Sydnee Shanks’ Fall 2016 Winning Scholarship Essay
Sydnee Shanks – Our Fall 2016 Scholarship Essay Contest Winner
Written by Sydnee Shanks
Sydnee Shanks will be attending the University of Toledo in the Fall of 2017.
I believe that the legislation of making technological devices illegal greatly decreases the amount of accidents. I believe this because cellphones can be distracting to anybody at any age, and with law enforcements stepping in, and taking precautions on this matter it will save lives. It gives people an awareness that texting and driving can be dangerous. With making this act illegal I believe that it gives people the mindset that texting and driving is something that should not happen. It forces people to understand that it is a serious matter, and it should not be taken lightly. This type of legislation reduces the amount of accidents by making people more aware of the road, forcing people to realize it is a serious matter, and most importantly reinforcing that texting and driving is dangerous.
One way that this legislature makes people aware of the road, is that if people know that it is illegal to use devices while driving the less people will do it. I don’t believe that anyone wants to get a ticket, or wants to get in trouble with the law on something that they can wait to do. By making the use of mobile devices while driving illegal people are forced to stop looking at their devices and to pay more attention to the road. Being aware stops accidents by forcing people to wait on that email or text until they get to their destination. Accidents can happen in a matter of seconds, and driving is a very mindful activity. By the law cracking down on this matter it really stresses that people must be aware while driving which in return decreases accidents. Another way the law will prevent accidents is by showing people that something like this is a serious matter
This law allows people to understand that using a mobile device while driving can be a very serious matter, and can sometimes lead to fatal accidents. Before the law was put in place there were awareness groups that tried to relay the message that driving a motorized vehicle is an activity that needs focus, and a person’s full attention. Even though there were these groups severe accidents were still taking place because of electronic devices being used while driving. With a law being put in place for this matter it will be an eye opener to people that using devices while driving causes so many accidents that the law had to get involved. This will make them understand the seriousness of this epidemic. If people understand the severity of using devices while driving then less people will do it resulting in less accidents. By letting people know how dangerous it is, is another way that this law has decreased the amount of accidents.
Ever since the law has been put in place that using electronic devices while driving there are signs found everywhere stating things like “ Don’t text and drive, it’s the law”, “Save a life, don’t text and drive” , and “ Honk if you love Jesus, text and drive if you want to meet him”. This is reinforcing the fact that texting and driving, or playing on a mobile device is dangerous. It can lead to some of the most fatal accidents. People are starting to understand that if a law is put in place, and is punishable with serious fines that clearly it is dangerous, and should not be done. While helping people understand that the reason there is a law for this is because it is dangerous, and not just a law because they want people to stop doing it will most definitely decrease the amount of accidents. Just the awareness of the law, and making sure people know that this is a dangerous situation is enough for people to think twice about picking up their phone.
This type of legislation does decrease the amount of accidents for multiple reasons. By police officers cracking down on people about this it really is an eye opener for many things. It make people realize that they do need to be focused on the road, they do realize that using mobile devices while driving cause severe accidents, and it should not be taken lightly. People will understand that it is not only dangerous for the person driving, but it is also dangerous for other people on the road or in the car with them. People are forced to take these things into consideration because of the law, and that has only put a positive impact into the states that have enforced this legislation. One of the most positive impacts of this has been and will continue to be the decreasing amount of car accident caused by using mobile devices in the car.