Positive and Negative Effects of Electronic Devices on

People's Lives
Electronic devices are used all throughout the world; it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t
own one or several. Nowadays it seems like we can’t take our eyes off them. We are
constantly getting notifications, texts, playing games, watching YouTube videos, or checking
social media to see if someone liked the picture we just posted. We’re all guilty of it. These
devices can be both a curse and a blessing at the same time. They are distracting, yet they
have also proved to be extremely helpful in gaining insightful information. Although, there
comes a point when we have to step away from it all. We can’t be living our lives behind a
screen. Some might say that the benefits of having any electronic devices far exceed the
perceived risks; however, I believe that to be false when it comes to texting and driving.
There are different types of distractions while on the road, the three major ones being visual,
manual, and cognitive. The first one is the most common amongst drivers, people can easily
get visually distracted when driving. This could be because they need to adjust their mirrors,
seats, change the radio station, or they’re looking outside because of something that’s
happening on the side of the road. The second manual distractions are when the drivers take
their hands off the wheel. Examples of this would be when we’re eating food, taking care of
our appearance, or returning calls and texts. Lastly, cognitive distractions are when your mind
isn’t focused on driving. This might be from emotional stress, personal problems, or when
we’re talking with someone else in the car. This isn’t as dangerous, because the passengers
we’re riding with can also see what’s going on and warn the driver if needed. It has been
found that texting while driving has the highest potential for distraction as it involves all three
of these. In an article published by The Science Teacher Magazine journalist Michael Bratsis
explains that “sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6
seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field blindfolded.”
The government has recognized this has become problematic and is doing what they can to
fix it. They want to make it better, but they’re having trouble enforcing laws against people
that text while on the road. They have no way of knowing if someone was distracted because
of their phones or something else entirely. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, “texting while driving is banned in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Two
additional states ban texting while driving only for new drivers.” Depending on which state
they’re in, if people are caught texting while on the road they have to pay charges ranging
from 20 to 750 dollars and even spend time in jail. Obviously none of us want to go through
any of this, though we all need to be more aware of the consequences of our actions.

People of every nation have become obsessed with electronics. Even when driving, we don’t
realize how our lives could drastically change in just the few seconds that we take our eyes
off the road, or maybe we do but decide nonetheless that replying to a text is more important.
It doesn’t take much to cause an accident; the majority of the time we don’t have time to react
which results in significant damage in one way or another. According to an article on
Professional Safety “more than 1.1 million collisions each year directly result from distracted
driving”. Nevertheless, people continue to text and drive every day, not considering how they
could be putting other people’s lives, as well as their own, on the line. I think we should all
strongly consider what we are doing when we open our car doors to travel anywhere, near or
far. If it’s such a pressing matter to get back to whoever it is, then why can’t we just pull over
somewhere safe and do so? If we have someone in the car with us, then that should make it
even easier. Hand the phone over and ask if they can take care of it for you.
We could be doing much more profitable things with our time, rather than spending multiple
hours a day on these devices. Instead we could read books, spend time outside, have face to
face conversations with people instead of constantly texting back and forth, work out, play an
instrument, or put together a puzzle; the list goes on. Yet we choose to stay constantly
connected with technology, when we should be doing the exact opposite. A study conducted
by ReportLinker has shown that “Nearly half of Americans (46%) say they check their
smartphones as soon as they wake up.” If somehow we manage not to look at our phones first
thing in the morning, we can’t get through breakfast without checking them. I think it’s
extremely important to reduce the amount of time we spend on electronics and take breaks
regularly to do something else entirely to give our eyes a rest. Not surprisingly, staring at
these tiny screens all day long isn’t good for us. Too much exposure can lead to eyestrain,
fatigue, headaches, bad posture, and dry eyes. By spending too much time behind our screens
we also have the risk of becoming overweight.
There are many benefits that come with not spending as much time on our phones. If we
avoid using our phones before bed, we are usually more relaxed and get better sleep. It also
helps to reduce anxiety and stress which ultimately leads to a happier life. Taking breaks
regularly allows us to use our time more wisely, and get things done. Phones not only distract
us behind the wheel, they have also made walking on the street hazardous. People who are
constantly looking at their phones while walking on the sidewalk could easily step into
oncoming traffic without even realizing what they’re doing before it’s too late to react. In
fact, studies have shown that there has been an increase in pedestrian deaths that were partly
due to distractions caused by phones.
In conclusion, while phones and other electronic devices have their advantages they also have
their shortcomings. They interfere with our ability to drive safely, communicate with people
face to face, and fully enjoy the world around us. If you’re someone who texts while on the
road, it’s not worth it. By doing this, we are not only endangering our own lives but also the
lives of others. According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
it has been estimated that “approximately 9 people are killed each day in the United States
and more than 1,000 (are) injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.”
We need to gain more self-control when it comes to texting while driving. We need to be
more cautious while we’re on the road, we shouldn’t be trying to do multiple things at once.
It’s important for us all to realize that when we pick up our phones while driving we’re
putting other people’s lives, along with our own, in our hands.