Driving down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during rush hour can be quite dangerous because many people are driving too fast or are distracted by their loud music.
Add on top of that the distraction of trying to text on your phone and keep your eyes on the road, and one may find themselves having many more close calls than one would like.
While Kaela Carlo, 19, nursing major, is a safe driver and typically does not text while driving, she has a friend who has gotten in an accident because she was looking on her phone instead of looking at the road.
“I haven’t gotten in an accident while texting and driving because I really don’t do that, but my friend rear-ended another person while texting and driving,” Carlo said.
While laws have been passed that ban texting in the state of CA, that doesn’t always stop people from texting and driving, Carlo said.
“I feel it’s everyone’s decision on whether or not they are going to text or not. They’re not really going to listen to other people, but it’s a good thing that people are more aware that it is a problem,” Carlo said.
Though texting and driving is becoming a problem, some people aren’t completely against it as long as one is stopped at a red light and not driving, like Daoud Hamidzadah, 19, sociology major.
“I’m not completely against it because I text at red lights, but I’m not really for texting when your driving,” Hamidzadah said.
Though Hamidzadah only texts while stopped, Chris Rojas, 21, engineering major admitted that he texts while driving and how difficult it can be to multitask.
“The hard part is looking down, then looking up, and then making sure if I spelled everything correctly and didn’t say anything stupid, and if I send it to the right person,” Rojas said.
He hasn’t gotten into any accidents, but frequently finds himself turning the steering wheel slightly to the right because his focus is not on the road, Rojas said.
A few times when I text and drive, I’ve swerved to the right because I lose track of driving straight, and if I get caught up in a text message, I start focusing more on that than driving,” Rojas said.
The state of Calif. has banded texting, and students agree that this is a fair law, even though many may not abide by it.
“I think that the laws are affected because once they are caught, they are scared to do it again,” Hamidzadah said.
While the law may discourage some, many will probably have to learn the hard way, Carlo said.
“Yes, it’s discouraging, but I still think there’s going to be people who still text and drive, and they will have to learn on their own,” Carlo said.
