Topic > Research Paper: Intervention to Enhance Understanding of the Effects of Texting and Driving

Index Proposed InterventionStudy DesignExpected ResultsSummary, Limitations, and Future DirectionsReferencesAs technology advances, the problem with texting while driving has increased tremendously. While there are many ways a driver can be distracted, texting is the most dangerous because it requires visual, cognitive, and manual attention, resulting in overall distraction from the task at hand. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 2010, the National Safety Council estimated that approximately 200,000 deaths per year are explicitly caused by texting while driving. Texting while driving has become a major public health problem in today's society. In this research I will introduce an experiment that will test an intervention to increase understanding of the effects of texting while driving, which is a preventable cause of death that is becoming an epidemic among young adults. Proposed Intervention Young adults are particularly affected by the epidemic of texting while driving due to the advancement and accessibility of technology. Many young adults appear to have a greater sense of internal control and self-actualization, resulting in less death anxiety and a feeling of invincibility. I predict that increasing knowledge about the effects of texting while driving will result in reduced rates of unintentional texting. deaths among young adults. I will specifically ask participants to complete a questionnaire about the effects of texting while driving and their attitudes toward the severity and consequences of these public health problems. Study Design I will use O'Carroll and colleagues' (2011) Experiment 2 as a model for my study. The study population I would like to observe are young adult drivers in the Suffolk County area of ​​Long Island, New York; the sample I will study will include 500 young adult drivers aged between 16 and 24; they will be recruited from high schools and colleges throughout Suffolk County. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The independent variable of the study will be the attitude towards the epidemic in question and will be tested through a questionnaire administered to all participants, however the intervention group will receive additional statistics regarding this epidemic. The intervention group will receive statistics at the end of the survey explaining the severity of deaths that occur due to texting while driving. Due to the random assignment of participants, I anticipate that any differences in the dependent variable will be specifically due to the groups I assigned them in the study. Expected Results I expect that the intervention group will change their attitude towards the severity of texting while driving has on them and other drivers on the road. Because of this change in attitude, the additional statistics received by the intervention group at the end of the survey appear to have played a role in the change in attitude regarding this public health issue. If increasing knowledge of texting while driving causes the intervention group to be less likely to text on their phones while operating a vehicle, then this study provides support for knowledge-based interventions to impact on public health by changing behaviors and attitudes about texting while driving and preventing unintentional deaths. Here0022379