Three thousand teenagers die every year because of people texting behind the wheel. There are four states that still allow texting while driving behind the wheel: Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Nebraska. Some states passed a law where you can only look at your phone when you’re at a red light. Arizona law prevents you from having a cellphone or a handheld device in your hand while driving, making you and the people on the road safe. It’s still dangerous to text and drive, even if you’re at a red light. You could be sitting at the red light looking at your phone; when it turns green, you would have no clue when to go, causing some sort of accident.

Have you ever been driving down the road and seen someone on their cell phone while behind the wheel? Most people say they are too careful to get into a crash while they are texting and driving, but you can never be careful while on a phone. Ninety percent of the accidents that happen on the road are because of someone on their cellphone or handheld device. More than 1.6 million crashes occur every year because of someone texting and driving.

Pedestrians also are at risk of getting killed by motor vehicles just because the driver can’t put down their phone for a few minutes. Four thousand pedestrians have died due to people not wanting to put their cell phones down. More accidents have happened by texting and driving then people drinking and driving, even though people say drinking and driving is more dangerous. If people could just wait before they text, then the road could be a safer place.

The damages that texting and driving causes are horrendous. Over eight billion dollars are wasted due to texting and driving collisions. Insurance rates go up for drivers who crash. So is it worth a life just to send a text to your buddy? Texting and driving should be illegal in every state so we can avoid all these accidents and fines.