There is a lot to think about when on the road, especially during the first few years of driving. What’s the speed limit here? Is this a left turn lane? Why won’t this person let me merge? Getting behind the wheel on today’s streets can be daunting. Yet more and more, teens are putting themselves and others at risk by allowing unnecessary distractions affect their driving abilities.
    A new law, effective October 1 and passed by the 2009 Maryland General Assembly, hopes to combat the startling trend. “The law…prohibits a person from using a text messaging device to write or send a text message while operating a motor vehicle in motion or in the travel portion of a roadway” according to the Maryland Department of Transportation website. The activity will be considered a misdemeanor crime and is punishable by a fine not to exceed $500.
    Technically, this should not affect many students at Northwest, because a law passed prior to this release prohibits the use of wireless communication devices (including cell phones) by drivers under the age of 18. However, it seems apparent that many students were not impacted by this restriction.
    Based off of an informal, convenience survey conducted on twenty Northwest High School seniors who have a driver’s license, 50% of high school students admitted to sending at least one text while behind the wheel in the week prior to taking the survey. The survey also found that about 45% of the students admitted to making a phone call while on the road in the week prior to taking the survey.
    Teens are not the only ones falling victim to distractions. Between 4000 and 8000 crashes related to distracted driving occur every day in the United States; and in a year, distractions contribute to as many as half of the 6 million reported accidents, according to the AAA. The University of Utah found that “Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver's reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent,” according to the Nationwide website. The message? Put down the phone a drive.