Leave it or lose it! | Teen Ink

Leave it or lose it!

October 15, 2010
By mirandalee515 BRONZE, Orient, Ohio
mirandalee515 BRONZE, Orient, Ohio
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
Youve got to do your own thing, on your own terms.


One of the major problems with young adults between the ages of 16 and 20 is texting and driving. We all do it, or have done it. In the past two years since texting has become more popular, we do it everywhere and all the time.

Because of our “addiction,” many teenagers and even mature adults text while they drive. It's convenient, and fun to do. But, there's also a downside to texting and driving. An estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, according to a Nationwide Insurance study. This also increases the accident rate and number of fatalities due to texting and driving.

Stacy Price, a teacher at a Charter School in Michigan, said, “Supposedly texting and driving is worse than drinking and driving. Not illegal in all states. In Michigan it is illegal but hard to enforce. In Troy, MI they have an even stricter law: no eating, putting make up on, etc. You get fined. I dont think 100 dollars is going to cause enough people to stop texting. They need to make the fine higher if they really want people to stop.

Price is not the only one that feels this way. Teenagers our age feel strongly that abstaining from texting behine the wheel is better and the most responsible thing to do. Courtney Lewis, a sophmore at Teays Valley said, “Just stick to the 'Just Say No' policy”. It not only applies to underage drinking and drugs but texting and driving too.

So how do we stop it? The only real solution that experts have come up with is placing bans against texting while behind the wheel. If adults of any age are seen texting and driving, they automatically are fined, with the possibility of going to jail, depending on the situation. The new laws created in several places in the United States have helped to decrease the number of fatalities, but it might never be enough.


The author's comments:
I'm on the Newspaper Staff at Teays Valley Highschool, here is one of the very first articles that I wrote for the paper.

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This article has 1 comment.


on Oct. 24 2010 at 1:30 pm
Destinee BRONZE, Oakville, Other
3 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
Blegh. - Abraham Lincoln

I agree, but more importantly, it's a well-written article.