be fatal, I do think it should be treated more seriously and the driver should be more harshly punished. It is a distraction that could be avoided, so when it is putting someone else at risk or in danger, the driver should be punished as if they were a drunk driver.
I believe texting and driving should be considered as drunk driving because as well as drunk driving accidents many text driving accidents also occur. Text driving is one of the most dangerous things a driver can do because a little distraction can cause a life or more when you could’ve avoided the whole situation by following the rules.
I’m not old enough to drive but I’ve seen the adults that have driven me to places text and drive at the same time. Every time it happens my heart races or beats really fast for some reason. I start to become worried about my surroundings. Texting and driving are very dangerous and I believe it should be illegal everywhere. Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict was fair. Yes, it was harsh that she has to serve a sentence for something that everyone does on a daily basis but she did end up taking someone’s life because of her actions. Even though we all know it wasn’t on purpose because she was distracted, it still happened and she had to face the consequences. It wasn’t self-defense either so she couldn’t plead her case besides the fact that everyone texts and drives. 10 years in prison might be a bit too much but she should serve at least some time because this is someone’s life we’re talking about. This should go for anyone, Alexander was just one that caused actual damage. Even if she didn’t hit the women, she could’ve hurt anyone that rode in the car with her or herself even. It doesn’t matter if you’re drunk, high or texting while you’re driving, you’re still not in the focused right mindset and could immediately be at risk to harm anyone.
Schweber’s and Tully’s argument on how distracted driving is a national crisis is right because as they might not be aware, people are more distracted while driving today compared to previous generations. For example, due to the continuous rise of technology, millions of people have become addicted to their small digital devices such as iPhones. Although driving while drunk has steadily declined, driving while texting has continued to rise leading to more accidents and fatalities. Now more than ever, the majority of drivers, especially teenagers, believe that it is essential to use social media, text, or call media on their phones while driving. Furthermore, as technology continues to change how we live, many people now require the usage of their smartphones for GPS and work. New ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft require their employees to use their smartphones to conduct their job to get from Point A to Point B. However, with the rise of texting while driving, distracted driving has since become the most common cause of road accidents in the United States, resulting in more crashes every year than speeding, drunk driving, and other major accidents. Recent studies have even shown that distracted drivers have a slower response time, are more likely to drift in and out of lanes and drive worse than those intoxicated. Thus, to help keep the roads safer, we need to push lawmakers to make stricter laws that would treat texting and driving like drunk driving.
I say texting while driving should be very well be treated the same as drunk driving, maybe even worse. Why? There's a difference between text driving and drunk driving: one is when you're sober, the other you aren't. Both are preventable but the text driving is far more preventable. You're still thinking just fine and sane so you should absolutely be able to have common sense on what to do and what not to do. If not then you deal with the consequences regardless if the punishment is very harsh which it should in the first place.
I believe texting and driving should very well be treated like drunk driving. There are many incident where people are on their phones while driving that lead to someone being injured or passing because of it. About 10,000 people die annually from drunk driving and 6,000 had passed from texting while driving. The numbers are so close that I feel that drunk driving and texting while driving should be treated the same. If it were to be treated the same, it would prevent people from texting which leads to less accidence. people doing it might think it's fine to text and that nothing will never happen. Until you're texting and the next minute you have hurt other person. The punishment should also be the same because if they were these drivers will get their license back and end up repeating their past mistakes. So they would never learn their lesson.
I have noticed more and more wrecks over the years but I didn't know that distracted driving ( texting while driving ) is 6 times more dangerous than drunk driving. I believe there should be a special type of punishment for texting and driving incidents like how there are DWI's for drunk driving it has helped lower the wrecks and fatalities due to drinking. I wonder if our government has given any consideration to something like this.
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I believe texting and driving should stay as a fine. The new law has kept people from doing it, and i feel a permanet record, with possibly getting your license revoked is a little extreme. people make mistakes all the time, and that is a harsh penalty for something that everyone use to do and was legal. i believe people just need to focus on the rode and realize that one text isn't worth someones life. depending on the situation then maybe it should be more than a fine, like if you injured or killed someone. But if no one is injured it should only be a ticket. maybe a reckless driving.
@hailey adams
Although I agree with you that it may seem a little harsh for texting and driving to be treated under the same conditions as drunk driving, I believe that the reason texting and driving should be treated like drunk driving is so it will prevent people from doing so in the first place. Texting and driving is such a nonchalant thing nowadays that almost everyone can be caught doing it once in a while, because to the person texting and driving there doesn't seem to be any consequences for them at the moment.
In my opinion, yes.
The article tells you a story about this woman who was driving. Yes she happened to be texting and she wasn’t paying attention to the road as she should’ve. She ended up killing a pedestrian walking.
That was someone’s something of you get my drift. Friend or family to a lot of people. Looking down at your phone when you know you should be looking at the road. No matter how much driving experience you’ve had. It should be the same as getting in the car knowing your impaired and under the influence.
In both situations you’ve done something you shouldn’t have. That you made the conscious to do and in no way was forced. There should be consequences to that. Because then things like this happen everyone is hurt.
@Skyla Madison
I agree that drunk driving and driving while texting should be treated evenly in court and that if you ruin someone's life because you were looking at your phone you should be punished.
I believe texting and driving should very well be treated like drunk driving. They both are just as fatal, both drivers are careless enough to get behind the wheel with the intentions of simply not paying attention to what's around them. Luckily our state has taken this serious matter into their own accord and regulated a law that prevents anyone's phone to be in their hand while they are in their car. Reckless driving has gone on for far to long, people should start paying attention.
@Kenny Williams i didn't think of it from this point of view. when you are drunk driving, or texting and driving, you know that both are reckless and putting others lives in danger. texting and driving can be just as fatal as drunk driving and you can take someones life by it. i think it may be a good idea to get your license revoked from texting and driving. i feel like it would make people more cautous.
I personally think that this topic is very serious and a good thing to talk about in our youth because we are all either new drivers, or are soon to be new drivers. Texting and driving is a serious matter that most of us push off as no big deal. But when your texting about something and next thing you know you’ve killed someone, that’s no longer a thing you can push off as no big deal. The article talks about how a woman was on her phone while driving to work and she hit a woman walking across the road because she wasn't paying attention.
I truly believe that there needs to be more severe consequences for people who text and drive. But I also think that it should be situational. If a cop pulls you over for texting and driving, you should be fined or get points tacked onto your license. However if you injure someone because you thought that your phone was more important than your life and the stranger’s life, then that’s when the severe consequences should come in. I think that how the court of New Jersey tried Alexandra Mansonet was the right way to do it and handled the trial really well. She was tried and they ended up finding her guilty of vehicular homicide.
People should know the consequences of texting and driving and take them into consideration the next time they try to text and drive. If the rules are stricter, there will be less cases like Alexandras, and pedestrians don't have to fear their lives every time they go to cross the street.
My opinion on this subject is that of course somebody who texting while driving should be arrested. There is no difference if one person is intoxicated or careless because texting while driving the result and two cases are the same. In no case, there is no excuse because we talk about people's lives and that is very important. I think that any caught to texting while driving no only should revoke their license but and take them in prison for years.
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@Giourgken I partially agree with you here. Yes people should be punished for being so careless while being behind the wheel. It isn't fair that people could be so nonchalant over possibly taking someones life just to respond over something that most likely isn't even important. However they shouldn't be held to the highest extent of the law just because their phone happened to be out.
@Giourgken I agree that texting and driving is no different than drunk driving when the outcome is the same. When you are on your phone you are just as distracted as one may be under the influence. When a life is lost do to a careless error that could easily be prevented the person should be punished. However I do not think one should be arrested for years for simply being on the phone, they should receive a ticket, be forced to take a class, or license probation.
Texting and driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are two offenses both punishable by law. Both offenses can just as easily result in the death of an unsuspecting and innocent pedestrian. So why is texting and driving a misdemeanor punishable by a fine and possibly losing your license while DUI is punishable by jail time possibly prison?
In my opinion both of these offenses can and should be taken to court for trial under the same severeness whether that be a fine and misdemeanor or a felony offense that follows you around for the rest of your life. Why is one form of potential vehicular manslaughter (even though it is an accident) different and above another. That in my opinion is almost invalidating the death of one person because of the level of distraction of the driver.
I think that it should be a law prohibiting distracted driving and not texting or drinking because at the root of the issue. No matter what you're doing you are distracted and unable to properly function behind the wheel where your entire undivided attention is needed.
Texting and driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are two offenses both punishable by law. Both offenses can just as easily result in the death of an unsuspecting and innocent pedestrian. So why is texting and driving a misdemeanor punishable by a fine and possibly losing your license while DUI is punishable by jail time possibly prison?
In my opinion both of these offenses can and should be taken to court for trial under the same severeness whether that be a fine and misdemeanor or a felony offense that follows you around for the rest of your life. Why is one form of potential vehicular manslaughter (even though it is an accident) different and above another. That in my opinion is almost invalidating the death of one person because of the level of distraction of the driver.
I think that it should be a law prohibiting distracted driving and not texting or drinking because at the root of the issue. No matter what you're doing you are distracted and unable to properly function behind the wheel where your entire undivided attention is needed.
Texting and driving is a huge issue but it’s not going to be stopped. If law enforcements start to treat texting while driving like drunk driving then there will just be less driver on the road over all. Giving out Citations and temporarily revoking drivers license form driver who text while they drive won’t stop them. Eventually these drivers will get their license back and end up repeating their past mistakes. Texting while driving is one of the main sources of car crashes today and even after people see the Devastating things that can happen when they text and drive, they still continue to do it. So treating texting and driving like drinking and driving won’t stop people from texting and driving overall and might even just make texting and driving more tempting for the driver. Texting while driving shouldn’t be treated like drinking and drivers because it won’t stop drivers from texting while driving.
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While texting and driving can be very dangerous the vast majority does look at their phone when behind the wheel. With the growing technology industry, 96% of Americans own a cell phone and that number will only get bigger. There’s no way to actually stop texting and driving and these people shouldn’t be treated or punished the same way drunk drivers are. When you’re intoxicated and you choose to drive you’re putting other people’s lives at risk, your vision is impaired, you're not able to make proper decisions, and your muscle coordination is off this is why people who make this decision should face more charges and higher punishment. For the people who glance at their phone or send a quick text don’t deserve to have their lives potentially ruined over a simple mistake.
The article told the sad story of a pedestrian that lost her life to a distracted driver and how she was charged. Although I don’t think texting while driving is so similar to drinking while driving, in a situation where someone is injured or killed by a distracted driver that driver should face the same consequences as one who is drunk. I don’t think texting while driving should be illegal because it’s not something that will change with a law, the people who text and drive will continue to do so no matter what.
People are most likely to get in a car crash then a plane crash and with people texting and driving it will make it even worse. Texting and driving should be treated like drunken driving to a certain extent. If a person rear ends someone they should just be fined to scare them but if the person texting hurts a person or kills a person it should be treated like drunken driving.
@Gio I really agree with you. People are too distracted if they are texting while driving to know what is going on around them. This is very similar to being impaired if you have been drinking or taking drugs before driving. If someone is texting while driving and hurts or kills someone, that should be treated like a DUI. A text can always wait and is never more important than someone's life.
The issue of texting and driving is apparent all over the nation as casualties related to texting and driving rapidly rise. While 1 in 4 accidents are caused by this horrible act people still take part in it daily. Though I have never text and drive I have seen other cars on the road with me doing so. Someone was on there phone behind me while I was at a yield and they were so distracted that they rear ended me. Its well aware to most that texting and driving is a problem and a danger to many. People have learned that seat belts are needed so they wear them the average person knows not to drink and drive so they don’t, yet people know that texting and driving is bad but still proceed to do so. Now rises the question of if texting and driving need to be taken as seriously as drunk driving. I believe that just like drunk driving, every case is different, texting and driving situations all happen differently. So making it illegal everywhere could save a lot of people and teach thoughs with poor decision skills a lesson.
the punishment is indeed severe, but depending on the gravity of the situation it could be overkill. I do see this as an issue, but it needs fine tuning.
@Furious Flash
I fully agree with your comment about needing fine tuning and depicting the gravity of the situations but, drinking and driving, there isn't any situations. It's either you're under the influence and your ability is impaired by the simple fact that you're not focusing on the road. Someone that has, say 2 drinks, they're coherent enough and probably are completely fine to drive without any incidents. But they get pulled over they're going to get a DUI but are not intoxicated enough to really have an affect of their driving. Now let's say that same person hits someone because the other person isn't paying attention to what they're doing because they're too busy paying attention to their phone. Even though it would be completely their fault the blame would be on the driver that's intoxicated even though they're the ones that hit them. The police reported accidents are 6x's higher for texting and driving than there are for driving under the influence. Your reaction time is no different than the reaction time for someone under the influence when you are distracted.
I believe texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving. They are both distractions that could be easily avoided. I believe the punishment is a little much, however. Maybe bring it down a few years, as the death was mostly an accident.
I see both sides on this story. I think that 10 years is really severe on the part of the driver but it is a willingy thing that she had did when she picked her phone up. I think that she should've gotten a lesser sentence and her license taken away for good. But, i also think that if this was my mother, brother or a person close to me i would want this sentence done because she had taken a person close to me.
texting and driving for anyone is wrong, if you must text someone please pull over. i do not think however the punishment should be as bad as drunken driving.
The punishment is very severe 10 years is along time for something very small yes she accidently killed somebody but it wasn't a deliberate thing but there is a huge difference between DWI and somebody who was texting somebody reason i say that is because if your intoxicated where your drunk and u cant think straight and a person who is texting somebody
texing and driving terrible
I think that texting and driving should be treated like drunk driving because weather your looking at your phone while driving or your drinking and driving you are not focused on the road and that makes it easier to swerve and hit someone. I think to stop texting and driving you should implant things in your phone that disable the phone while driving. And make people who are convicted of drunk driving blow into a breath machine before they start the car.
Texting while driving is dangerous, it not only puts everyone on that street to be in danger, it leaves you in mass danger as well. I feel that people do not take the “don’t text while drive” saying too seriously, because the majority of the time, everything works out well and you get off scratch free. Except when you don’t, situations like Alexandra’s only shows us that we need to stop that habit of checking a phone whenever it dings, to stop and think, “do I put anyone in danger by doing this?”. By putting more regulations on this, we would save the lives of others as well as spare some. Now that I said that, killing people while texting and driving and texting and driving are two very different things to me. Yes, they do link in together and have a sort of a cause and effect situation but if you are caught because of texting and driving and are sent to prison for it, that’s just a bit too harsh. Alexandra was on her phone and has seriously injured someone, looking at the bare outline, she was not in the right place and should be found guilty, this was a serious injury. We don’t know why or how she did it but she did, now if she was on her phone and almost hit a pedestrian, she should be punished but not the same level.
I think it should get the same treatment because my cousins best friend was killed because of texting while driving and alot of other people too. So that is why because people get killed in both sircumstances.
No matter how good you think you are at multitasking, you should never text and drive. Far too many lives have been taken at the cost of texting while driving. Just like being intoxicated, texting takes your focus from the roads and your surroundings, so it should be treated with the same punishment.
Right now, a lot of people who text and drive don’t think much of it because they aren’t actually intoxicated. Many people seem to blow off this law because there isn’t a bad punishment to face in most states.
If you kill someone while texting and driving you should not have to face a larger consequence than someone who was caught just texting and driving, because the people caught texting and driving could have killed someone in a different situation. Regardless, in both situations, both drivers are facing a punishment for the same reason- texting and driving.
The article mentions how New Jersey placed drunk driving equivalent to texting while driving in 2012. This is how Alexandra Mansonet was accused of vehicular homicide after killing someone from texting and driving. Having this law in place would make people take texting and driving more seriously so that less of these incidents occur.
I have never been one to enjoy driving. Every time I get behind the wheel, I feel responsible for everyone else on the road. Anxiety overcomes me. I am not necessarily scared of myself getting hurt, but I am scared that my actions could hurt someone else. I see so many reckless drivers on the road and it makes me angry. When you start that engine you should be fully focused on driving and driving alone.
In the related article, it discusses whether or not texting while driving should be punished the same as drunk driving. They bring in a story of the first time in New Jersey where a lady was charged with the same charges as drunk driving due to texting while driving and hitting a lady, causing fatal injuries. In my opinion, it should be treated the same. At this point, we know how dangerous it is and if you choose to do something so careless that could take someone else's life, you should be punished just the same as driving under the influence of alcohol.
@Lilah Pate
I completely agree with you that it should be punished just the same and I know that it is extremely anxiety inducing to be behind the wheel. You just have to remember as long as you're responsible and aware it'll all be alright.
I believe it should because texting while driving causes the same damage as drunk driving. Drinking while driving causes you not to have full control and not see the road.Texting and driving does the same thing. If you’re not looking at the road you’re putting your life and everyone else’s like in danger.
Surprisingly we are living into a modern world where everything are just away of our fingertip, such as using smart phone, smart vehicle with excellent facilities including various gadgets which will indicate the driver's important information about speed limit, backup camera, police tracking information etc. However, this is very sad that accidents are happening while texting during driving and many of innocents are losing their life and important organ of body. First of all, while a person is about to drive him/her should be prepare before starting their vehicle. Whatever they need to do such as making phone call, video chat or any important schedule, meeting, appointment they need to finish those first and then should start driving. I don’t drive but I have seen my other friends to text during drive. It is dangerous because it’s distract a person’s mind and thought and drives in wrong direction. In my opinion it is fair decision for Alexandra Mansonate’s according to the report. One lesson will be an idle taught for all drivers. If I would be a judge I will make strict rule for drivers as well awareness for pedestrian, By speed limit, giving ticket, decrease points on driving license and put more awareness signs for pedestrian.
Texting while driving should not be treat as drunken driving both are dangerous but drunken driving is more possible to cause an accident. When people are drunk they are more vulnerable and they are not using all their senses. Punishments for texting should be much less severe than drunk driving. People who are texting while driving the police can stop them and gives an expensive ticket so they can think twice to not do the same thing again. However when people are driving need to be focus for their security and for others.
The rise in pedestrian injuries could be reverted by making it illegal to text and drive in all states. I believe texting and driving should be prosecuted in the same manner as drunken driving, due to the two being nearly just as dangerous. Fatalities still happen in either one and drivers should take responsibility for their actions.
I think that yes, texting and driving is extremely dangerous and is the cause of hundreds of thousands of crashes yearly but i don't think it should be the same punishment as intoxicated driving. Driving drunk is in a totally different ballpark than checking your phone while driving. When you're drunk you are much more vulnerable to a crash rather than checking your phone while driving. Over 10,000 people die yearly because of driving drunk, this is much more dangerous than texting so i believe that punishments for texting should be much less severe than drunk driving.
I believe texting while driving should be taken as seriously as drinking and driving. It is so dangerous. When you are on your phone while driving you aren’t paying full attention to what’s going on and could look down for a couple of seconds and hit something or someone. When you text and drive it puts many lives in danger, including yours. I just don’t think they should arrest someone right away. I think you should give people 3 strikes with texting and driving. The police will put it on your record and if you do it 3 times then you would get arrested because then your just being careless.
I believe that texting and driving should be taken seriously like drinking and driving, and that it should not be allowed. When you drive, it is important to be aware of the things around you and what's going on. If someone is just on their phone and not paying attention to the road, it can take someone's life away in just a matter of seconds. However, I do also believe that police shouldn't immediately arrest people if they see them texting and driving. Instead, they should fine them the first time, but during the second time, they should start arresting people if it continues to be a growing problem for them.
Texting and driving should be treated like drunken driving because texting while driving is just as bad as drunk driving. It’s very dangerous and it has been getting out of hand over the past years, people get in millions of car crashes because they text while driving. Texting and driving will have the same effects on you just like drinking and driving.
Texting while driving is a really bad idea. Someone can get injured easily. People should be punished. it is not safe for drivers. You should all be focused on driving and not on your phone.
Texting during driving is not a good idea, it’s dangerous for pedestrians and themselves. Driving is an action like we need to put more focus and attention. Our Few seconds of inattention or distraction may take a person life just in a blink. For that reason, texting while driving should be count as crime and persons should be punished. In addition, their license should be revoked.
Texting while driving is not a good idea .I have a license and I am driving almost every day but I always very careful when I am driving because little bit distraction can takes someone life. Driving is very careful job, and when people drive need to do more attention with the driving. I think Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict is fair because she found guilty of vehicular homicide after fatally injuring a pedestrian .when one person get punished then other people think twice before they do something.
I think its the same thing because if you can't focus on the road then you will end up killing or hurting someone really bad. If texting while driving and drinking while driving both can have the same out come then they should have the same consequence like prison time like 5-10 years or paying a fine up to 5,000 dollars.
I agree that phone texting and driving should be treated harsh but not that harsh. Sometimes it could be an emergency or something important. But then again should you even be on the phone why you are driving if it is a law? If you kill someone it should be treated as the same as drinking and driving.
i think texting while driving is bad but i don't think police should arrest people they see texting and driving, like they would an intoxicated driver because it's not the same. I feel like they should pull you over and give you a ticket then after 2 tickets arrest people
Should Texting while Driving Be Treated Like Drunken Driving ?Written by Michael Gonchar and Shannon Doyne mentioned that whoever texting while driving their traffic ticket should be more . which could be half of his/her income in their life . I am strongly agree with author because then they will realize how they destroy others life. It is not a joke while you are on the path and driving. Its about life sometimes one or could be more depend on the situation. I believe or recommended that people who are driving they should check their phone before they start driving or after they finish their driving. That is how they will not tempted themselves also they will not be the reason of others dead.
PART TWO:
In fact, Mrs. Mansonet admitted to looking down to turn on the defroster. Could this “distraction” have been enough to cause the accident? This is just one of the factors that I would take into serious consideration when determining the verdict. I am sure the attorney is right - it will be difficult to live with a verdict for an action many are guilty of doing on a regular basis. I would challenge Mr.Altman about this by saying that many people drink alcohol on a daily basis and nothing happens to them aside from a hangover and future health issues.
PART THREE:
But this does not mean that a person who drank alcohol then got behind the wheel of a car should not be punished for his choice. People choose to send texts while driving and doing so choose to engage in risky behavior.
PART FOUR:
Many people have a “this will never happen to me” approach to life yet this concept is dangerous. According to the article, 14% of fatal crashes were linked to cellphone usage. This could happen to anyone.
@Mary Lamporte I agree with you. Everyone thinks that this could never happen to them but it can and it happens so fast. It could happen to anyone.
PART ONE:
I have never texted while driving aside from an occasional quick reply at a red light and I have witnessed my parents texting while driving many times. Honestly, Ive been told many times that it is dangerous, especially for new drivers, but it is something that happens commonly giving it the false impression of being safe. After reading about Mrs. Mansonet’s case, I am more clear about how unsafe texting while driving can be. It makes sense to me that there should be laws in place to protect people from careless behavior like this. It would be interesting to be a juror on Mrs. Mansonet’s case. I would be curious to know the facts of the case. It seems difficult to believe that it can be proven without a doubt that the texting occurred at the exact time of the accident.
Texting and driving versus drinking and driving. I wouldn't say I've never texted and drove because the reality is that a majority of licensed - even unlicensed - drivers have. As one does it, though, it is something that plays with your mind. That one last peek at the road before looking down at your phone alters your mind incredibly, leaving you thinking the road will stay exactly as you had left it before you got to typing. That, however, is not always the case. You may get lucky and only swerve a bit into the adjacent lanes, or if we are looking at the worst-case scenario, an accident may occur. This relates to drinking and driving due to the fact that the alcohol also alters your state of mind in terms of your perspective of the road versus what is actually going on. That moment someone looks down to text, completely taking his or her attention away from the road, is equivalent to a drunken driver dozing off due to deep intoxication, both potentially leading to fatal injuries or deaths... not only for the person driving, but also for those seated in the vehicle and other vehicles. So why are the two instances judged differently? Looking at both situations in a broad, general aspect, they are practically the same. Both drunk driving and texting and driving are extremely dangerous actions that have cost hundreds of lives and will continue to do so until something effective is claimed and enforced.
I believe that police should arrest drivers that are texting. It's very dangerous and many people lose their lives to this. Texting is distracting you from watching the road just like drunk driving does. I don't drive yet so I have never personally done it. A few people that I ride with as a passenger do text and drive and I do think it should be illegal worldwide. In my opinion, no text is more important that someone or multiple people losing their lives. Alexandra Mansonet should be charged because she was being irresponsible as an adult and is now responsible for someone's death. Steven D. Altman's argument was valid to me because yes, it is very common for people to text and drive but not everyone has injured a pedestrian or another vehicle. Most teenagers that drive 'can't live without their phone'. Apple has an option that you can turn on Do Not Disturb while driving and it will send a text to people that message you. If a text is that important and it can't wait, call the person.
I believe that this should happen. Texting and driving is just like Drunk driving as you are distracted from what you are doing and not putting full attention at what your doing. Driving. It may seem harsh but more casualties and accidents are happening and if nothing is done then this will become a normality and the same result would come. I have never texted while driving and I believe that a life is much more important than a text. I do think that Alexandra verdict was correct and I would weight the fact that when drunk driving your unconscious of what your doing and while sober you chose to be unconscious of what your doing and put the lives around you in danger.
This subject is really hard for me. When I was in third grade my dad was hit by a drunk driver. My life has never been the same, he was in the hospital for two years. My innocent childhood turned into a mess. He is always so angry. I think he is just angry at what had happened to him. He really had to fight to keep his leg and arm from being removed. I can’t imagine how it felt or continues to feel for him. Whenever I am in the car with someone who is texting and driving, I feel so unsafe and scared. Texting and driving can have the same effect as drinking and driving. Texting and driving should be treated as drinking and driving. I don’t understand why people continue to text and drive if they know they could kill someone. Do they not care that they can change someone's life in a matter of seconds.
I think texting while driving should have more of a consequence the just a fine, If a cop pulls you over for texting. If the person texting hit someone. Then I think the should be charged for the death or the serious injuries they have caused.
I do think Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict was fair. Although it may seem harsh initially, her actions cost the life of another person. Yuwen Wang would still be alive if it weren’t for Mansonet’s mistake. This may be a hard pill to swallow with “how commonplace texting while driving has become,” but it is the brutal reality. While texting may seem trivial, it is of utter importance to abstain from it while driving. For those few distracted seconds, another person’s life may hang in the balance. Society generally has a more relaxed attitude towards texting; this is why a sentence like Mansonet’s hits so hard. Just because we have allowed for texting and driving to take a sense of normalcy does not mean the risk of accident lessens. Ultimately, Yuwen Wang died because of texting and driving. Countless others have died too. Texting has the surface level appearance of a more innocent mistake, but the result is the same as a drunk driving accident. People are hurt, or people are killed. That’s the bottom line. We cannot expect for similar accidents to become less frequent if there is minimal to no punishment. The severity of our actions will not hit us until we are face to face with the consequences. “Pedestrian deaths” have reached the highest number in three decades. These statistics will remain unchanged until the population sees people like Alexandra Mansonet and her circumstance. Progress will only be seen as we continue to take new steps towards more rigid texting policies.
Using the cell phone while driving is penalized in most states, but I agree that the traffic tickets should be more expensive so that people think very well before using cell phones while driving. Using the cell phone to text or answer calls, whether using hands-free, decreases the concentration of the person who is driving, putting at risk not only his own life, but also to the other passengers of the vehicle, and of course that of pedestrians. In addition to expensive traffic tickets, the authorities should remove the license temporarily or permanently, depending on the number of times the driver has committed the same fault. This should be regardless of whether someone dies in an accident because in this case there are laws ready to apply. I would recommend that people check their cell phones before they start driving, answer their messages, and keep the cell phone quietly out of reach so they are not tempted to use it.
Driving is an activity that requires to be careful and do not be distracted by anything. Some people think they can drive and do others things at the same time, but the reality is that if we are doing two or more activities at the same moment we pay more attention to one thing than another. When a person is driving, he/she needs to focus in that because it could be possible that something that they are not waiting happen in any time. Many of the car crash occurs because the drivers are distracted using electronic devises even when they know this is illegal in many places. Something like texting while driving should be illegal in everywhere because it is a dangerous action. It can end with someone’s life. For some persons it is unfair that others be condemn for cause an accident while they were using their phones. However, this is not the case for the individual or the family who is affected for this cruel act. I think people that are enroll in accident due to that reason should be judge like as other kind of crime because all of us have the previous advertisement about the consequences of doing that. We need to be considerate with everyone and be careful with what we do every time in order to do not cause pain or suffer. Whether we live in a place where all people be safe is a responsibility of each one.
Texting while driving is dangerous, sure. Extremely so. There’s no question that anyone who texts while driving is placing themselves, their passengers, and other people in danger. With that being said, it is nowhere near as irresponsible as drunk driving. In my opinion, there is an important distinction between the two. Precognition.
A prerequisite for drunk driving can be found in the title. Bring drunk. Drunk driving requires you to make a conscious decision to purchase alcohol, a conscious decision to drink enough alcohol to impair you, and a not so conscious decision to drive while impaired. Texting while driving, however, requires a single split second decision to pick up a phone while driving.
The degree of forethought available to drunk drivers is possibly the most important distinction between drunk drivers and texting drivers. A texting driver never expects what they do to kill someone. A texting driver intends on picking up a phone for a second, then putting it back down. A texting driver never thinks they’ll mess up. A drunk driver, conversely, drinks alcohol knowing they’ll make bad decisions. A drunk driver gets drunk knowing they lose control over themselves.
A drunk driver has far more of an opportunity to simply choose not to drink or assign a designated driver than someone texting while driving does, so I do not believe driving while impaired and texting while driving should be punished or treated similarly.
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@Jacob Jarrett I agree. Texting and driving are both extremely dangerous, but texting is nowhere close to as dangerous as drinking and driving. We live at a time where distractions such as phones lead to instant gratification, and it is second nature to most people to multitask. I think we should punish drivers for texting, but not with a ten year prison sentence.
I agree that drinking and driving and texting and driving are both very dangerous and can kill people. If someone is killed or injured then I think someone should be punished the same as someone who was drunk driving, but if no one was injured I think they should just be fined for texting while driving. I don't see much of a difference between these two because both are very dangerous and bad ideas, and can be easily prevented. The article talks about a woman named Alexandra Mansonet who killed another woman while texting and driving. She was tried and found guilty, she now faces up to 10 years in prison.
These circumstances are very unfortunate because of course Alexandra didn't have any motivation or intent to kill the other woman. And she just made a simple mistake that many drivers make daily, but unfortunately she did kill someone and although it was an accident, she still needs to have some jail time, maybe not 10 years, but some time to at least set an example for other drivers. And hopefully this will become less of a problem if people understand the consequences that texting and driving have.
I think that texting while driving should be more heavily punished. You will start to see the number of deaths/injuries from texting while driving will go down, the harder you punish it. Also, the two aren't so different. The definition of drunk driving is operating a motor vehicle while one's blood alcohol content is above the legal limit set by statute, which supposedly is the level at which a person cannot drive safely. Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages or emails on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle, which causes you to be distracted and then means you cannot drive safely. Both actions cause the same outcome-- distracted drivers not driving safely, so why should they be punished differently?
I have seen family and friends text while drive. It is a risk everyone takes almost without any regard for how dangerous it is. Unfortunately, texting while driving is a "common"., but that is why punishment is more important than ever. If we start to punish the same way we would punish their distracting driving activities, then people would not do it so much.
Allow Texting while driving causes most wrecks I do not think it should be treated like drunk driving. Most texting while driving accidents are just fender benders while drunk driving accidents are usually very fatal and end in someone dying.
If you happen to kill someone while driving while texting then yes it should takin like a drunk driver because you were driving recklessly and should face bigger charges but that is already in place as is.
Drunk driving is far different than any form of texting and driving. People texting and driving can put their phones down be fine, drunk drivers don't have to be on their phone and still kill somebody.
In this it talks about how one lady was out for a walk trying to get her womb able to have a kid so see was going for a walk outside on her break at work. That's when another person in a car was texting and driving she was not paying attention to her driving but instead was lost in text which caused a horrible accident. The car hit the person killing her and the lady in the car was tried in court and found guilty for vehicular homicide. Which the court asked to apply a 2012 law that places texting while driving on par with drunken driving.
This brings up a good point and before reading this I thought that texting and driving was bad and I know that is caused a lot of accidents already. So with that in mind I read this and this only made it more clear and I think that texting is driving the same or even worse than drunk driving. This is so because everyone has a phone so it happens a lot more so I do believe it is time for a change in the law and it should be the same if not more of a punishment than drunk driving.
@Matthew Luhrsen Drunk driving is way worse then texting by far. In have heard of so many more incidents to where a person is killed in a drunk driving incidents then anyone killed in a texting in driving accident. I get it that you cant take back the life you took when texting but it more frequently happens when they are drunk.
Texting while driving can be a distraction for a driver and cause an accident. This is dangerous enough to drivers and pedestrians because both of them can be affected. The accidents can be mild and until to cause death. As to numbers of death in accidents of transit for texting while driving these are going up. Then, these deaths cannot pass unnoticed such as simple carelessness. People who do that have to assuming the consequences for the damage. Additional, the people needs to understand that the life is not a game that with it do not play. A phrase says: “Better to lose a minute of the life than the life in a minute”. This is true because a message can wait to be answered and we can save our life and the life of others.
I think that texting while driving have to be punish by the law or by a fine, because many people think that texting while driving is not a serious offense, but it is as serious as driving drunk, because happen accidents where some of them have been fatal accidents, often some of the drivers have found guilty of vehicular homicide after fatally injuring, because they were found of texting while driving. I think that if the police fine drivers who texting while driving, it could be a step to reduce the accidents of pedestrians, but also, the police should revoked the license of those drivers. Texting while driving it is dangerous not only for the person who is driving but also for the others that are around you such as cars, pedestrians or animals. Driving must be taken with great importance and seriousness because if something bad happen [accident fatal] when you are behind the wheel, I assure you that you will be arrested.
I do not believe texting while driving should be treated as driving under the influence of alcohol. Texting while driving should punished, but in a different way. Police should give them a ticket, points on the driver license, and a warning not to do it again because next time it will be worse. However, if that person kill someone while texting and driving should be sentenced to time in prison.
@Nathalie-LB
I agree that texting while driving isn’t as serious as drunken driving, because there’s less time at risk, but it’s still distracted driving. Drunken driving is dangerous because the driver’s mind isn’t focused on the road, and texting is often something that occupies people’s minds the second they hear the ding of a message. They deserve to be punished the same way for a murder because their minds are basically in the same place with both drunken driving and texting while driving. The second they take their attention off the road, they decide that something else is worth more than the lives of others on the road.
First, texting while we are driving is dangerous because we can lose control and kill someone, since we are not concentrated in driving. However, texting while we are driving is illegal. If a police sees you, he will ask you for you driver license and he will give you an expensive ticket. While drunken people, they do not see much, and tend to crash with others or crashing into a wall. For this reason, there are people who call others who are texting when they are driving as if they are drunk driving. I have seen a lot of people texting while they are driving and then have an accident. Sometimes, when we are waiting for traffic light to turn green, people usually take the opportunity to text and they do not realize that they stop the traffic until the horns of the other cars sound.
I agree that texting while driving should considerate as drunken because there often we hear many case of accident of people who were texting while driving. Otherwise by these law can protect disabilities people in the streets or kids when they go to school. For example once one of my coworker talked me about a case that her niece was driving with her friends and they were texting, talking, singing, and the driver was high speed instant they bump into a tree in the middle of the road and two of them were in serious fractures. So this fact I think can shows that is better, if this law texting while driving on par with drunken driving, should be approved.
Texting and driving at the same time is a dump idea. People cannot perform well at the same time in different tasks. It's hard to pay attention to ones. Working in an office and texting friends is not as harmful as texting when we drive. When we drive we need to be more focus because if we do any mistake it can take away our other life as the incident happened with the women in New Jersey. Nowadays stop people by using law to engage into their phone or texting on phone it’s hard. So many people do that is driving some people caught some are not. Texting while driving should be count as a crime and persons should be punished and their licensee should be revoked.
Texting while driving should not be treated like drunken driving because is two different things. However, it should be punished because it may have consequences such as death. I believe that it is a bad idea texting while driving but drunken driven is the worse so, if someone feels guilty about his or her bad actions he should be punished but not like to condemn him 10 years in prison. At least, all drivers had been doing this; texting while driven even though a month or even week, but, not everyone that end ups with killing or having a crash. However, drunken driven always has problems because they always touch people inconveniently. There is a way to punish drivers who text while driving like a fine.
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Texting while driving should be treated like drunken driving because when people are driving and at the same time send text messages on their phones, they have the same attitude as a drunk. In fact, they enter in their phones’ world and forget everything that is around them, thus causing accidents and killing and injuring others. A drunk would do the same thing; the difference is that a drunker is “paying attention” to the wheel but is not rational while a person who is sending texts is rational but s/he is mentally distracted. Putting in prison those people who are texting while driving may make people more prudent or cautious in front of the wheel.
Texting while people are driving is a terrible idea, but I do not think that they should be punished like driving under the influence. There are many different ways to punish those people who use texting while driving. One of the strong punish can be a fine of at least $500 dollar so with this kind of punishment, people will think carefully next time before to use the phone during their rides. Another way to punish them if they are caught using their phones could be to face one or two months of license suspension. In short, the corresponding authorities must work with this issue in order to find a solution and to reduce accidents and bad things because of texting while driving.
Should Texting While Driving Be Treated like Drunken Driving?
Today, almost every state has laws strictly prohibiting texting while driving, and those often consider it a distracted driving offense. Many people have cars and drive anyway. To avoid protect life people and something happen ,the government have to vote a law very strict to intercept driver texting while driving .Enjoy texting while you drive a car that can cause many problems, such as : accident , crash another car ,jump red light ,and violate the rule of driving .An accident can come different ways ,such as :damage somethings ,destroy something ,destroy your life and others . In my opinion, I recommend drivers to put away their cellphone while driving .It is very dangerous and unlawful under the circulation law of driving to drive and texting at the same time .A driver suppose to be a good conductor .A conductor has obligation to drive carefully and forecast dangerous to protect yourself , other people and others things .
One of the most important thing that you learn when you were taking driving classes is, the importance to have complete concentration in that activity. The reason is why when you are driving, it has implicit many things between them, the responsibility people who are around you. The other hand, when you are driving you should not do a couple of things at the same time, because in a second you could lost the control. One thing that my driver professor told me, was that you can control what you do, but you cannot know other people do. When I am driving I try to put away cellphones because a really appreciate the life of the other. In contrast with the article I would be agree with find guilty people who texting while they was driving. Judges should impose sanctions depending on the case. They could impose educational measures as to attend hours in social programs and monetary sanctions until go to the jail.
I think people should not use their phones when they are diving because an accident can happen oh something can happen many times they get very distracted with the phone or they don’t pay attention on the streets or in the directions to many times the traffic lights pass by the polices always the stop many people from using the phone when they are driving and most often take to court and can even go to jail.
Using the phone while driving is dangerous. Many people has not consent of how dangerous it can be to send message while driving not only puts his life at risk is not that of other citizens. Using the phone while driving is one of the causes of so many accidents that have led many people to suffer great damage even caused death. I think that using the phone while driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving because on both occasions you are distracted which you can lose control in the street. These are two well-justified reasons why a person can fit time in prison first is the safety of people and should be punished to the person who has no concentration with this.
I think it should not be treating like a drunk person but for sure, they should punished the person because when someone is driving and is using a phone is dangerous for the pedestrians and for themselves. They are conscience about what they are doing but they just ignore the fact that even with the minimum mistake they do can kill a person just in a blink. That's why I considerate that they should punish them in that way they will understand and recognize that there are consequences in their actions. It is shameless when you get under arrest just for texting in your phone such things that you can avoid it with only ignoring who is texting you, and is more tragic when you kill somebody because you couldn't follow the rules and do what is right, let's stop being nonchalant persons and start to care even for the little things that we think that is not important but they actually are.
I don't believe texting while driving should be punished like driving under the influence. I believe it should be punished but in a different way. It is still a serious offence , especially if you crash and injure someone. I don’t know how to charge the offense because I believe there's a lot of things to consider. Yet if your pulled over for texting and driving then there should be a large fine.
Everyone at least texts and drives. But no teenager will admit to doing it. There have been times in my life when my mom has been driving and scrolling through Facebook. Texting and driving should be illegal due to it’s a major distraction while driving. I’m not sure which way to lean on this case. I can see why Alexandra Mansonet was distracted while driving. If she wasn’t on her phone maybe she would have seen the pediatrician. However, was the pediatrician not paying attention. Just because someone is texting and driving doesn’t always end in murder. But in this case, it did. Whether is was accidental or not, she murdered someone's daughter, and husband just trying to live her life.
I think that it should be, texting and driving causes so many accidents and deaths. I have seen many family members text and drive before and it does look like it seems very dangerous. I do think that she was guilty because she ran someone over with her car and if she were paying attention to the road instead of her phone then maybe that person would still be alive
During my driver's education class we watched many videos of the victims in car crashes, both dead and alive. All of the car crashes shown in the video were caused by texting and driving. As I finished watching the video I couldn't help but feel disgusted and promised myself I would never text and drive. I kept my word and pay attention strictly to my surroundings and my dashboard.
I believe that drunken drivers and texting drivers should be punished the same. Both can cause serious harm including killing a pedestrian and damaging property. The two types of drivers have the choice of picking up their phone or taking another shot of alcohol. This makes them guilty for all that happens while they are behind the wheel.
This brings us to the case of Alexandra Maisonet who texted while driving and struck and killed a man with her Mercedes-Benz. She was charged with a vehicular homicide which might sound extreme but I believe that the jury was correct and when a woman drunk or sober kills a person on the road, they should be prosecuted. I find it sad that as technology grows, people find more and more ways to misuse it.
Texting and driving definitely deserves the same consequence as drunk driving. I have never texted while driving and I never will because it is not worth hurting someone else or myself. Whatever texts need to be sent can wait until I can park. I have seen family members and friends text and drive and it always makes me very nervous. Yes, I do think Alexandra’s verdict is fair. She was old enough to know that what she was doing was dangerous. She deserves her punishment because she knew what she was doing was wrong and killing someone deserves punishment. I believe if someone in Alexandra’s family had been killed by someone texting and driving, she would have wanted them to be punished in the same way she is being punished. I do believe texting while driving should be illegal and treated like drunk driving everywhere. It doesn’t make sense for New Jersey to be the only state. If pedestrian deaths have reached a 30 year high, then something needs to be done to protect pedestrians. If drivers knew they could go to jail for texting, most would stop doing it.
I strongly believe that texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving. For one thing they kill or injure a large amount of people and have cut promising lives short. Very fortunately, nobody I know or love texts and drives, but the worry that they can be hurt because of someone's carelessness does haunt my mind. But the guilt alone is almost punishment enough.
I fully believe that texting while driving should be held at the same level as drunk driving.It endangers all others with the level of inattention as drunk driving. It is reckless and harmful to yourself as the driver and others. In no way, should your life be in danger due to someone on their phone while driving. It is a responsibility as a licensed driver to ensure your vehicle will not cause damage to anyone in the surroundings.
Texting and Driving can be a very bad habit and can end up killing someone. I think it should be treated like drinking and driving because it can take someones life and ruin someone else's. The article states that there was a record high of 30 pedestrian deaths last year and putting a law in place that treats texting and driving like drinking and driving. I feel like both of these things are similar because just like drinking texting messes with your focus and can cause something serious.
Distracted driving should be taken as seriously as driving under the influence. Even though many do it daily, they do not understand the serious consequences distracted driving can have on them and others — such is the case of Alexandra Masonet. Harsher punishments for those who are accused of distracted driving can hopefully stop people from doing it because they might think about what could potentially happen even if they just glance at their phone. Even with harsher punishments, it will still be difficult to keep drivers off their phones since they are such an integral part of society.
@Arden Wheeler I agree with you that it should be treated the same. The fact that many people do it is just evidence that we need stricter laws, it's been proven that distracted driving is just as bad, if not worse, than drunk driving. Although enforcing it can be challenging, hopefully cases like the one mentioned in this article can bring this issue to the light and show people just how bad distracted driving is.
If your texting in a game of Mario Kraft do you expect to win the race. If your driving on the road while texting do you think your going to be safe. The answer is always no, people should invest in cars with the built in GPS and dashboard. Drinking and Driving is a major issue but Distracted Driving is just as dangerous and illegal. Many people think "Oh I'm just going to text my step sisters cousins back up doctor, about the Hawks vs pistons game".
I believe that texting while driving should have bigger consequences just like drunk driving. Most people believe this is not a big deal until they get into an accident, it takes only a second of distraction to give someone a life time of regret. Drink, high and distracted driving are equally as dangerous because the driver is not able to focus on the road ahead. It’s not alcohol, drugs, or medication that are are at an all time high- it’s cell phones. Mr. Altman the lawyer on this case seems to believe that texting while driving is less serious than driving under the influence. The only way to stop this misconception is start treating distracted driving with the same effect as other road crimes. I believe that texting while driving should have a bigger consequences and be taken just as seriously a signer driving laws.
@Ema Thorakkal I agree that there should be bigger consequences for distracted driving, because if the person is high or drunk it effects their ability to drive and if a person is distracted while on their phone it has the same impact on your ability to drive. The penalty might never be the same as "drunk driving" but the law system should consider the significant risks that come with going on your phone on the road.
@Ema Thorakkal I completely agree. Texting while driving is a HUGE problem now, and we should have much stricter laws regarding cell phones. I do not agree with Mr. Altman at all; in 2018, 4,637 people in the US were killed due to distracted driving, and while that number isn't as large as the number of people killed due to impaired driving, it's still about 4,637 more people than it should have been.
Texting and driving should absolutely be a criminally charged offense, just as drinking and driving is. Texting and driving distracts drivers from the road, and causes the driver to not be able to completely focus or drive safely, just as a drunk driver is not driving to their full capabilities. While they look at their phone screen, maybe only for a second, their eyes are off the road, and although it is unintentional, they are being reckless to everyone around them. Those few seconds, while going down just a forty mile per hour road, account for a lot of distance that they never even see.
This story about a women getting fatally injured by a distracted driver, is just one of many in a new crisis. As I look at others drive, my friends, and even my parents, I see them constantly distracted by their phones. I tell them to stop, and they usually respond with the, "I'm just changing the song", or "It was only a second", and maybe "I had to respond". A lot of people see just looking at their phones for a little while as acceptable, as not a big deal, they are fine multitasking. But that little while is all it takes, as it probably was when the respected non-profit chief executive ended the life of this woman. Its only a small deal until something happens.
Hopefully with the spread of this story and new laws, people will stop risking the lives of others over a friend's text or a meme on instagram. Texting and driving is dangerous and needs to be seen more as a big problem.
I think that exiting while driving should have bigger consequences like drunk driving. Both are equally dangerous and should be taken just as seriously. Just like drunk driving, looking down at you phone for a second could have a life long consequence. Many accidents are caused by drivers texting. I do not personally text and drive but I have been a passenger with the driver texting and it scares my to think that something bad could happen in those few seconds the drivers looks away. I believe that texting while driving should have a bigger consequence and be taken just as seriously as other driving laws.
@S.G.ツ well it depends who their texting too. That was supposed to be in my last comment. so...
Texting and driving is very dangerous. Most people think it's not a big deal until they get into an unfortunate accident, it only takes a one second of distraction to give someone a life time of regret or maybe not even being able to regret at all. Obviously this is a major issue, it puts peoples lives on the line, so I support the new law about no texting and driving.
@Leo
I agree with you that texting while driving is very dangerous. Just like driving under the influence, a person who decides it's okay to text while driving has the same lack in a sense of reality (thinking that nothing could possibly go wrong) as a person who decides to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Therefore both actions should be prosecuted with the same weight.
Texting while driving should have the same consequences as drunk driving. Drunk, high, and distracted driving are equally as dangerous because the driver is not able to focus on the road ahead. The increase in pedestrian deaths should be evidence enough. After all, it is not alcohol, drugs, or medication tat are at an all time high - it's cell phones. Mr. Altman, the lawyer in this case, seems to believe, like many others, that because texting while driving is common practice, it is less serious than driving under the influence. The only way to get rid of this misconception is to start treating distracted driving with the same weight as other road crimes. In order to crack down on this problem, the law should give equal punishment to drunk, high, and distracted drivers. Otherwise, like Mr. Altman, people will continue to believe that texting while driving is no big deal.
@Jillian Steeves I completely agree; texting and driving should be taken very seriously and punished just as severely as driving while under the influence. Whenever I see one of my family members texting and driving, I warn them that they should not be distracting themselves with their phone while they are operating a vehicle that has the potential to easily injure or kill someone. To resolve this issue, that family member usually gives me their phone and I text the people that they were going to text. In this way they are focused on driving and not on sending a text to someone. As for punishing this crime with the same severity as driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, I support this idea fully: both phones and drugs take one's focus off of driving. In summary, even though so many people may be texting and driving "on a daily basis", nothing can minimize the fact that people have been killed by doing this and these perpetrators should suffer the consequences of their poor decisions.
I understand Ms. Mansonet's lawyer defense of it being very common but that has a lot of flaws in it. To be completely honest it is very common but so is alcohol abuse, corruption, smoking and other drugs such as fentanyl abuse so we shouldn't punish people for that when it appropriate to punish people for that? If we don't have severe consequences for these people then we are encouraging the next generation and the people to keep on doing it or do it when they start to drive and that is unacceptable. I don't believe people should be put in jail for long period but they need to show acceptance and they won't do this mistake again. They must also be fined and also have to pay the prosecution and the people who got hurt by their reckless acts money. Those people who get injured in this way, because a driver decided to text, have families that will go through a lot of pain especially if the person died. There is absolutely no point that you can't stop at a parking lot and look at your texts or look at your texts later when you are supposed to pay full attention to the road, because if you don't it is extremely dangerous. Mrs.Mansonet's might not think it is a big deal because everyone does do it but tell that to the pregnant women that is fatally damaged. Tell that to her unborn child who has a good chance of not being born and her husband who had big dreams of spending his life with this woman and having a kid but can't and loses both because of Mrs.Mansonet's negligence.
Texting while driving is definitely a problem that should not go unpunished. Whether or not it should be treated on the same level as drunk driving, I don't know. But it is certain that texting while driving is a distraction and is dangerous to the driver, passengers, and people around the vehicle. I have never been guilty of this, nevertheless, in my experience taking your eyes off of the road for even a few seconds can be a great risk, so what would the risk be if you took your eyes off the road and also took a hand off the wheel to text?
Being that New Jersey’s law states that cell phone use is “criminally reckless”, I believe Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict is fair for unintentional vehicular manslaughter. If a life could be taken like in this situation, then further regulation of sensory distractions while driving such as texting should be considered.
Texting while driving may be a “common” occurrence among drivers, but that doesn’t mean the common behavior is right or should be immune to change. Stricter laws regarding these issues generally lead to safer roads. As laws against drunk driving have become more strict, drunk driving rates have gone down. With pedestrian deaths in the US at a 30 year high last year, texting while driving may follow a similar path, especially with the increasing public realization of the dangers of texting while driving.
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@Jack Huo I agree completely with your comment. Even if something has become a common action among society, that doesn't take the risk factor away from the situation. The excuse "but everyone is on their phone" is not a good enough reason to justify you doing an action that can take someones life with ease. This relates to that statement most people have heard at least once in their life, and that is "if your friend jumped of a bridge/cliff/etc. would you?" What others do shouldn't affect what you do.
@Jack Huo, I agree to you comment because while driving became dangerous as better phone models have been released during the year of 2019. People have been messaging their friends, family members or Co-workers non-stop while their driving their car on the phone not paying attention as the stop light turns red, they keep driving until they look at the last second.
Once the light turns green, their sitting on phone texting someone while the other drivers are honking at the distracted driver telling he/she to go.
@Jack Huo
I agree that distracted driving is a big issue and that Alexandra Mansonet's verdict was fair, but what do you the consequences of distracted driving should be?
I have never myself driven a car, since I don't meet the legal age to get a permit, but I have before seen my parents do this. Though nothing bad has happened, the risk of dangerous outcomes were greatly implied. The thought of texting while driving seems like a very dangerous procedure to go through. Many people who drive might think it is just a swift look but really, it's asking for worry. When you task, you take your main attention from the road and your hand(s) from the wheel. This puts both yourself and any other passengers at risk of derailing from the road, crashing, or worse, hurting a pedestrian. And as statistics show, "1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving".
Based on these reasons, I believe that texting and driving should be illegal. This would lower that rate of death and crashes related to texting while driving as drivers will be more cautious when driving from now forward. And with this caution, comes less cases like the situation that Alexandra Mansonet is in.
@Aiden Rubin Sanxhaku, As i get older, myself would get a car but id prefer to walk than driving, but i havent drivin a car before either. I've seen my parents do it once or twice while i was in the back seat.
@Aiden Rubin Sanxhaku
I agree with your comment. I myself am not old enough to drive, however, I have seen my parents and sister using their phones while driving too. It puts us all at a risk and should be banned in the states like it is here in Canada. It causes more crashes and deaths and drunk driving and that is a big issue.
@Aiden Rubin Sanxhaku I agree fully with you that texting and driving should be illegal. The consequences of accidental vehicular manslaughter I think is appropriate. Texting and driving should be illegal like you said 25% of crashes happen because of texting and driving and that is only one of many reasons it should be illegal. Texting and driving is dangerous and should have brutal consequences like drunk driving because just like drunk driving it's a choice you make.
i believe the consequences for texting while driving should be as serious as the consequences for drunk driving, but not the same, as they are two different offenses. I think texting while driving is huge issue that is only increasing as new generations—ones that grew up with technology all around them—learn to drive and obtain their license. I know how easy it is to get distracted by technology while driving from being in the car with my friends and watching them use their phone while at a stoplight. I have even caught myself subconsciously reaching for my phone when I am behind the wheel sometimes. I think going on your phone has become so habitual and ingrained into our lives that we do not even realize we are doing so. Because of this, I do believe that more laws should be passed against texting while driving and more people need to be proactive about turning off their phones or hiding their phones where they cannot reach while driving.
@Isabelle Ang I agree with your comment, distracted driving while using your phone is increasing with new generations. It's upsetting to know that more people are at risk of an injury when someone uses their phone instead of drunk driving. I agree as well when you said "I think going on your phone has become so habitual". We are so used to using our phones we don't even notice what we are doing sometimes.
@Isabelle Ang
If the consequences for distracted driving should be as serious as the consequences as drunk driving, but not the same, then what should those consequences be?
@Isabelle Ang i agree with your comment because so many people go on there phone well they are driving. Going on your phone can cause an accident just as much as drunk driving.
I know that texting while driving is a big deal. Based on recent events, there have been many accidents, death, and injuries coming from texting while driving. I believe that it should be treated like drunk driving because it results in the same consequences. If you're not paying attention to the road you are prone to get into a crash. This is a great caution and people should not I'll be texting while driving. If I were a police officer would take it seriously and would want to make sure that this problem is taken care of. I would have also created an app that could disable the phone while the phone feels that the driver driving fast. I would want the phone to completely disable so the driver can focus on the road.
@Paul Sobol "Car Guru" i love what you are saying here i completely agree with your statements about distracted driving should be treated like drunk driving because they do have to same consequences, but one thing i"m not sure about is the app that u are explaining like how would it work? how could it tell that you were done driving so you could use it again? would it just lock your phone completely? But other than that u have covered everything I believe needed to be covered.
@Paul Sobol "Car Guru"
I agree witrh your comment. There has been many recent accidents and death involving texting and driving and I think it should be treated the same as if it were drunken driving because in the end, the same outcome is shown.There is an app that sends constant reminders/ notifications to remind you to stay off of your phone while driving. and I agree, if i were a police officer, I would try my best to take care of this and not let anyone go without atleast some sort of fine.
@Paul Sobol "Car Guru" I agree with you about texting and driving should be treated like drunk driving. I think that people should just put there phone somewhere where you can't see it, so they are not tempted to touch it.
I know that texting while driving is a big deal. Based on recent events, there have been many accidents, death, and injuries coming from texting while driving. I believe that it should be treated like drunk driving because it results in the same consequences. If you're not paying attention to the road you are prone to get into a crash. This is a great caution and people should not be texting while driving. If I were a police officer, I would take it seriously and would want to make sure that this problem is taken care of. I would have also created an app that could disable the phone while the phone feels that the driver is driving fast. I would want the phone to completely disabled so the driver can focus on the road.
I believe texting while driving should be considered the same as drunk driving because due to the lack of being able to pay attention while impaired or distracted, it should be more heavily punished. The number of deaths/injury's from texting while driving is huge, the harder you punish it, the less it will happen The definition of drunk driving is operating a motor vehicle while blood is being impacted by the alcohol is above the legal limit set by statute, which is the level at which a person cannot drive safely. Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages or emails on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle, which causes you to be distracted and the motor vehicle can not be operated safely. Both actions cause the same outcome. Distracted drivers not driving safely, so I Believe it should be punished same as or worse in this case.
@Jasmin W i feel that impaired driving should be more of an offense because that is a decision someone made before driving and if they're doing it they're pretty much setting themselves up for an accident. checking your phone is a split second decision that can cause accidents. i think the reason there's more accidents is because distracted driving happens more and is a lot easier to do. in no way am i saying that distracted driving isn't serious, i just feel impaired driving is more irresponsible.
@Jasmin W I agree with you that distracted driving should be punished the same or worse than drunk driving because you're making a conscious decision to do something unsafe. While you are drunk, your decision making abilities are impaired and you're not yourself. When you are driving and you're using your phone, you make the unimpaired decision to pick up your phone and using it, causing distracted driving. In the case of Mrs Mansone, she decided to reply to a text about dinner choices (not an urgent message) and caused the death of a pedestrian. She caused a completely preventable fatality had she just decided to make the safe decision and reply to the text later.
@Jasmin W I do strongly agree with this because as you know texting and driving or distracted driving is actually more dangerous then drinking and driving. There has been more car crashes from distracted driving then drinking and driving. So yeah i do agree with your state mate of that they should get punished just as much at drinking and driving because you can end up putting your life in danger or even others.
I have seen my mom text and drive countless times and luckily she hasn't gotten into an accident yet. I see as to why it's dangerous because lives can be drastically changed. I think texting and driving should be illegal everywhere because people can die.
I think Alexandra Mansonet's verdict is fair because she should be aware that texting and driving is bad and that she could harm herself or others around her. If I was a member of the jury, I would consider why she was on her phone and if she was paying attention enough.
I think Steven D. Altman's argument that a harsh punishment for texting is driving is unfair since its so common because many people get away with it.
@Stephanie Cueva As you have said, you've seen your mom text and drive, countless times, i think that there needs to be more education about distracted driving for the older generations. Because their license testing didn't include much about technology, they are unfamiliar with the laws and get into more accidents. In Canada, our laws prohibit the use of handheld devices but many older drivers don't know the laws well and therefore get ticketed for things they don't even know they're doing wrong. This is why staying up to date on laws is so important.
@Stephanie Cueva I agree that we all see our parents and other loved ones text and drive but if want change we have to tell them to stop because in our society today people do things until they are told that it is wrong and that they should have to. To add to that people do die and even if its illegal people still do it unless they are caught in the act. also i think that if we were more harsh on our punishments than we wouldn't have so many people doing it because people would be more scared of the punishments.
@Stephanie Cueva i disagree because even if you think it is unfair to have the same punishment as druck drive but in reality there are more accidents when people are on their phones while driving than when people drunk drive. Although i do agree with the part that people shpould be more aware not to go on their phones while driving. Even my parents do it and it's a hard thing not to do but if it can cause you to put others in danger you shouldn't do it.
I think that texting while driving should get the exact consequence of drunk driving because your glued to a phone and not even taking a peek at the road while going about 50 mph most of the time is I think worse than having blurry eyesight because you are drunk. Texting while driving can cause the same exact effects that drunk driving can cause too so I honestly think that they should both have the same consequence in my opinion.
@Nathaniel Waters I 1000% agree The two are literally the exact same in terms of possible risk in fact I actually think that texting while driving is worse because of your lack of total awareness. All in all I completely agree they both should be punished equally and swiftly.
When I was in Georgia, my Mom took out her phone to search for directions and her friend grabbed it out of her hand. What we didn’t know, is that holding a phone, even at a stoplight, is illegal for drivers in Georgia. The fines for texting and driving there are also very high, adding $50 with each offense. Having to remind my Mom constantly to stay off her phone gets tiresome, so it would be really beneficial for all states to pass Georgia’s Hands-Free law.
Car manufacturing companies can also help lighten the workload. Something I think will help is not allowing wifi or cellular data to work inside a vehicle. If a person needs to use their phone, they can pull over, stop the car, and get out. Or even just a box for a phone that only opens when the car stops. These ideas will make it so that people are less encouraged to get on their phones and just brave the ten minutes to their destination.
Both texting and driving and drunk driving were done intentionally, so they should have the same consequence. Alexandra Mansonet knew that it was risky to text and drive, and yet she did it anyway! Just because it’s something “we are all guilty of doing on a daily basis” doesn’t make killing a person okay. Ten years in prison is nothing compared to what Mr. Qiu will have to go through for the rest of his life. He and Yuwen Wang were going to start a family, but instead of adding a member, Mansonet robbed one away when she couldn’t wait five minutes to order Mexican.
@Simone Cronier you make a number of really good points that remind us about the importance of common sense. Common sense that should be on the driver, but also on the maker of cars to deal with the reality of people texting while driving.The consequences of Masonet's actions are dire, and while they were not her intention, they are the reality. A person is dead because she couldn't wait to reply about a dinner preference. No one thinks it's going to be this text or this moment that results in lives being altered or taken, but that's how it happens. We need to learn how to delay our response and be in the moment, especially when that moment is being responsible for the safety of others on the road. .
I've never texted and driven myself as I don't have my license, but I frequently see my parents text and drive. I've come to trust their abilities as they're both good drivers but I can see exactly why it can be a criminal offense. When we take our eyes off the road, we are no longer aware of what is going around us and cannot react to sudden changes in the road, such as children running out in the street to pick up footballs or dogs running across the road.
Texting and driving should certainly be illegal across the U.S., but I view it almost like I view speed limits. No one actually follows the speed limits, in fact those who do are often considered slow, but they're still there. To not make texting and driving illegal would simply make the problem at hand worse; making it illegal may not help because many will chose to ignore the rules, but doing nothing is guaranteed to yield no change
@Sam McNamara I believe that to limit our use of our cellular device on the road we must limit and control our use to the point of which we can say no to using our phones. But when it comes to using cellular devices as tools such as a GPS or to receive calls on the road they should be controlled. Or in other words mounted so to me it seems pretty easy what's going on we need to either regulate our selves or simply put it on a stand.
@Sam McNamara The examples that you made were really well thought out. Yes of course not everyone is going to follow the rules strictly, but if we make the charges more strict then maybe people will follow them with more consideration. For example, instead of getting a fine for distracted driving a person would go to court or jail.
Everytime I get into my car I actually put my phone in the glove box so even if it does ring it doesn’t distract me from the road. Concerning accidents with people who were texting and driving the one texting should assume full responsibility for the situation. Just a few days ago I was crossing the street while the light was red and one went right on through and two feet in front of my I could see them looking at their phone. When I see my parents on their phone while they drive I actually tell them to put the phone down and focus on driving, even if it is at a red light you should still be focused. From the verdict of someone accused of vehicular homicide and texting while driving should have definitive proof that they were on their phone at the time of the accident. If it’s confirmed they were then they should definitely spend some time in jail. To get us back on track and make the use of our phones while driving seem wrong we should fine people for being on their phones unless it’s an emergency.
@Tyler D. I think your smart for putting your phone in your glove box. Because when you are distracted driving you are not only dangerous to yourself but others as well.
Personally I believe that people who are caught texting while driving should be punished just as much as people who were intoxicated. One of the reasons for this is that when people text and drive they have the choice to turn on their phone and look at while somebody who was intoxicated might not have as much control over what they are going to to while intoxicated. I'm not excusing drunk driving that is an entire different matter. There is also a lot of drunk drivers on the road even with the strict laws on driving while under the influence now if we increase the punishment for people who text and drive it is more likely to decrease the amount of distracted drivers. And with that the amount of accidents caused by distracted driving would decrease. That is why I think that the punishment for distracted driving should be just as bad as drunk driving.
I have never fully texted while driving, however, I have glanced at my phone on some occasions to read a text or change a song (at a red light). Other family members of mine do not often text and drive, as I have hardly seen them do so. However, I am aware of the dangerous consequences that come from this one action. As for whether it should be illegal, I am unsure of where to stand on this argument. I do not believe it should be considered similar to drunk driving, as the results of drunk driving are far worse. Driving while under the influence is a serious offense to consider, since it entirely impairs a driver from their focus on the road. However, if a person texts while driving it could only last about a minute - more or less. It is one slight distraction as compared to a person knowingly driving for a period of time while drunk. I believe there should be charges enforced if texting while driving results in serious damage, such as harm - to property or people - or death. It is on them if they choose to pick up their phone and distract themselves from driving.
Personally, I have seen multiple family members and friends texting while driving. They substitute their hands for their knees and moving their legs around to steer all while looking at their phone. I also think that the trial was fair, but the sentencing was a little harsh considering that people do this act everyday. Unfortunately she took someones life so her sentencing was fair specifically for her, but for people who injure but not kill/paralyzed/brain dead. If they do any of the / above then they should face long jail times and fines, but if they injure than just short jail time (made longer each offence), and fines (gets greater each offense).
@quadeera Going into more detail in the offenses and the more hurt the person should definitely contribute to the sentence of the person in question and I’ve also seen my family do that before on long road trips. I disagree that there should be less of a penalty for texting and driving, however because it could easily be fixed if people just put their phone down. It’s an easy fix but is for some reason a very hard habit to break.
I have never texted while driving, however I have seen my family members text while driving, and people like my friend's parents. I believe that texting while driving is extremely dangerous, as when you are looking at your phone, you can not see the cars in front of you, the way the road goes, and worst of all people on the side of the road or crossing the street. I believe that texting while driving should be illegal everywhere, and it should carry the same consequences as driving under the influence or other serious crimes for what a driver does while texting. However, I believe this problem can not be properly enforced, particularly because I have passed many people, even police officers texting while driving.
@Patrick I agree with your comment, distracted driving by a electronic should have the same consequences as drunk driving. Texting while driving needs to be illegal everywhere, not even texting, just going on your phone should be illegal. There are too many accidents that are happening now just because someone wants to send a message.
I have never texted while driving though I have been in the car with adults who are easily distracted by their phones while driving. Texting and driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving however it is hard to determine what a "fair" punishment would be for someone who got into an accident while texting in the car. Texting while driving and being drunk while driving are very different although similar. When driving drunk, your senses and reactions are impaired which will in turn cause you to make bad decision. This differs from texting and driving which is just a bad decision all together
@Emma Texting and driving is actually just has bad has drinking and driving or even worse but all together they both are bad things to do overall. But there has been more incidents from texting and driving then drinking and driving but that doesn't mean it's worse then drinking and driving they both are really bad and can cause death and other bad things.
@Emma I understand your comment. But my understanding is that no matter what you do while driving intoxicated or texting you are still distracted and that not only puts your life at risk but others as well. So in other words all crimes committed should be repaid for. It does not matter weather it is texting or being intoxicated you are still distracted. So the person should pay for the punishment of distracted driving.
@Emma i agree, i seems that someone who is drunk is making more of a irresponsible decision before hand
First, have you ever texted while driving? Or, have you ever seen friends or family members text and drive? Do you see why it’s dangerous? Do you think it should be illegal everywhere?
Whenever I drive the first thing I do is put my phone away so I do not feel tempted to reach for the screen. I have seen many people text and drive before and most people do this unconsciously as it is a form of a bad habit. The main priority while conducting a vehicle is to be alert and keep focused on the road and your surroundings. It is extremely dangerous because the simple act of checking your phone can give you one less second to react to a situation that could have been averted if the driver maintained focused on the task at hand. I think that making texting while driving illegal would make the number of car accidents for drivers go down substantially. Less distraction and more focus is always the way to go.
Although I have just recently received my driver's license I have never texted and driven, but I can definitely see the distraction. I have had the urge to pick up the ringing phone, check to see if my friends had answered my text, or switch to the next song. Putting your phone of silence and keeping it out of reach could really help prevent distracted driving. I have seen many people in my life, including my parent's text and drive. It is scary to see other people do it, especially while you are in the car. The idea of that taking your eyes off the road can cause a horrible fatality. I think that distracted driving is very dangerous and that the use of cell phones in a vehicle should be illegal.
@Caroline K
I agree with the idea that texting while driving--distracted driving--should be illegal and yield the same consequences as driving while drunk. Like you said, taking one’s eyes off of the road, even for a split second, can cause a situation to turn fatal. For example, if a car were to cut you off suddenly or if a stoplight suddenly turned red and you were texting, it is possible that you could crash into the car in front of you or run a red light. These actions endanger people’s lives--just like driving while drunk. Therefore, texting while driving has the same risk of injury as drunk driving and should be treated the same in a legal sense. In addition to the argument that texting while driving requires one to take one’s eyes off of the road, it is also important to point out the fact that texting while driving is a choice one makes. The action is voluntary. Consequently, the act of injuring or causing the death of a person because of texting while driving should carry the same legal consequences as any injury or death caused behind the wheel--the same as the ramifications for causing injury or death while driving drunk. Because the risk of injuring a person because of texting while driving is similar to that due to drunk driving, the consequences of texting while driving should be the same as driving while drunk, even when there is not a victim.
Texting and driving is a serious offense and should be treated as such. It should not be written off just for the reason that it is a common occurrence. This is shown in Steven D. Altman's excuse as to why there should not be a more severe punishment for texting and driving when he stated the fine should not be altered,"for something we are guilty of doing on a daily basis." In areas where theft is more concentrated the punishment is consistent, which exemplifies that just because a law is broken often does not mean a lower grade punishment is the solution. If the fine for texting while driving was decreased it would give others the notion that it is not a thing to be wary of and the cases of texting while driving would most likely increase.
@Trisha B amazing
@Trisha B I think that your hundred percent right. Laws are broken on a day to day basis, as you said just because the crimes are common, the penalty shouldn't be different. The world will never be perfect and that being said if we had no law it would be worse so just having the law it helps. Its the same with speeding the signs are there but know one follows them but they do remind people to have common sense. I believe it should be the same with texting, signs need to be put up.
Following the reading of this article I found that this is a topic that is held extremely close to my heart. About 2 years ago my uncle was in a near fetal car accident and it was caused by a driver who was texting and driving. The article mentioned a spike in the amount of civilian deaths in the last thirty years and asked what we could do to reverse this trend, one option is ban the use of cellphones in cars. With less distracted drivers less accidents are likely to happen.
Personally, I have never texted while driving since I only currently have my learners permit. Additionally, in the future I also do not plan to text and drive. However, while I have never done so, I have witnesses my friends and family members texting while driving. This puts not only the driver and those in the car with the driver at risk, but also other pedestrians and individuals in surrounding vehicles. Texting while driving impaired the drivers ability to safely and effectively execute the tasks necessary to operate a vehicle. Similarly, driving while intoxicated impairs the drivers ability through altering their reaction time and perception of real time events. While both the drunk driver and the driver texting while driving pose a serious threat, it is the perception of the masses that an intoxicated driver is more dangerous than a driver who is texting. Since this is not the case, as both cases produce similar effects, they should both legally be treated in similar ways.
Texting while driving has become normal for people who get behind the wheel of a vehicle. It has been an issue for a long time and unfortunately, claimed the lives of innocent pedestrians and other civilians in their cars. Distracted driving should be taken more seriously because people don’t see their cars as weapons, but they are. One glance at a notification on your phone could be the end result of life or death for you or another person. It’s critical that people take more caution when they get into their cars. I think her punishment was fair because it demonstrates the drastic scenario of someone who thought their life was more important than someone else’s. We are supposed to be alert and focused on one thing when behind a wheel, driving.
First, have you ever texted while driving? Or, have you ever seen friends or family members text and drive? Do you see why it’s dangerous? Do you think it should be illegal everywhere?
I have never texted and driven at the same time however I have seen others around me do so. I see why it is dangerous, it can lead to serious problems and cost lives. I do think it should be illegal but ultimately, its up to the states choice and not a nationwide. Their are multiple states where it is not illegal. I think the consequences should depend on the seriousness of the accident but someone should not automatically be arrested for being on their phone. I do think it should be illegal.
Texting while driving should be treated like drunken driving. With many teenagers who grew up with a phone in their hands coming of age to drive, it should be drilled into their heads that this is not the time to text. With technology constantly improving, people tend to get more addicted to using their electronics and are more likely to want to use their phones while they are driving. With stricter control on texting and driving, the consequences would loom over the driver, influencing them not to use their phones. Therefore we should have such control over texting and driving.
Ms. Mansonet's lawyer Steven D. Altman was trying to use pathos to persuade the Jury. This lawyer knew that most American Citizens use their cell phones while driving and wanted them to understand that it could be any one of them who was being incarcerated. Though I think the lawyer is just doing his job, it should be stressed to people that texting while driving is a serious offense. There are many incidents where pedestrians are harmed because of someone checking their text messages. The people need to understand that when you take your focus off the road you have a chance of ending someone's life, even if you're the nicest and most caring person you should still be punished for your mistake. The person should be sentenced to ending one's life because now that person's family has lost a valuable member that they can never get back. Granted it might have been a one time mistake but that one-time mistake cost someone a sister, brother, father, mother, friend, and so forth. So please be mindful when you are driving.
I think that drinking and driving and texting and driving should be taken into consideration in the same predicament. Both hinder your senses, reaction time, and coordination, due to either or distraction or intoxication. Texting and driving make the driver look away temporarily from the road, which can be a blind drive of 100 yards or more. This caused millions of accidents of the road each year and directly correlates with excessive use of technology.
Although I have never texted while driving, I have seen friends and family members do it occasionally. I do believe that it is very dangerous and that sending a text is not worth your life or someone else's. I do believe that it should be illegal. I think that her verdict is fair. She killed someone and should be held responsible. I do not think her lawyer's argument is valid. A person should never be distracted when driving and just because it is something that people do every day should not change that.
Texting and driving is just as bad as driving while intoxicated. You are still putting yourself and other people at risk. The same things can be done like hurting some one severely or even worst. When you are on the phone you are distracted but when you are under the influence you are also distracted because of how your mind is thinking and the way you see is affected. This all can relate to serious damage to yourself and those in the car with you or outside of the car. I have heard of many people's lives being taken or being seriously injured when accidents occur while a person driving is on the phone or intoxicated. The same rules should apply for the offenses made when texting and driving or drunk driving
@Ella P I agree with your opinions. While you are intoxicated, you may be in the car, but your brain is somewhere else. While being in close contact with your phone, the same effect could happen. It is just as dangerous to have your phone within a close perimeter of you with yo are driving, as opposed to having alcohol in your system. People don't realize just how much phones have taken over our lives. So much so that we struggle to go a 10 minute car ride without looking at our device. That fact is the exact reason why most of these types of accidents are happening.
I think Mansonet's verdict is fair. In New Jersey, driving with hand held devices such as cell phones, is illegal. Mansonet was breaking that law, which ulimately led to the death of another pedestrian, and in these circumstances, Mansonet should be held accountable. Even if it was an accident, someone lost their life due to texting while driving, a mistake that Mansonet consciously made. Considerations that the jury should take are to find out the time stamps on the phone, to see if she was actually using her device, and whether or not there were other laws being broken, such as speeding or running through red lights/intersections.
Even though I've never driven by myself before, texting and driving is so common in today's world that almost everyone has had an experience with it or at least knows someone who has. Texting and Driving might be one of the most dangerous and fatal actions one could commit. 4,637 people died in car crashes in 2018 due to cell phone use. Including the cost to people's lives, these crashes were responsible for $129 billion — or 15 percent — of the overall societal damage caused by motor vehicle crashes. That number is way too high for action of selfishness and insignificance such as texting and driving.
@Young Leek I agree, it's quite unfortunate that so many people think that it's okay to text while driving just because it only takes a second. Well truth be told, it only takes a second to fatally injure someone. I disagree that it's one of the most fatal actions that someone could commit, but I understand where you're coming from. It's a major issue right now and people need to be properly educated on the consequences of simply sending a text while driving.
I believe that the defendant's lawyer is biased in the situation on his client's behalf. He states that texting and driving is something somebody does on a daily basis, which is just not true. From my own experience, I never take out my phone, even at a red light Neither do my parents. His statement is biased because he knows that the defendant is guilty, and he is trying to make it seem like it wasn't her fault for killing the woman, when it was her own choice to text and drive knowing the possible consequences.
@Patrick Molloy When you hire a lawyer, their job is to defend you and come up with any and every reason to prove that you were not in the wrong. It doesn't matter if they think you were in the wrong or not, it's their job to argue in your favour. Texting while driving was, in fact, her choice and she was punished fittingly, but again, the lawyer was just doing his job. While you or your family may not use your phones while driving, which is very good, a majority of people do use their phones. Texting while driving is something that happens on a daily basis, whether you experience it or not.
For Ms. Mansonet's lawyer to claim that everyone texts and drives "on a daily basis" is just a factually incorrect argument. For example, it's uncommon for drivers with insurance issues, drivers previously effected by texting and driving, and people with high morals to text and drive. I, personally, have only seen a handful of people text and drive in my town and I believe that not "everyone" does it and that it is especially not a common practice among new drivers in my town. I believe that a harsh punishment is in order if you murder someone while texting while driving. You chose to distract yourself behind the wheel of a vehicle, similar to a drunk driver, and you must face the consequences of your actions. Cars are not a joke and require focus, distractions should not be tolerated on the road
Mansonet's verdict, although seemingly cruel, is completely fair to me. Distracted driving and intoxicated driving both reap the same result and are both indicators of an irresponsible driver; therefore, they should both be treated with equal seriousness and severity. Mansonet was negligent and is deserving of her charges based on her actions while driving, and it is important she be punished accordingly otherwise texting and driving will never be given the Mansonet's verdict, although seeming cruel, is completely fair to me. Distracted driving and intoxicated driving both reap the same result and are both indicators of an irresponsible driver; therefore, they should both be treated with equal seriousness and severity. Mansonet was negligent and is deserving of her charges based on her actions while driving, and she must be punished accordingly otherwise texting and driving will never be treated with the consideration and direness it needs.
In order to decrease the amount of pedestrian deaths each year, I believe that being on your phone while driving should have more severe consequences. If people have to pay a higher fine, it could deter them from being on their phones in the car. I believe that people should go to jail if they are on their driving and on their phones in a school zone in order to prevent students from getting injured or killed.
@Keira Killeen I think your right when you say the consequences should be higher, but due to how addicted people are I do not think it would make a difference. Its hard to say but its true.
@Keira Killeen you have a very good point. I agree that the penalty should be higher but not at the same level as being intoxicated. Especially in school zones because students shouldn't be endangered by bad drivers.
When you text and drive, you are endangering yourself and others around you. You are knowingly taking your eyes and focus off of the road and potentially causing harm. Texting while driving should yield a heavier sentence because it is a conscious decision you have to make and when you make that decision to text, you are putting everyone around you in danger. Texting and driving is such an easy thing to avoid, it becomes a choice to do and thereby a choice to drive recklessly. If you are caught texting and driving you should receive a harsher punishment as you are making a conscious decision to endanger and possibly hurt or even kill yourself and others.
Although I have never texted and driven, I've seen the task executed by members of my family previously (but not very often). Any time I am in a car and the driver is holding a cellphone, I will notify them that I do not approve of such a decision. As many Americans are aware of the nature of distracted driving, one may assume the American public has an urge to be more cognizant on the road, but quite the contrary seems to be the case. People have integrated driving into their muscle memory, and don't seem to mind a small divergence in focus. I find that this should be illegal where possible, as it's simply most beneficial for an entire nation wielding their massive mountable weapons holding the force to devastate with ease. In general, distracted driving of all forms is putting someone or something in danger, and therefore warrants some higher-tier punishment. Due to this reasoning, I find Alexandra's verdict to be fair. If I were jury, I would account for the context, but not put it in the lenses of a device for excuses. By all means, this is homicide. Although texting and driving is immensely common, this does not cushion the destructive effects presented as a possible outcome--of which there are many. Those who text and drive are all guilty in some context, and people must realize their vast amount of power behind the wheel. Therefore, I find that equating texting and driving with drunk driving may spark enough fear to reverse this trend. The argument reasons itself.
It is very difficult to decide how something like this should be punished. Drunk driving is almost asking to crash your car, but texting and driving doesn't slow your brain down and make you make poor decisions. Texting and driving is a poor decision. Most texting and driving is harmless, but is always a risk. Almost everyone is guilty of using their phone and driving at least a few times. I think that people should have to pay a hefty fine or at least a worsened punishment for texting and driving. This will make people fear the punishment, but it shouldn't hurt you as bad as if you got a DUI. When texting and driving affects others, that is when it should be punished like drinking and driving. Just like the punishment for hitting someone while drunk is worse than just being caught driving drunk; texting and drving should be similar. Although texting and driving is not an okay thing to do, it doesn't impair your driving as bad as driving under the influence. The woman who was texting and driving that killed someone, unfortunatly, does deserve the punishment she got. Although hearing her story does make you feel empathy, the law does not. She broke the law and deserves the punishment she got. The only way to really end it is for people to stop on their own. But a hefty fine or something similar may influence some more people to stop.
Texting and driving is a practice that is becoming increasingly more popular—especially with new, inexperienced drivers. However, despite this, I believe that texting and driving is extremely dangerous and should be treated with a higher level of strictness. I never really understood just how dangerous texting and driving can be until I went through driers ed and learned just how harmful it can be. It endangers the lives of not only the driver, but those around them as well. Better education about texting driving is definitely a step towards reducing the practice. Yet, I think that it should be approached differently than driving under the influence because texting and driving is not as severe as the former. Driving under the influence causes for a complete loss of control for much longer than texting and driving. This doesn’t undermine the dangers of texting and driving though, and stricter measures should be implemented.
Texting and Driving is a huge issue nowadays. Not just with teenagers, but with all people in cars.
Alexandra Mansonet was charged with vehicular homicide, as she accidentally hit a woman walking. Alexandra was texting and as she looked up from the text she hit a Corolla which hit the woman walking and she died. With the 2012 law the New Jersey Court had to go by, they charged Mansonet with 10 years in prison, just as they would have done if a drunk driver was driving and killed someone.
One text and it changed her whole life. An innocent woman, and now in prison for texting while driving. I feel that the punishment should be a little less than 10 years thought. Shs had no criminal record before then, a great job, family, not drunk and was just a mistake. There should be a little leeway for her to get a better sentence in my eyes. The law was enforced harshly and you should still never text and drive just for this reason right here.
Anything can truly happen and your life could be changed instantly while texting and driving.
I didn't think texting and driving was as bad as drinking and driving until I took drivers ed. The accidents are as bad as a drunk driver. As far as treating it the same as drunk drivers I think is a bit harsh, only because drunk drivers are a danger to people on the road always, constantly, but a person who is texting takes breaks, or texts once and is done. Unless of course it's an emergency.
A woman is who being convicted for vehicular homicide testifies she was turning down a rear-window defogger but according to the messages on the phone her sister-in law texted her about what she wanted for dinner. She could've actually put her phone down before the accident happened but we don't know that for sure. A life was taken and although everyone texts it becomes harder to cope with when its your family injured and not the one texting. In cases like these you have to look at it from both sides.
Part 2-
The case of Alexandra Mansonet is an excellent example of how texting while driving can have terrifying and scary effects on ordinary, innocent people. An ordinary scientist was simply going for a walk when a woman who was texting on her phone collided with a car and killed her. This is absolutely unacceptable and Mansonet completely deserves to be charged for vehicular homicide. The family of the woman who was killed will have to suffer so much pain and grief simply because a lady didn’t have the patience to respond to her text once she reached her destination.
Steven Altman’s point, that everyone is guilty of texting on a daily basis is very true. Nevertheless, Mansonet deserves to be sentenced to at least some time in prison because after all, she did take a life. The text message she received was not urgent at all; it was simply asking her what type of food she wanted for dinner. Just because she was impatient and couldn’t resist the urge to wait five minutes to text, she ended up taking a life. I believe that if Mansonet is allotted some time in jail, everyone will be able to learn a lesson from her mistake. Texting and driving can result in atrocious consequences and steps must be taken in order to outlaw this risky, yet widespread habit.
Very rarely have I thought about the fact that texting while driving is just as atrocious of a crime as driving while intoxicated. People text while they drive every day and it is a crime that almost every single driver is guilty of. I witness people texting and driving quite frequently, but I never bother to tell them to stop because I have never perceived it as bad as driving while drunk. After reading this article, I will always be wary of people who are texting while they drive. The next time I see someone text and drive, I will be certain to tell them to put phones down immediately and tell them that they could end up taking a life and serving some time in jail . This article definitely opened by eyes as to the severe consequences of texting and driving and from now on, I will try my best to prevent it.
I think that both are terrible things and cause tons of accidents every year that could have been avoided by just a little compassion for the risk of harming others. Even though I believe this I do not think that texting while driving should be treated by drunk driving. Drunken driving in my opinion is much worse because while you are intoxicated you have little to no control of your actions and you reaction time is very slow as your eyes will be much more sensitive as well.
Texting while driving is also very bad but in my opinion it is not as bad because you are at least conscious and have control of your actions. It is your choice when you pick up that phone and text or call or snap or just look at it but you are also able to put it down. You have much more control of your actions when you are just on your phone, the problem is where your eyes are focused. Maybe you are just changing the song but no matter what you are still not focused and anything can happen in the split second you are not looking at the road.
@Mary Westendorff I respectfully disagree. The fact that the person in consciously picking up the phone knowing the distraction they are facing while continuing the long line of risk associated makes it worse or the same as drunk driving. When people are driving under influence they usually don't remember getting in the car or do not retain the judgement capability provided by their mind. Alcohol does that to a person, and in some ways it can be seen as an excuse onto why they weren't attentive on the road. Does this justify their actions of not getting a designated driver or taking precautionary steps to prevent such situations where the person is driving under influence. Now comparatively if someone picks up the phone, they retain a knowledge of how bad it is, it is shown everywhere through PSA's and even videos on how the driving is the exact same as someone's drunk driving. There are hundreds of stories and situations that prove evidence to the contrary showing that this is a bad action. A conscious decision deserves direct punishment, hopefully this will reduce the actions taken by people. Usually if people know there is consequence to their actions, at a higher risk of getting caught, then they tend to weigh their action not being worth the risk. Mary your argument is sound, yet the point is not valid in my opinion and everyone has a right to their opinion.
Texting while driving is a serious issue in our society. Wether we like it or not, I can guarantee that everybody who has a drivers license has done it at least once. Just because it’s very common doesn’t mean we should accept it more since everybody is doing it. In fact, I think this should call for a stricter law. I personally don’t know how I feel about texting and driving having the same consequences as driving under the influence. Both are very dangerous acts but I feel as if the issue of texting and driving could be approached with a different consequence. I’d also like to point out that pedestrians are also at fault for not looking both ways before crossing the street.
@Halle Morse Texting and driving in this day in age is a huge problem I completely agree on how everyone does it at times I have even see my parents do it when they are strongly against it. With everyone doing it i think it deserves a way bigger consequence that will stop people from doing it so much or a way that doesn't allow us to text and drive. I disagree with you that the law should be any less the consequence for drinking and driving i find it harder to look at your phone and drive then be under the influence because it takes your eyes completely off the road.
People who text and drive should face the same punishment for drinking and driving. Texting while driving can be just as dangerous as you as your focus is on your phone rather than the vehicles or people in front of you. I fully believe that this woman should be held responsible for the life she took and face time in prison. Texting while driving was her choice and knowing the dangers that it causes, she proceeded anyway. By having punishments for texting and driving, I believe the amount of pedestrian deaths and car wrecks will decrease as people will be more focused on the roads.
Stephen D. Altman, a lawyer for the person behind the wheel, said that, ““It’s going to be very difficult for her to deal with the fact that at sentencing she could be incarcerated for something we are all guilty of doing on a daily basis.” People on their cellphones while driving is something that I see all the time. Not only is this issue very common , but “It’s a relatively new issue,” and this issue needs to be stopped.
@Bennett M I agree with you greatly. It is your choice to text while driving. It is our choice to drink and drive. You have a choice. There should be a punishment, because otherwise, they will find it fine to do and keep doing it. If it is just a small punishment, they don’t really learn their lesson. If it is something big, they really won’t want to do it again.
@Bennett M I agree fully that this woman should be responsible for the life that she took. However I don't necessarily think that a life time sentence in jail is the answer. Texting and drinking while driving are both serious modern day issues that need to stop. I don't doubt that texting while driving can cause serious damage, because there is evidence behind it, however I don't think it should be looked at the same way drunk driving is. Though both distracting, when under the influence there is no way to control what you are doing. However, texting and driving merely blinds you for seconds, but can also be done at stop lights, or in traffic for example. Drunk driving is putting your self in a situation that you have no control over and risking the lives of others, while texting and driving is only doing that for short periods of time. Also, people text everyday in this world, a lot more frequently than people get intoxicated, which is why I think peopel look at texting and driving as not a big deal, or something that is in their control. The reality of this is that it's really not in your control, and if something were to happen while texting and driving, then the person should be held responsible., however to a less serious degree than someone who has been drinking and driving.
While reading this article, I was reminded of a study I had read that concluded the reaction times of texting drivers was actually worse than drunk drivers. I believe Mythbusters also did a segment on this. When we have evidence that texting while driving is just as bad, if not worse, than drunk driving, we should absolutely be passing strict laws against it.
Altman’s argument that texting and driving is something we all do is laughable; the fact that we do it is precisely why we need more of these laws. This shouldn’t be something we do, pedestrians should not be put in danger because we don’t want to change our behavior. The article says that pedestrian deaths are at a 30 year high, and I believe that can absolutely be attributed to phone usage.
What happened to Ms Wang was a tragedy but like Mr. Qui I hope that her death can serve as a warning to people that distracted driving is a serious issue. The fact that this is the first time the law has been applied is surprising, but I understand how hard it is to prove that someone was texting.
I have text and driven before and i honestly do it often, and i hate myself for doing it because i have been in situations where because i was on my phone i had almost wrecked. I know a lot of people who text and drive and it is very dangerous because who knows what can happen in the half second you look down at your phone. I try to tell myself to stop looking at my phone when i drive but i just have a bad habit of immediately looking down at the phone. As a driver who has experienced wrecks because of phones i think texting and driving should be illegal but not like DUI’s more like not wearing seat-belt's because as humans in today's world we are drawn to that device because we grew up with it or we have been given it and it became almost our everything.
I think that texting while driving should be more heavily punished. You will start to see the number of deaths/injury's from texting while driving will go down, the harder you punish it. Also, the two aren't so different. The definition of drunk driving is operating a motor vehicle while one's blood alcohol content is above the legal limit set by statute, which supposedly is the level at which a person cannot drive safely. Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages or emails on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle, which causes you to be distracted and then means you cannot drive safely. Both actions cause the same outcome-- distracted drivers not driving safely, so why should they be punished differently?
I have seen family and friends text while drive. It is a risk everyone takes almost without any regard for how dangerous it is. Unfortunately, texting while driving is a "common"., but that is why punishment is more important ever. If we start to punish the same way we would punish their distracting driving activities, then people would not do it so much.
@Lilly Smiley I completely agree with your argument that texting and driving and drinking and driving are equally as bad, and often have the same outcome. Texting and driving has become a growing issue due to the increase of technology among all drivers, both young and old. Although common, the action stems from a sense of selfishness, disregarding the safety of both yourself, but mainly others. In fact similar to what you said, drunk driving and texting while driving typically have the same negative outcome, fatal injuries and legal issues. How is it that two actions have equal opportunity to end negatively, yet are handled differently by the law? This should not be the case. The selfish acts of texting or drinking when driving should be considered of equal punishment by the law. Each action requires a conscious decision to perform the said activity. People who text and drive are aware of the actions that they are choosing to make. They know it's bad, they know they can hurt themselves, and they know they have potential to kill. These conscious decisions that people are making should be punished the same as drunk drivers due to the identical outcome that is likely to occur. Similarly, I believe if both actions are punished the same way, these distracting and destructing actions are less likely to occur.
Texting while driving has always been dangerous as shown in the article, but it has only become a major problem in the past decade. Since more people have an accessible smartphone and very little patients, texting while driving has become very common and dangerous. As a teenager who recently took drivers education and is now driving with my parents I have seen the dangers of texting and driving.
While many think texting while driving isn’t as dangerous as drinking and driving they are mistaken. There are many similarities between the two like not being focused on the road, not having control of the vehicle, and not knowing your surroundings. In these ways, texting while driving is no better than drinking and driving especially since you are probably sober when texting.
I am glad that higher prosecutions are being given for people who text and drive because it teaches them how unsafe the action is. Some may think that there shouldn’t be a higher punishment if no one was injured, but it is worse if someone didn’t get hurt while you texted and drove because you would continue to do it. I do believe that if no one got injured the punishment should be less, but still bad enough to teach them that their actions are wrong.
What harm could come from one little text is what a lot of people think while they are driving. Whether we want to believe it or not our one little text can cause a lot of harm. There are lots of people who lose their lives because of drivers who were texting. In 2017 “401 of the 2,935 distracted-driving traffic fatalities were tied to cell phone usage.”
While 401 people died because of a driver distracted by their phone 2,534 other people were killed because a driver was distracted for other reasons. So why should all of these deaths be treated with different levels of severity. In all of these cases a driver was distracted and someone died, case closed. So why does it matter if they were texting or if they were drunk? Someone died because of these distracted drivers actions, someone lost a family member a friend because of them. So yes, I think texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving, because when you really think about the effect of both actions are the same, so why should one be treated differently?
In this it talks about how one lady was out for a walk trying to get her womb able to have a kid so see was going for a walk outside on her break at work. That's when another person in a car was texting and driving she was not paying attention to her driving but instead was lost in text which caused a horrible accident. The car hit the person killing her and the lady in the car was tried in court and found guilty for vehicular homicide. Which the court asked to apply a 2012 law that places texting while driving on par with drunken driving.
This brings up a good point and before reading this I thought that texting and driving was bad and I know that is caused a lot of accidents already. So with that in mind I read this and this only made it more clear and I think that texting is driving the same or even worse than drunk driving. This is so because everyone has a phone so it happens a lot more so I do believe it is time for a change in the law and it should be the same if not more of a punishment then drunk driving.
While Altman says that texting and driving shouldn’t be punished as severely because its a “commonplace” crime, I believe that it should be punished in such a way that people will stop doing it. I especially believe that if you kill of hurt a person while texting and driving, you should be charged with vehicular homicide, or a similar charge.
Texting while driving definitely deserves the same consequence as drunk driving. I feel as though texting while driving is severely underestimated. Before someone becomes drunk they make the conscious decision of having too much alcohol. This to me is similar to texting while driving because the person texting is making the conscious decision of pulling their eyes off the road to answer their phone. Both of these things are punishable because they could result in dangerous ways and are preventable. To avoid drunk driving you can simply have the directed amount of alcohol, or have someone else drive you home after you have had alcohol. To prevent texting while driving you can have a passenger reply to the message or pull over to answer it yourself. I’m sure that if the dangers of texting while driving were more advertised, then cases like that of Alexandra Mansonet would decrease.
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@Valeria I agree- texting and driving and drinking and driving can cause the same outcomes. Someone could die, just like the Alexandra Monet case. So if they have the same outcomes they should be equal danger and seen as dangerous. But in most states texting and driving is a misdemeanor and you will probably be fined. But drinking and driving is a serious offense. In my opinion they should have the same punishments and the public should have the same outlook on the two situations.
Texting and driving is a major issue in our society today. Not only is it a blatant death wish, but it knowingly places others in danger for often insignificant and selfish reasons. Even more harrowing, in my opinion, is the prevalence of this phenomenon on the roads. Texting and driving isn’t a rare and unexpected incident, it’s something the majority of people do every single day without any regard for safety or value for their own or others’ lives. With virtually all teens and adults today owning a cell phone, we all receive a steady flow of notifications, including text messages, all day, the vast majority of which are utterly meaningless. No text message needs to be answered immediately, especially considering the ease with which a phone call can be made alternatively. Personally, I have my cell phone turn on Do Not Disturb automatically every time it senses the motion of a car, to limit temptation from notifications. It's incredibly easy to avoid texting and driving by utilizing the very same technology that enables texting and driving. For these reasons, I believe that texting and driving should be made illegal and treated very seriously by all of society. It’s a disturbing situation that we have put ourselves in out of pure selfishness and something that we have to come to terms with sooner rather than later.
I have seen many people text while driving. It’s usually just to shoot a quick reply, but I have noticed it being dragged out into a full conversation’s worth of typing. I see why it’s dangerous, because it can and will distract anyone doing it. I also think it should be illegal. People die because of it, and it really only takes a second. I feel like Alexandra Mansonet’s case is a tough case. I do feel like she shouldn’t get too much time, but with saying that, a woman is dead now because of her. She devastated a family, a husband, a community. But I might have to say that her time shouldn’t be as long as vehicular homicide, seeing as she already has a life on her conscience. I think Mr. Altman has a solid point. People probably text while driving on a daily basis, and a good amount of times nothing happens. But when tragedy strikes, only then do we realize how dangerous it is. So think Mr. Altman’s client shouldn’t get 10 years, but that we should have heavier consequences for people who text while driving.
@Bree Thomas I agree with what you have to say -- I to have noticed the amount of people texting and driving; and constantly putting themselves and individuals around them into grave danger. Furthermore, I certainly agree with you that the case of Alexandra Mansonet is indeed tough; it is hard to think that a small decision, of texting and driving, can ruin the lives of both individuals involved. As the article details Alexandra Mansonet was a chief executive of a nonprofit and it is hard to come to terms with the idea that someone whom strives as their career to do so much good could cause so much harm to a person and her family all as a result of one little but consequential mistake. As well, like you said I don't think that Ms. Mansonet should face 10 years in prison for her crime. Rather in this specific case I believe it would be more beneficial to all if Ms. Mansonet was assigned some forms of community service with the goal of educating individuals on texting while driving and the consequences of it; plus obviously some sort of settlement money for the family.
Texting while driving is dangerous, sure. Extremely so. There’s no question that anyone who texts while driving is placing themselves, their passengers, and other people in danger. With that being said, it is nowhere near as irresponsible as drunk driving. In my opinion, there is an important distinction between the two. Precognition.
A prerequisite for drunk driving can be found in the title. Bring drunk. Drunk driving requires you to make a conscious decision to purchase alcohol, a conscious decision to drink enough alcohol to impair you, and a not so conscious decision to drive while impaired. Texting while driving, however, requires a single split second decision to pick up a phone while driving.
The degree of forethought available to drunk drivers is possibly the most important distinction between drunk drivers and texting drivers. A texting driver never expects what they do to kill someone. A texting driver intends on picking up a phone for a second, then putting it back down. A texting driver never thinks they’ll mess up. A drunk driver, conversely, drinks alcohol knowing they’ll make bad decisions. A drunk driver gets drunk knowing they lose control over themselves.
A drunk driver has far more of an opportunity to simply choose not to drink or assign a designated driver than someone texting while driving does, so I do not believe driving while impaired and texting while driving should be punished or treated similarly.
@Jacob Jarrett Whilst the notion that one must consider the motive, past action, and nature of these crimes is understandable, one could likely pursue and equally effective argument on the basis of causes and effects. Although texting while driving is very short-lived and often void of negative intent, the cause is irrelevant in the broader picture of the scenario's effects, such as the death of an innocent civilian.
Although it is important that one distinguishes alcohol from texting behind the wheel, one must also understand their inherent indirectly-malicious ties. Texting while driving, like the use of alcohol before driving , are typically activities which are done with guilty awareness of the future. Whilst both scenarios bear no intent, similar accidents and results are more than just a pattern. Manslaughter and murder, by definition, imply different motive. Murder signifies malicious aforethought, whereas manslaughter primarily is just the killing of an individual. Upon killing someone whilst under the influence or texting (which is typically done without intent), the same charge can be brought about: Manslaughter. One can then conclude that, absent of intent and in the eyes of the law, the penalty (dependent on the outcome) of texting and driving should legally be identical, if not similar, to that of drunk driving.
Have you ever texted while driving? If you have, you should stop now and never do it again. Texting while driving is very dangerous and could lead to you taking the life of yourself or even somebody else. According to Michael Gonchar and Shannon Doyne “Their lives collided with devastating speed in coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide, accused of texting while driving”(Gonchar & Doyne, 2019). I believe that texting while driving should definitely be illegal everywhere. Also, if a police officer sees a person texting while driving they should pull them over and have their licenses revoked because texting and driving is very dangerous. Finally, I think that if a person is found guilty of killing someone while texting and driving should definitely get sentenced to time in prison depending on the situation.
Texting is widespread among people everywhere. Companies that make phones have to build in safety measures that prevent drivers from texting while driving. But also, pedestrians have to be aware of their surroundings, looking both ways before crossing roads. If somebody is caught drinking and driving, they should have a severe penalty. It should be just as severe for texting. Both behaviours can lead to fatal accidents.
Grade 12 students at Ecole des Pionniers, Port Coquitlam, Canada
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@Ray
I did not think of the walkers point of view and that brings up a good point if a drivers not paying attention you have to. this is not how its supposed to be but its the way it is and that sucks for people but it's do it or die. It also makes me think that people who are out walking or whatever should not be on their phones I have heard of people walking out into the road and getting hit.
Phones are so deadly but everyone has one and that fact won't change and it cant change. When people are outside and near cars you have to pay attention to what your doing if it's driving or walking. I have almost been hit by lots of cars when they dont look I'll be crossing the road and their going right and don't see me and almost hit me. I'm looking but they are not and that's how the world is it won't change.
@Matthew Luhrsen
I've also almost been hit crossing the street. I don't know if they were texting or not, but many drivers should be way more cautious. Pedestrians don't always follow rules and so drivers can't take anything for granted. There are just so many distractions these days, smart phones and smart cars would solve a lot of problems. But at the end of the day, it's the car that does the damage if there's a collision. I think we can have safer cars, safer phones and safer streets through more awareness and education. Maybe in 2050!
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@Ray I completely agree with your comment on severe penalties distracted driving is a extremely serious topic, I see so many people on the roads on their phones, my sister for example I am always yelling at her for snap chatting while driving but she does not listen. This new generation scares me because we are so addicted to our phones the distracted driving accidents will go up rapidly.
I currently do not have my driver's licence. However I have been in the same car as a person who was texting while driving. When viewing car accidents, people tend to think that this will never happen to me. However, although one cannot imagine they might get into an accident, it is very real and can happen to anyone. Only when the accident is right in front of your face do you realize the importance of not texting while driving. However, by then it is often always too late. Texting while driving is a very dangerous offense, and in my opinion more so than that of drunk driving. One may be drunk and not realise they are starting the car up, driving without any real concentration on the road, however one consciously chooses to start texting while driving, even when they know the consequences of it. Texting while driving should be more illegal than drunk driving as one is consciously endangering the lives of people, while when drunk, one may not be consciously aware that they are driving.
Even though many people text while driving, that doesn't make it okay. In fact, when faced with this harrowing fact, we all should consider the danger we put ourselves in when we drive as another car on the road could be texting and driving as well.
While I do agree texting while driving is dangerous, I don't believe it should be punished or have a big consequence. Texting is distracting, but everything is a means of distraction. Even the lawyer states that texting while driving is something many people do. If we were to punish drivers, almost 50 percent (maybe more) would be punished for driving while distracted. Also, texting and being drunk is, in my opinion, pretty different. When you are drunk driving, you made a conscious decision to drive under the influence. You don't get into your car and think "I'm going to text while I'm driving today."
@Malak Ibrahim
But you make a conscious decision to text when you pick up your phone do you not?
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@Jack Huo Yes, you are making a conscious decision to text. However, when entering the car, you are not going with the initial intent of taking part in these distractions.
@Malak Ibrahim
So apparently a spontaneous decision to pick up the phone to text, which you agree is dangerous (not only to the driver but also those around them), should "not be punished or have a big consequence". Is the initial intent more important than the fact that it was done?
Besides, you can't possibly prove that someone who was texting and driving wasn't intent on texting before entering the car. You may be able to speak from your point of view but that does not apply to everyone else.
I have seen people texting while driving and it is just as dangerous as drunk driving. If you are texting you can only see out of you peripheral vision, this means the you may miss a sign or light, or even a person or car. This could lead to a major accident. Since driving while texting can lead to awful accidents just like drunk driving, people who are texting should face the same consequences. When you are driving you must be responsible, you can’t endanger your life and many others by looking at a text. It doesn’t take long to pull over somewhere if you must check your phone, responding to a text is not worth endangering people’s lives. Hundreds of people each year die from this problem and I believe if the consequences were more severe and enforced even more than there would be less people on their phone while driving.
As more and more millenials and younger drivers are on the road, texting while driving has become more and more common place and the law needs to change. The current climate around texting is one that does not have the same stigma as drunk driving although both are dangerous and result in thousands of crashes and injuries every year. Texting while driving should be given the same punishments as drunk driving as they both cause the same thing and leave drivers unattentive of the road. Most young drivers that I know use their phones regularly while they drive and although they may be safe most of the time, all it takes is one slip up for an irriversable disaster. In order to stop drivers from thinking that it is "ok" to drive and text, making the law reflect a harsher punishment may force drivers to change their beliefs and it would allow police officers to truly punish these drivers making the roads safer for everyone. In order to make drivers stop texting so regularly, I believe that it should be a more serious offense in the law.
@Jonathan Leventhal
In response to your argument, I agree with the fact that you believe texting while driving and drunk driving should have the same offenses. As you stated, “Texting while driving should be given the same punishments as drunk driving as they both cause the same thing and leave drivers unattentive of the road”, shows how all distractions of driving can cause an accident that was never meant to happen. It leads to the death of an innocent pedestrian and could easily ruin your life as well by putting you in jail or sentencing you to man slaugter. So does it really make sense to put your life on the line, as well as someone elses, just to answer a text? I feel as though when a cop sees a driver using his or her phone while behind the wheel, they should have the same restrictions as drunk drivers and treat it the same way. When they are forced to treat texting while driving like drunk driving, it reduces the number of “irriversable disasters” and can help to make the road safer for everyone.
@Jonathan Leventhal I agree with many of your points, but what I found to be the strongest and most profound part of your response was the addition that they both cause the same thing. Driving drunk & texting while driving can cause the driver to be distracted, which has the chance to escalate mistake that can alter someone's life forever, or even end it. That one point alone wins the argument in my opinion.
Personally, I believe texting while driving is a very dangerous and arguably stupid idea that should always be avoided. People tend to forget the serious responsibility that goes along with operating a vehicle. A slight distraction, whether it's checking a notification or responding to a text with a simple "Ok," puts your life and the lives of others at risk each time it happens behind the wheel. With that being said, the logical solution seems to be to increase the severity of punishments for breaking these laws in order to deter people from being on their phones while driving. However, that does not mean people will stop doing this altogether. People are going to what they want no matter what the law says, as long as they don't get caught. It falls under the same reasoning some states decided to legalize marijuana; there was no way of regulating the use of it. People who are addicted to marijuana in places which it is illegal still find ways to purchase it and consume it. Just because something is punishable by law does not mean the problem will go away. In this case, drivers who text behind the wheel will still text if they feel inclined to, because there's no guaranteed punishment, there is only a higher risk. While this does effectively deter people from texting while driving, it is not effective in getting rid of the issue altogether. I do believe that more severe punishments could help to improve this issue, but there is much more work to do to resolve it entirely.
@Jake Bedard I agree completely, texting while driving should not be seen as something any less dangerous than drunk driving and it is important for the law to reflect that.
I think that texting while driving should be considered more as a serious offense. I think anything that can obstruct your driving capabilities should be punishable. Having the ability to drive and operate a vehicle that can be so dangerous is something a lot of people may overlook when driving. The operator of the car is in control. They are capable of taking lives as well as sparing them. They need to be conditioned to always be responsible while driving. Although they might not be intoxicated, the dangers of driving under the influence correlate with driving while texting. If your attention is not on the road in front of you then you put yourself, your passengers, and the other people around you at risk of injury or worse. This problem needs to be handled with more force. The risk of texting while driving isn’t worth it.
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Texting and driving is a serious matter in the United States. Although I have never texted and driven, I have seen family members do so. I have seen my relatives quickly scroll through an email, check a notification while driving behind the wheel. Most of the time if they are asked do you text and drive, they will reply in a way that means they try to avoid it. However this is a good start, this is still not desirable. There is a required coordination that goes into driving. This includes being alert of everything in front of the car, continuously checking blind spots, and using the car's mirrors to see what is happening in back of the car. As someone activates their cell phone as they drive, immediately their focus changes. Their main priority is no longer keeping themselves safe, but replying to a message, reading an email and even changing a song. This results in a major distraction. Say if the cell phone is in one of the cup holders, and the driver sees it light up, this makes them want to look at it. Now their head is looking in another direction. The way the brain is wired, is that the way the person is looking, is the way that the brain wants to travel. If the phone is in a cup holder to the right of a person and they look at, their brain is going to want to navigate them to the right. This results in swerving, which is not only dangerous to the driver but to the other drivers around them as well. After reading this, I believe that this law needs to better be enforced.
Although personally I am without a license therefore eliminating the ability to text and drive the issue is clear being a passenger in these situations. In a technological world it can be quite easy to find oneself taken out of reality to focus on a specific text in which responding is necessary immediately, but this should serve no defense on the endangerment a driver presents to themselves and others when their focus shifts from the road to the phone. Texting while driving deserves no sympathy and is no better than an intoxicated driver attempting to get to a specific destination. Someone who is texting is presenting ignorance to the cars of others showcasing texting over the safety of others. If a driver is caught texting law officials should have the ability to apply disciplinary action. The crime should present a loss of licence as well as fines for a first offense. After a certain period in which a license is restored another offense should serve a minimum of a year long prison sentence. If a driver loses their license it greatly affects their life making them unable to attend worker and complete regular human actions such as grocery shopping and driving their children. The image of a restraint on a life will present great fear in texting while driving causing drivers worldwide to put an end to the problem. For these reasons texting while driving should become criminal in all states immediately.
@Nicholas Tavares I agree with your position on texting while driving. Texting while driving puts the driver as well as the other drivers at risk because of how distracting it can be. However, I do not think that the second offense should call for a year in prison because it is too harsh of a punishment. I understand that the punishments need to increase, but I think that this is too much. I think that the first offense should present a large fine and six month loss of license. A second offense, in my opinion, should result in a two year removal of license. This would have a similar effect on halting a person's life, but would not be as extreme as a year in prison. Other than that point, I agree with your position completely.
Texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving because people are not taking the dangers of texting while driving seriously enough. So many people text and drive everyday, which I have seen with my own eyes. I have taken a glance at the swerving car next to me and seen their phone shining in their hand. I have seen the car who doesn’t see the stoplight turn green while they text someone on their phone. So many times I have seen people text and drive, and even people that I know and care about have done it. The reason so many people do it because no one ever expects anything to happen to them. Although many people are aware that distracted driving is dangerous and not a good idea, there are far too many people who will still do it because they do not expect anything to happen to them. This kind of mindset is what causes accidents in the first place. If people believe that nothing will happen to them and if they don’t feel the weight of the potential consequences, they will be far more inclined to actually text and drive. However, if the consequences of texting while driving were on par with the consequences of drunk driving, this would discourage texting while driving a great amount, and many people would stop doing it just because of what could happen. Overall, treating texting while driving like drunk driving would be an effective way to discourage this harmful action and hopefully decrease the amount of texting while driving that happens in society.
I believe that texting while driving is a horribly dangerous act that should of course have consequences to keep people from texting and driving. I also believe however that when deciding the punishment for someone who has committed a crime, it is important to consider the intent of the offender. Life is complicated and incidents like these have many sides to the story. Drinking and driving is set in stone as a dangerous act that in which the intent is self centered and foolish. However, texting and driving is different. There may be many reasons why someone could feel the need to text while driving. A parent rushing home while texting a child who they believe to be in danger, or a woman texting a husband to tell him that she is being followed on her drive home. Although these acts are risky towards themselves and others, they are not with ill selfish intent. These situations need to be properly evaluated in a court by a jury to understand the situation fully. Enforcing a strict legal policy that treats texting and driving doesn’t account for a person’s belief in what they felt at the moment was right. People don’t always text for the wrong reasons, and although they still deserve punishment, their punishment should not be as severe as someone who has had the intent to drive as recklessly as a drunk driver.
As a new driver; I have experienced a whole new world of drivers and possible distractions, and something I was taught in driver's ed was to always pay careful attention because anything/anyone could run into the road and need lightning reflexes to prevent from hitting them. So, I do believe that texting while driving should be a serious and illegal act that someone can make. This is because when boiled down to the basic properties, drinking and texting while driving are the same violations: a distraction while on the road, and being distracted in a metal machine that weighs thousands of pounds is not a responsible decision. While, if you are walking on your phone and stumble into someone; no one is hurt and can generally be forgotten about. However, when you hit someone with thousands of pounds of metal going at fast speeds, it ends fatally with the burden of homicide burdening you for the rest of your life. This shows how dangerous texting while driving can be, and is on the same level of drinking and driving, if not more with the rise of technology.
@Melanie I agree with you that texting while driving is a serious violation of the law. I agree that drunk driving and texting while driving are both considered to be a distraction while on the road. When someone makes the decision to reply to a text while driving or drive home from a party after drinking, they are putting the lives of themselves and other drivers and pedestrians at risk. The quick glance down at a phone to respond to a text can be just as distracting as intoxication. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it can happen unexpectedly at any time. During the day, there are many more pedestrians out on the streets. While drunken driving can also happen unexpectedly, it is more likely for a drunk driver to be driving at night than during the day. This is not an excuse to drunk driving but I think this emphasizes the serious dangers of texting while driving. In order for laws to be followed they have to be strongly enforced and if the law is more threatening, citizens are more likely to follow them.
I believe that texting and driving should be illegal and should be treated like drunken driving. Taking your eyes off the road to send a text can put yourself and those around you in danger. Although I am a new driver I have had multiple experiences involving texting and driving. I have seen people drive through red lights because they were on their phones and didn't notice the light was red, and I myself have texted while driving and ended up on the wrong side of the road. These experiences have made me realize that texting while driving is dangerous and could easily result in injury and death. I believe that texting while driving and drunk driving should be equally punishable offences because they are equally detrimental to the safety of you and those around you. Enforcing stricter laws surrounding texting and driving is an effective way to stop it, and making examples out of people who do it anyway (like they do with drunk driving) will make sure that people realize that the costs outweigh the benefits.
Texting while driving should not be treated the same as drunk driving, unless there has been an accident where another person (driver, pedestrian, etc) has been injured. Almost everyone is guilty of texting and driving; a worried parent checking in on their kids, an employee running late to a meeting, teenagers letting their parents know they’re on their way home. A fine is enough of a punishment for being a bit distracted on the road, however if this distraction leads to an injury or fatality, the driver needs to be accountable for their actions. In Mansonet’s case, she should be punished in a more severe way than just a simple fine. The verdict was completely fair, a fine would not have allowed her to realize to the full extent what her decision had done. Even if the fine was a million dollars, the life of the woman she hit is worth more than that. Driving is a huge responsibility and drivers who cannot handle it and decide to text should face the repercussions, but being arrested if no one was harmed is a little extreme. In general, drunk driving kills about three times as many people as texting while driving. Therefore, texting while driving should not result in arrest the way drunk driving does, unless the driver’s distraction results in a serious injury.
I believe that texting and driving should be treated with the same consequences as drinking and driving. Texting while driving is extremely dangerous and just simply pointless. If someone receives a text while driving, not answering the message right away will not kill you, however not paying attention and crashing will. I believe that driving takes complete focus and when that focus is taken away for a meaningless text message, consequences should be put in place. Similar to drunk driving, there are ways that these dangers can be prevented, but if people do not take caution they should be punished. If someone is killed as a result from texting while driving, I think time in jail is deserved. Or if someone is caught texting while driving, their license should be revoked for a period of time. A text message is something that will always be there, but the pedestrian crossing the street in front of a driver might not be. Their life is much more valuable than an answer to a text message.
Texting while driving should most definitely be treated like drunk driving. They both can lead to injuries or even death of both people inside and outside the vehicle. By making the punishment of texting while driving low, people would be more likely to do it. A fine is not enough of a punishment, especially because this is not a punishment at all to somebody with a lot of money. More serious punishments would cause less people to text and drive. I think Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict was fair. She was texting while driving. She was not under the influence of any kind, so she should have known the possible consequences of texting while driving. She had to face the consequences when she hurt an innocent woman. There is no reason as to why texting while driving should be punished with such a small offense. The person behind the wheel willingly took out a phone, and kept their eyes on their text messages as opposed to the road. While out driving, really focus on everything you see for thirty seconds. There are so many people, road signs, traffic lights, buildings, streets, animals, and much more that a person needs to focus on. Taking your eyes away from the road for just thirty seconds causes a person to miss so much. This could include missing a small child running across the street; before you hit them. Texting while driving is a serious crime that can lead to the death of innocent people. Therefore, it should be punishable the same way drunk driving is.
I have no doubt in my mind that texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving as it is a crime both dangerous to oneself and the people around them. Just like driving while intoxicated, a person who is texting while driving can easily kill someone. It is near impossible to focus on two things at a time such as this matter. How can a person look down at their phone for a given amount of time whilst still being able to properly operate a motor vehicle. In fact, i believe that this could be considered worse than drunk driving as these people who are texting don't necessarily have to text. They could easily be in a phone call on speaker or just wait until they stop so that you can reply to their messages. Or are their precious snap chat streaks to important to forget about. People can lose their lives or even worse live as a cripple for the rest of them just because someone had to text instead of paying attention to the road. These people who are found guilty of these crimes have their own free will and made this choice unlike an drunk who might not even know that they are under the influence. There is no excuse or way to get out of injuring someone because of texting while driving. Imagine if someone was texting and driving and happened to hit a pedestrian and kill them. Should they be excused of this just because they were texting while driving? Think about it.
I have never texted while driving, and I promise to never do so because texting while driving is one of the most stupid and dangerous things a person can do. By attempting to focus on two things at once in such a high-stakes environment as driving, you are setting in motion dangerous consequences for you, as well as innocent victims. Because of this, texting and driving should be treated like drunken driving. Both of these actions result in the deaths and injuries of the driver and other innocent people, so they both should be treated as such. If someone is caught texting and driving, their license should be suspended, or taken away completely. If they kill or fatally injure someone, they should be sentenced to time in prison, just like drunk driving. No excuses should be made for people who text and drive, they shouldn't get a free pass to commit these actions (a crime in some states) without a serious punishment. These increased consequences will make drivers more reluctant to make the choice to text and drive, and the roads will become safer. No one deserves to have their life taken away because of a text.
@Haley Murphy I agree. Not only can texting while driving and drunk driving potentially result in the same damages, but technology is becoming a bigger and bigger part of our lives today throughout the nation. This means that with almost every American having a cell phone, the risk is that much higher for someone to get into a crash while texting and driving. I think that texting and driving should be treated the same as drunken driving because they are both equally as dangerous and can both result in fatal injuries to innocent people.
Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous things. I think it should be on par with drunk driving. It’s so dangerous and stupid. Your brain cannot focus on two things at once and it shouldn’t be able to at such high stakes at driving a car. If you are texting while driving, you are taking away your focus on one thing so important and shifting it to something probably meaningless. If you kill someone because you are texting while driving yes you should get convicted to the fullest extent of the law. If it’s so important that you have to talk about it right then and there literally just call them. That way you can still keep your eyes on the road. When you go on a walk you shouldn’t have to fear for your life especially not because of texting.
@Delaney Daughtridge I completely agree with you. Texting while driving should be on par with drunk driving. Whether you be drunk or texting your driving is still impaired. You are right that our brains can't focus on two things at once, and since we can't fully focus on two things at once we definitely shouldn't try to when we are driving.
I also think that if you were texting while driving and someone was killed because of that, that you should be convicted to the fullest extent of the law. Drivers need to pay attention to their surroundings not to the text they just got.
@Delaney Daughtridge I agree texting while driving is one fo the most dangerous things a person can do while driving. Im personally not a driver but can understand that its just plain old stupid, why take the risk of texting, you could take someones life in a heartbeat. Texting or even calling someone while driving is distracting, and personally I believe distracted driving should be treated to a higher extent than with drunk driving since it is so easy to just stop.
I think texting while driving should be treated like drunken driving because both can cause serious accidents. Someone that drinks and drive, or someone that is texting while driving, is putting other people at risks. Also, I think texting and driving should be treated the same as drunken driving because the death rate in the United States is increasing. If you want people to be safe, you have to enforce stricter laws, so less people will die in the United States. I think there should be stricter punishments for texting while driving than drunk driving because there are more accidents than drunk driving. I think police should have high fines for texting and driving, so people won't do it. People should not text and drive, or drink and drive.
Driving while texting should be punished because hazardous Driving while texting should be punished because hazardous experiences can happen just like the one in this news page. Even though my belief in texting while driving is negative, I still believe that the punishment should be different based on the situation. For example, when you are caught texting on a small street that is in between houses, and you are going at a very slow speed, the punishment shouldn't be as harsh as if you were driving on the highway at full speed. While the punishment shouldn't be very harsh if you drive slowly through an alley and you are texting, if you run over somebody, you should be punished extra harshly. A lot of people are texting while driving because they never get caught, but they don't know the consequences of text driving. Since many people feel like they won't get caught, they could end up accidentally killing a person. This will get them in jail, and make them finally understand the consequences of text driving.
Texting and driving is very dangerous. I myself, have never texted while driving because I know how dangerous it is and that there is a possibility of something really bad happening even when I just look away for a couple seconds. I have seen friends do it before and it scares me so much because I know how dangerous it is. I think it should be illegal everywhere. “Should those who text and drive have their license revoked? (Gonchar and Doyne, 2019, para. 2) ask. Driving is such a big responsibility and if you can not put your phone down for a little while, while driving I feel you should be punished. I think it is different if messages come up on your car and read them to you, but when you have to physically look down at your phone it is so distracting. Texting and driving is distracting and dangerous.
I believe that texting and driving should be treated with the same consequences as drinking and driving. The state has laws for drinking and driving so people shouldn't drink and drive again. Texting and driving makes it harder for people to be safe and it restricts mobility to their brain and other features to drive a car if you are texting and driving. It also restricts mobility to their brain and other features to drive a car when you drink too. They both are called different things but they are technically the same thing over all. Even people who text and drive hate people who text and drive. Overall I believe there should be the same punishment as drinking and driving because they both are pretty much the same thing but called different names.
I feel that having your phone and driving could be a dangerous thing, but with all the new safety features like apple carplay that can read your texts and send new one making it like drunken driving is unnecessary. Apple has plane a new update to where it went let read or see texts while driving, and state farm has been giving discounts to safe drivers with the new app drive safe with all of these changes I feel that driving is becoming safer and the government should not be involved
@Yuseph While I can see your side of the argument, I have to respectfully disagree. These features that you talk about in your argument are not readily available to everyone. Keep in mind, people could lose their lives over drives who texting instead of paying attention to the road. They have free will and make the choice to text while driving. I don't think that if they kill someone that they should be excused of the crime.
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@Haris Celikovic I completely agree. This is a matter only the driver is responsible for, no app or gadget can change that.
Texting while driving should be treated like drunk driving to a certain extent but not completely the same. Michael Gonchar and Shanon Doyne write about how a lady was tried with vehicular homicide by hitting a woman and causing fatal injuries to her while she was texting and driving. “In other words, how big a deal is texting and driving, and how seriously should it be handled by authorities?” (Gonchar and Doyne, 2019, para. 3). They should be punished for it but they should not have their license revoked for sending a text but they should get a fine of some sort so that they don’t have the urge to do it again. They could also potentially have to go to a judge to get community service hours to learn from their mistakes. They could also see how they could put someone's life in danger by taking their eyes off the road and looking down at something that could wait and not be a right in the moment thing to answer.
@Brenden Although I respect your opinion I feel as though if people believe they can get off with some community service hours or fines people will be less inclined to stop the problem at hand. Today, there are accidents and deaths caused by texting and driving everyday, because a person can not focus at the road and their phone at the same time. As Nate Schweber and Tracey Tully describe in “She Texted About Dinner While Driving. Then a Pedestrian Was Dead,” the outcome of distracted driving can be heartbreaking. According to the article, “Their lives collided with devastating speed in the coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide, accused of texting while driving” This shows how devastating the consequences of texting and driving can be. If not treated with the same harsh punishments like drinking and driving, people will continue to text and drive recklessly.
After reading this article, I really claim that texting while driving should not be allowed anywhere. I’ve seen a lot of my family members call when driving, but not particularly texting. Also, I’ve experienced my parents getting pulled over because they were calling someone on the phone while driving. However, calling can be the same problem because you still can get a severe accident. When your not focused on the road and paying attention to something else rather than driving, you can get huge circumstances. I think it should be illegal to text while driving because of all the severe accidents that can happen to the person who is driving and the person who gets in the accident. In addition, not only texting but calling while driving can be the same problem.
I think that texting and driving should be backed with harsh and swift punishment. Letting people potentially roam around with a thousand-pound car and on their phones is a death waiting to happen. Being impaired while driving very common, and we should do something to lower the numbers. Texting and driving is just a terrible idea and no one should do it. I've seen my family members and friends drive while distracted, and every time I will tell them to put their phones down and keep their eyes on the road. The number of texting related accidents is too high, and their should be harsher laws implamented on that.
As a new driver I have not texted while I was driving. I have thought about checking my phone at a light but I didn’t do it. Through my personal experience I have seen my mom text while she was driving but I told her to put it down and she did. I know that texting and driving is dangerous because me and my brother got in an accident when a truck was texting and ran a red light going 50 miles an hour. It was the scariest day of my life. Through my personal experiences I feel that Alexandra Mansonet’s verdict is fair because if she was going any faster the lady that she hit might’ve died. The author said that the woman was “fatally injured”(Doyne and Gonchar, 2019, para. 6). Since she was fatally injured I feel that in all truth Mansonet’s punishment was fit. I also feel that texting while driving should be treated the same as drunk driving.
As a new and learning driver, I admit to being on my phone while I drive, and I have seen my friends and family on their phones while driving as well. Being occupied on a cell phone while driving is extremely dangerous, as I have drifted while driving while switching the song, or have seen family members hit the brakes to avoid hitting another car because they were temporarily distracted. As Michael Gonchar and Shannon Doyne express “Distracted driving is dangerous” (Gonchar & Doyne, 2019, para 1). When a person is temporarily distracted, because they are not giving their full attention to driving, the consequences can become lethal. A distracted driver puts themselves and others at risk. When a person does not give their full attention to driving, a driver’s reaction time becomes impaired, they are not aware of their surroundings, and pedestrians are at risk for a driver’s mistake. I think texting while driving should be just as illegal as drunk driving, because drivers are distracted, impaired, and putting lives at risk.
I have seen friends and family text and drive. They have told me that it’s fine every time I bring it up. I think it should be illegal everywhere. As something that seems so simple and small, it is very risky and dangerous. In my opinion, I believe that texting and driving should be treated and prosecuted like drinking and driving. Driving is a huge responsibility, especially for young drivers who are just starting. It’s treated as a huge wrong in society, however, in the eyes of the law, it is not treated as such. “Though
texting and driving is banned in most states, the law still typically treats it as a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine” (Gonchar, 2019, para. 1). I think that since drinking and driving is punishable with license suspension, fines, and jail time, I believe that texting and driving should be punishable with these consequences as well. At the end of the day, both of these actions can cause deaths, damage, and cause risky habits and that should not be overlooked.
@Abigail Striner
I agree with your comment but I also believe that your argument and everything you need to back it up with is at the end of you article. You stated your claim at the bottom saying “I think that since drinking and driving is punishable with license suspension, fines, and jail time, I believe that texting and driving should be punishable with these consequences as well. At the end of the day, both of these actions can cause deaths, damage, and cause risky habits and that should not be overlooked.” I feel like you should have stated this first and then added the details after this because it's the most important part of you comment. Overall I agree with you on the fact that texting and driving should be treated the same way as drinking and driving.
I actually have texted and driven before even though I know how dangerous it can be. I do see why it can be very dangerous. The concept of texting and driving is dangerous since it is taking a drivers eyes off the road when they should be paying attention to what is going on around them. This is something that is extremely dangerous however, “the law still typically treats it as a misdemeanor”(Gonchar & Doyne, 2019). This quote relates back to my claim because it is saying how texting and driving isn’t taken as serious as it should be. This is because since texting while driving is dangerous, they still don’t charge the crime as to how dangerous it actually is. Lastly, someone texting and driving is proven to be dangerous which can cause it to be more distracting.
I have never texted while driving and the only reason I have my phone out while I’m driving is if I’m using my GPS. If I really want to change a song or text someone something then I’ll pull into a parking lot, do what I need to do, and continue on my route. It’s not worth the risks to text and drive. That simple text could take away the life of you or someone else in a fraction of a second. Sometimes I see my parents or friends text or look at their phone while they’re driving and it makes me nervous because I know that their attention is not on the road. In the case where Alexandra Masonet hit a pedestrian, “...a jury found the driver...guilty of vehicular homicide in a case that was believed to be the first time a New Jersey jury was asked to apply a 2012 law that places texting while driving on par with drunken driving”(Gonchar and Doyne 2019). I agree with this action because if people know that there are serious consequences for texting and driving other than the danger of it, then maybe they’ll think again before they do it. Texting and driving should be illegal everywhere because the second you pick up that phone while you’re driving, you’re putting everyone on the road and pedestrians in danger and allowing for an uncontrollable situation to occur. A text is never that serious for people to put others in danger and if there aren’t harsh consequences for texting and driving, people will have no problem continuing to do it.
I have texted while I was driving before. I have also seen my family and friends text and drive. Through all of these experiences I have seen that texting and driving is dangerous. According to the article, “Their lives collided with devastating speed in the coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide, accused of texting while driving” (Schweber/Tulley 2019). This is important because it shows that the risks of texting and driving can be fatal. You can text and drive once and be fine and then think you are a pro at it, and you continue to take those risks every time you get behind the wheel which then cause accidents and sometimes lead to death. I think texting and driving should be illegal everywhere because it is not worth putting yourself at risk and the other people on the road at risk as well.
Yes, I have texted while driving and yes they should be illegal everywhere. I have also seen my dad do it all the time when he drives me to certain places. It is very dangerous to drive while texting because taking your eyes off the road even for one second could be a fatal moment. In the article it said “a women who was texting and driving was found guilty of vehicular homicide” (Gonchar & Doyne 2019 paragraph 4) texting while she was driving led her to the moment to run over a pedestrian. The moment you take your eyes off the road is very bad mistake. We all have time to interact with our phones throughout the day, so avoiding your phone while driving would be the best bet. It could save us a whole lot of worries if we didn’t use our phones while driving. I have texted while driving but I don’t do it anymore because I don’t want to ruin my life for one stupid mistake that I could’ve easily avoided.
@Andrew C I 100% agree with you why take the risk to text while driving. We all have plenty of time to text throughout the day so why do it when it could ruin your life in a heartbeat. I think the problem in how people think, they think "oh it's fine, im a good driver and I wont get in an accident", then out of knowhere they hit someone and both lives are over in an instant.
Yes I believe texting and driving is very dangerous. I believe texting while driving is so dangerous because it causes you to take your eyes off the road. Even if its just for a second its still very dangerous if your going 45 on a two lane road. “Their lives collided with devastating speed in the coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured” (Gonchar Dayne, 2019). Because the driver made the life threatening decision to look down at her phone, causing her to swerve and killing another human.
Texting and driving should be treated like drinking and driving. In my opinion texting is very bad and dangerous. Most of young adults do it in today's society but there isn't really a punishment for it. "the law typically treats it as a misdemeanor..."(Gonchar&Doyne 2019 para1). I think that there should be a little bit of a harsher consequence then just a typical misdemeanor. Driving is already a blessing and a curse, so why abuse it and put you're life at a greater risk and someone else life a greater one as well.
Texting and driving should be treated like drinking and driving. In my opinion texting is very bad and dangerous. Most of young adults do it in today's society but there isn't really a punishment for it. "the law typically treats it as a misdemeanor...". I think that there should be a little bit of a harsher consequence then just a typical misdemeanor. Driving is already a blessing and a curse, so why abuse it and put you're life at a greater risk and someone else life a greater one as well.
Yes I have texted while driving, yes I can see the dangers of texting and driving after reading this story.”Their lives collided with devastating speed in the coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide, accused of texting while driving”(Gonchar, 2019, 3). I think texting and driving is very dangerous and needs to be taken more seriously. When you text and drive it puts you and everyone else on the road at risk. I think that It should be handled like drunk driving especially when you get in an accident and hurt or kill someone.
I have been in the car multiple times with people who are texting and driving. While it seems like a quick action it can divert your attention from what you really should be paying attention too. I think that it should be charged the same as drunken driving. If someone is fatally injured or even killed appropriate action should be taken. Driving drunk and texting while driving are both your choice and those choices put not only you but others at risk. The article states “On a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide, accused of texting while driving” (Gonchar & Doyne, 2019). By choosing to text and drive Andrea put another persons life in danger and she should have to suffer the consequences. I believe that Andrea Mansonet’s verdict was fair. She should have been aware of the risk she was taking. The authors in the article discusses how “This was the first time a New Jersey jury was asked to apply a 2012 law that places texting while driving on par with drunken driving” (Gonchar & Doyne, 2019). New Jersey does have the law where it is charged the same as drunken driving, she should have been aware of this before proceeding with the action. I believe we should be held accountable for our actions and be aware of the risks were taken and the consequences they could have on others.
I am not going to lie, yes I have drove while texting and have seen lots of family members do it. It's very understandable and reasonable why driving and texting is dangerous. Answering or giving my opinion on whether is should be illegal or not, I strongly believe that it should be illegal to drive and text at once. The amount of death due to driver that are busy texting and calling while driving, has skyrocketed. Everyone is seriously taking driving and texting way too lightly, because people do not realize that other people have families and they have a life to enjoy and live but because of texting while driving, the driver seems to forget about about his life and his family but also forget about the others life and their family. There has to be a tight law preventing this type of incident from happening.
For killing an innocent person for no such crimes is a crime itself. The one who died in the accident didn’t ask to be dead. Just because someone who was driving didn’t want to follow the rules and regulations. I think that the judgement was a good one, because if the driver did follow the rule at first nothing like this would have happened. “leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured and the driver facing a charge of vehicular homicide” (Gonchar and Doyne, 2019, para.7) meaning that a women lost her life and other one lost her freedoms because one stupid mistake. So having a rule/ law that stop this behavior please make it happen.
Texting while driving is terribly dangerous and completely uncalled for, the only thing you should be doing while driving is driving! I have not texted while driving but, I have seen members of family texting while driving. They don’t see why it’s dangerous but I do, when you look down to type out a text no matter how small it is you are still traveling a couple hundred feet without knowing what’s going on around you. A life was lost and it could have been prevented. Ms.Mansonet’s lawyer’s statement about her being convicted for something we all do is a sad attempt to save her butt. Tracy said “Their lives collided with devastating speed in the coastal town of Keansburg just before 8:20 on a Wednesday morning, leaving the woman out for a walk fatally injured” (Tully, 2019, para. 3).