Texting: The Unstoppable Illness of Society
Adriene Similton
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Opinion
Hi, my name is Adriene and I'm a text-a-holic.
They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. The only issue with that is that no matter what, I'm going to keep texting on my phone. Teachers ask that you put phones away during class. But like any person who is easily distracted, I see the glow of a new message and I'm on it. Similarly, I'm not supposed to have my phone at work, but even my managers are jabbing away at their buttons when our backs are turned.
It's even illegal to text and drive, but come on. Who is that going to stop? It hasn't stopped me. The point is: you can't give people the technology to instantly message someone and try to put restrictions on it. It's basically pointless.
I know what most of you are thinking: how could you continue to do something so dangerous? Just like smoking or driving without a seat belt on, we don't always think about the risks.
Unfortunately, it comes at a cost. It is estimated that there are an average of 2,000 to 3,000 deaths a year because of texting and driving and a hundred times that are the number of injury accidents related to cell phone usage while driving.
Overall, over 15 states have elected to put a ban on texting and driving and several more are considering the change. Though the targeted group is teenagers, I'll admit, when I see an elderly person, who is already vision impaired, texting while they're driving, I slow way down. But I'm sure they're thinking the same thing about me. It's biased of insurance research groups to say the target group that text and drive are 18 to 24 years old. No offense, but my folks are almost 50 and they text on their phones while driving all the time.
It's like illegal parking. Give the driver a slap on the wrist ticket but they'll do it again. We're a nation of repeat offenders.
So, what can sway people like me not to text all the time? An affordable voice keyed cell phone (Emphasis on the affordable). Come on Apple; tell me you have already invented it. I want a phone that I can tell what to type. Right now, most phones have voice recognition for calling or setting up a text message, but it won't type the message for you. This means, drivers can use their blue tooth to text out, instead of just calling.
Granted, this won't change people texting in class or at work, or during campus tours, but it can make texting and driving safer. Until then, I'll continue to be a raging text-a-holic. Well, at least until my professors read this and start watching me like a hawk.
They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. The only issue with that is that no matter what, I'm going to keep texting on my phone. Teachers ask that you put phones away during class. But like any person who is easily distracted, I see the glow of a new message and I'm on it. Similarly, I'm not supposed to have my phone at work, but even my managers are jabbing away at their buttons when our backs are turned.
It's even illegal to text and drive, but come on. Who is that going to stop? It hasn't stopped me. The point is: you can't give people the technology to instantly message someone and try to put restrictions on it. It's basically pointless.
I know what most of you are thinking: how could you continue to do something so dangerous? Just like smoking or driving without a seat belt on, we don't always think about the risks.
Unfortunately, it comes at a cost. It is estimated that there are an average of 2,000 to 3,000 deaths a year because of texting and driving and a hundred times that are the number of injury accidents related to cell phone usage while driving.
Overall, over 15 states have elected to put a ban on texting and driving and several more are considering the change. Though the targeted group is teenagers, I'll admit, when I see an elderly person, who is already vision impaired, texting while they're driving, I slow way down. But I'm sure they're thinking the same thing about me. It's biased of insurance research groups to say the target group that text and drive are 18 to 24 years old. No offense, but my folks are almost 50 and they text on their phones while driving all the time.
It's like illegal parking. Give the driver a slap on the wrist ticket but they'll do it again. We're a nation of repeat offenders.
So, what can sway people like me not to text all the time? An affordable voice keyed cell phone (Emphasis on the affordable). Come on Apple; tell me you have already invented it. I want a phone that I can tell what to type. Right now, most phones have voice recognition for calling or setting up a text message, but it won't type the message for you. This means, drivers can use their blue tooth to text out, instead of just calling.
Granted, this won't change people texting in class or at work, or during campus tours, but it can make texting and driving safer. Until then, I'll continue to be a raging text-a-holic. Well, at least until my professors read this and start watching me like a hawk.
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