Driving down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during rush hour can be quite dangerous, especially because many people are driving too fast or are distracted by their loud music.
Add the distraction of texting while driving and the road becomes a dangerous place for drivers and pedestrians alike.
While Kaela Carlo, 19, nursing major, considers herself a safe driver and typically does not text while driving, she has a friend who has gotten in an accident because she was looking at her phone instead of looking at the road.
“My friend rear-ended another person while texting and driving,” Carlo said.
While laws have been passed that ban texting while driving in the state of California, Carlo said, that doesn’t always stop people from doing it.
Students have their own opinion on whether it is worth the risk.
“I feel it’s everyone’s decision on whether or not they are going to text. 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.
Either by knowing someone who has had an accident, like in Carlo’s situation, or having a close call for yourself while driving may make you think twice about when you should text someone back.
“I don’t really text and drive anymore because I almost crashed,” Claudia Villegas, 23, cosmetology major, said.
Some people, like Daoud Hamidzadah, 19, sociology major, aren’t completely against texting and driving as long as they are stopped at a red light and not driving.
“I’m not completely against it because I text at red lights, but I’m not really for texting when you are driving,” Hamidzadah said.
Hamidzadah also admits that even though he texts only at red lights, he also can get distracted then as well.
“I have been more focused on texting than I have been at watching the light,” Hamidzadah said.
Though Hamidzadah only texts while stopped, Chris Rojas, 21, engineering major, admits that he texts while driving.
“The hard part is looking down, then looking up. Plus making sure if I spelled everything correctly and didn’t say anything stupid, and if I sent it to the right person,” Rojas said.
He hasn’t gotten into any accidents, but frequently finds himself turning the steering wheel 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.
Replying to friends and having a conversation tends to be more desirable than sitting in stop-and-go traffic.
“When I’m driving home from school, I am catching up with my friends who I can’t text or talk to during class,” Megan Keavney, 19, history major, said.
Students said they feel confident about their experience with driving and believe they are more than capable of driving while texting.
“I think I am a good enough driver, I haven’t caused an accident or even been pulled over,” Keavney said.
Many students believe that they have enough experience so they can start multi-tasking while driving.
“I know I shouldn’t do it, but I think I am being safe, so until I get a ticket, I won’t worry too much about it,” Keavney said.