We’ve all done it at one point or another. You’re driving along to work or school when that familiar sound reaches your eardrums(耳膜). You look down, reach into your pocket and begin to read, your steering wheel(方向盘) in one hand, your phone in the other. As you respond to that text message from your friend, you look intermittently(间歇地) at the road, and then back down at your phone. You’ve done it plenty of times before. What can go wrong?
What do you think is the number one killer of teenagers in the U.S.? Drugs? Alcohol? Violence? The answer is distracted driving. According to the National Safety Council, over 24 percent of all motor vehicle crashes involve cell phone use. Either a quick 30-second phone call or a simple text reading may be the cause of a traffic accident. In addition, drivers who talk on a cell phone, whether hands-free or not, are four times more likely to crash.
The risk of teenagers getting into an accident rises sharply. According to
keepthedrive.com, more than 3,000 teenagers die in car accidents each year with about another 450,000 teenagers being injured. Additionally, according to a University of Utah study, reading or sending even one text message is equal to having a 0.08 alcohol level. In most states, that is considered as drunk-driving.
So, how do you prevent yourself from the danger of distracted driving? The answer is simpler than you might think. Put your phone away. Mute(消音) your phone or just turn it off while driving. If you still can’t help reaching for your phone, throw it on the backseat. This way, you won’t be able to get to it until you arrive at your destination.
You may get away with talking on the phone now, but there may be a day when you don’t. Dropping your phone may be an inconvenience, but it’s better than being a victim of your distracted driving.
Title: The danger of reading and texting on the phone while driving
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小题1:_______
| Drivers are used to reading and小题2:___ to text messages while driving.
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小题3:___ of
distracted driving
| About a quarter of all motor vehicle crashes are 小题4:___ to cell phone use.
Drivers talking on a cell phone have a much stronger 小题5: of crashing.
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The rising risk of teenagers getting into accidents
| A number of teenagers get 小题6:_____ in or even die from car accidents every year.
Reading or sending one text message while driving 小题7:____ having a 0.08 alcohol level.
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小题8:___ of preventing distracted driving
| Mute your phone or turn it off to keep you concentrated on driving.
Put your phone out of your 小题9:___ while driving.
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Conclusion
| It may be not 小题10:___ for you to drop your phone but you can protect your self from hurt or death.
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