Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Student Life

Media Credit: www.hothardware.com

Media Credit: www.teach-ict.com

Texting while driving has become a dangerous new-age obsession, and it will soon be illegal. Eighty-five students, seven faculty, and eight staff totaling 100 people were randomly chosen to participate in a survey asking whether they text while driving. In comparison, 50 percent of the Lakeland College community admitted to texting while driving, while the national average has risen to 77 percent.

Although the survey takers did not admit to any accidents as a result of their texting, 66 percent of Lakeland's campus who admitted to texting while driving believe they are still good drivers. That is 66 percent too many.

According to Dr. Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah, research shows that "people cannot multitask like they think they can," which leads to a very dangerous road. "Inattention blindness" causes the human brain to only process half of the information that is transmitted from your sensory organs. In fact, your reaction time while texting and driving is slower than that of an intoxicated driver.

Texting while driving makes your involvement in an accident eight times more likely. Objects that drivers fail to see could be pedestrians walking. Putting down the phone or even pulling over could save someone's life. Every year, 6,000 people are killed as a result of phone usage while driving, and one million are injured.

"People disengage or pay attention to the person on the phone more than the people who are physically present," stated Dr. Scott Campbell, an assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan. Trivial messages are becoming the killers of children, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters.

Soon, the irresponsibility of texting while driving will become punishable by law. Wisconsin is looking at becoming the twentieth state to ban texting while driving, joining Illinois, which already has a ban in place, and the ban may evolve into a federal ban. Wisconsin tried to pass a bill in Oct. 2009, making texting while driving illegal for drivers under the age of 18, but it never went through.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 19, both the Assembly and the Senate had passed bills banning texting while driving, but the details must be worked out, such as whether or not drivers will be able to text at red lights. Governor Jim Doyle has already stated that he will sign the final bill into law. First offenders will be fined $400; second time offenders face an $800 fine.

Public figures have begun to take a stand against texting while driving. Oprah has asked listeners to sign her "No Phone Zone Pledge," promising they will not use their cell phones while driving and to pass it on to everyone they know. As of Wednesday morning, Jan. 27, 57,394 people have pledged to put down their phones while driving. You can submit your own pledge on Oprah.com.

President Obama has also promoted the ban by signing an executive order that 4.5 million federal employees, including military, will not be allowed to text and drive.

So the next time you drive, do not forget to put down your phone; you may just save someone's life.

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