According to the Centers for Disease Control, distracted driving caused an average of nine deaths and one thousand injuries per day in 2018. About nine lives every single day were taken all due to a mindless act. These are always just “stories” that happen “to them”, but then that one day it happens to us, or someone that we love and care about. Then that is when we start to change habits and do what is right. We can not wait until it happens to us in order to do something about this highly crucial topic! We as a society must take action and prevent these deaths from occurring simply by devising plans that are suitable for our personal situations.

I have devised a plan to which I submit to you I will abide by in order to promote both the safety of myself, and the safety of my family. As the President of Students Against Destructive Decisions Club in high school, I organized a community assembly where Jacy Good, a victim of a horrible distracted driving accident, came and told us her story and certain preventions we can take to be safer in a vehicle. The first step to my plan would be downloading the app called LifeSaver. This app keeps drivers off of their phones while in motion and alerts the person on the other end of the phone that they are driving and unavailable to speak at the moment. Next I would have a premade playlist for any songs that I’d prefer to listen to while driving, this way I do not have to focus on changing the song while driving and taking my hands off of the wheel. Or if I wanted to listen to the radio then I would put it on a station I like and make sure not to change it during the course of the trip. Then I would place my phone into the side compartment of my car and make sure to not use nor look at it until I have reached my destination and my car is off. 

Not all distracted driving accidents have to do with the operation of a cell phone. For example, eating and drinking while driving is extremely dangerous because it requires you to take a hand off of the wheel, and instead of focusing on driving, you are focused on eating or drinking. As part of my plan, I would make sure to have eaten or drank anything I wanted to at that time before I started driving, this way I would not think about doing it while driving. 

Another way of distracted driving would be drowsiness. According to the estimates of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving was responsible for 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths in 2013. Clearly you can not control your tiredness in an emergency, but I would do my best to stay off the road when I am tired. A way to fulfill this would be to leave wherever I am at a reasonable time, this way I do not get tired when it is dark out or if it was a long drive. However, in the case where I am on the road and start to feel drowsy, I will pull over this way I am not a threat to myself nor anyone else. 

We need to take these simple precautions in order to save the lives of our own. We as a society need to be aware of the fact that this is a serious problem and we need to do something about it. We need to do something about it because it is our lives that are on the line. A text can wait, the fries can hold off, and the party can end 20 minutes earlier if it means saving your life.

https://ankinlaw.com/dangers-of-distracted-driving/

https://ankinlaw.com/textalyzer-app-distracted-driving/

https://ankinlaw.com/motor-vehicle-accidents/distracted-driving/

In today’s modern world, ideals, technologies, and even means of transportation are constantly shifting. As human beings, we are without exception evolving and as a result we are faced with challenges along the way.  However, under stressful circumstances, we all possess the capacity to utilize these obstacles to both our advantage and disadvantage in the onset goal of achieving a comfortable mode of life. 

With gas prices reaching an all-time high, there are many advantages to breaking the 4-wheel habit.  Riding a bicycle to work everyday has numerous benefits, including but not limited to, reducing air pollution as well as health and wellness. To begin, not driving a car to work reduces the effects of air pollution because less exhaust is released into the environment.

Another factor deals with one’s health because the key to using your own muscle power while cycling is a step towards less doctor visits due to a healthier metabolism. When exercising on a bicycle, you are not only losing weight, burning calories, and demonstrating great cardiovascular health, but your brain is releasing what is known as endorphins.  These are chemicals that cause you to feel good. This concept of releasing endorphins is extremely essential to contributing to a good mental health, which is especially important in the modern world. Adding on to the topic of mental health, exercising right before work can relieve the stress before it even begins, especially if you overworked the night before, are worried before a meeting or anxious over a presentation. 

Furthermore, utilizing a bicycle is extremely cost-effective. To start, the amount of money you will save due to the fact that you do not need gas is extravagant. Reducing the amount of gas we are using is a great way to preserve our fossil fuels as well. Additionally, if we are to reduce the utilization of gas, we are significantly reducing the risk of pollution. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, cars release approximately 333 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually, which is 20 percent of the world’s total. This is quite an alarming statistic which shows that by reducing the use of cars as a means of transportation, we as the future, can commit an environmentally-friendly act to better our world in the long term. Moreover, you can also save money since you would not need to have car insurance nor finance car maintenance such as oil changes, brake repairs, or tire changes. Finally, it is time-effective in terms of traffic. For example, when there are heavy loads of traffic, you can easily pass it through bicycle lanes or sidewalks, reducing a lot of time that in a car you would be stuck. In conclusion, there are many benefits to riding a bicycle to work everyday that will not only improve your overall health, but your financial standings and time conveniences, all while promoting environmentally-friendly acts. 

On the other hand, there are disadvantages and dangers that result from riding a bicycle over using a vehicle to get to work. Some risks involved include pain in your back and/or knees if you pull a muscle or strain a certain body part. This is especially more prevalent for the elderly or people with poor physical health. Another reason is that although you could cut through the time it would take to sit in traffic in a car, you do not have the speed that a car does, so it will take longer to get to work. Consider a day that you are running late to work-you can’t just hop into a car and speed to work, you have to bike there, while you are already running late, which will most likely result in an even further delayed arrival. Next, weather conditions must be considered; rain, snow, heat, and wind are all factors that would make riding a bicycle to work much more difficult and even dangerous. You also have to consider it being dark outside, which is much more dangerous because you increase the risk of getting hit or hitting into something. In addition, you have the issue of attire. Most occupations call for nicer clothing such as suits or dresses, and so therefore sweating riding a bicycle in such attire will also make it extremely difficult and uncomfortable. Moreover, you also have the issue of carrying items to work such as briefcases, purses, and other supplies that your job may require. In that case carrying such items in a small compartment in front of your bike may be a difficult task to fulfill. Finally, the most dangerous factor that must be considered when choosing to ride a bicycle to work everyday is the risk of accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2017, 783 bicyclists were killed in traffic crashes in the United States. For the car involved in the accident, they may need to pay for minor damage done to the car, but for the bicyclist involved in the accident, they will pay with their lives. Bicyclists involved in accidents with other cars either dead or severely injured, which are both major risks. In summary, there are many dangers to consider when riding a bicycle to work everyday that will not only affect your time, but your health, work requirements, and safety. 

Conclusively, you are always going to have to deal with both the advantages and disadvantages when considering riding a bicycle to work everyday. You just have to consider the factors and conditions that you are under personally, and decide what suits you best from there. You may have to make adjustments and sacrifice your comfortability but if you feel like the advantages heavily outweigh the disadvantages than that is up to you to decide. In any given situation you are always going to have to weigh the pros and cons, but adjust until you find what in that scale makes you comfortable and go for it. 

https://mainorwirth.com/practice-area/motor-vehicle-accidents/

https://mainorwirth.com/blog/sharing-the-road-with-cyclists/

https://mainorwirth.com/blog/crash-course-in-bicycle-safety/

This just in … suspect on foot … African American male, early to mid twenties, relatively tall, wearing a sports jersey, suspected of shoplifting from the tech department at Millborough’s Department Store.  All officers respond to said location and on foot officers spread out to a 25 mile radius in search of the party. Moments later, a male white rookie by the name of Officer Pat, claims he is in pursuit of that description. At the time Officer Pat stopped what he believed fit the description of the alleged suspect that was holding a cellphone box. Officer Pat proceeded to question the male and asked the following, “What is that box in your hand?”, “What location were you coming from prior to this?”, and  “Where were you heading?” According to the officer, the male quickly became belligerent, began to curse and refused to answer any of the questions. Officer Pat claims that the male pulled out an object which he believed was a weapon from his pocket. Officer Pat argued that his life was in danger, and the very reason he immediately pulled out his revolver to shoot the male was to protect himself.

Riots rose among the streets. The name of the officer who shot the male was kept out of the press for a good amount of time, until the team figured out how to go about this issue. Upon further investigation, the Chief indeed found that the male had a knife in his pocket. The devastated family demanded to see the video footage of the incident from the police vehicle.  When the Chief went to retrieve the footage, he found that the majority of the tapes were destroyed due to a water pipe breakage in the basement. Clearly, this would cause further riots, and so the Chief took it upon himself to retrieve surveillance footage from surrounding buildings of where the incident occurred. After reviewing the footage, the evidence showed that he male did in fact reach into his pocket and grab something, but it was unclear what exactly it was that he was grabbing due to the angle of the footage. The Chief believed that this was confirmation of Officer Pat’s version of the incidents that took place resulting in the death of the suspect. The family further accused the police department of a cover-up. They stood firm because they knew their son did not own a knife. Although not on the scene that day, Officer Olivia, who was Officer Pat’s partner did not believe his story and kept digging for the truth.. After reviewing the surveillance footage many times, she noticed a shadow in the back window of Officer Pat’s police car. While zooming in on the video, Officer Olivia sees her partner had picked someone up on the road yet left it out of the report, which she found odd. She investigates further, and upon searching his face through facial recognition and then his name in the database, it was clear to her that the man Officer Pat picked up was a repeat offender who had a history of pulling out a knife in public numerous times. In fact, the description Officer Pat gave of the knife the suspect he shot allegedly pulled out, was the same knife used by the repeat offender. She came to the conclusion that Officer Pat planted the knife that actually belonged to the criminal in his car, in the black male’s pocket in order to cover his tracks and come up with a story that would keep him in the clear. Officer Olivia presented this information to the Chief and the rest of the team and they then confronted Officer Pat. He then became tumultuous and said “These people don’t have respect! I risk my life everyday in these extremely dangerous streets, and they don’t respect it! These people just think that all cops are bad and out to get them. These people speak poorly to us and laugh and mock us but these people do not understand the risk we go through everyday for them!” Officer Olivia responded to him, “These people? What is that supposed to mean?”, to which he then responded, “Oh Liv you know exactly what I mean. You black people are just disrespectful and unappreciative! You needed to learn the sacrifice, you needed to understand the fear I go through everyday.” Officer Olivia was about to respond when a detective walked into the room, holding up a small piece of paper. This piece of paper was a receipt for the cellphone that the male had purchased. He was pulling out a receipt to prove his innocence, yet ended up dead. Officer Pat was charged and convicted with manslaughter and misconduct in the state of New York. 

For shoplifting a cheap payphone, the male would have been charged with misdemeanor shoplifting, but he was falsely accused and ended up paying for it with his life. A majority of trials in which a police officer shoots a black male will result in either a mistrial or finding the defendant not guilty. The amount of injustice that is apparent in what is known as our justice system is quite an alarming amount and something must be done about it. The ideal of “innocent until proven guilty” is a concept that is in no way, shape, or form apparent in our justice system today when dealing with certain races. The male was simply trying to prove his innocence by holding up valid evidence but that didn’t matter. It did not matter because in the eyes of Officer Pat, the male was already guilty, and all he did was commit the crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and having the skin color that is not defended by our justice system. Throughout this essay I referred to the man that was shot as “the black male” instead of calling him by his name, Jay, and through Officer Pat I referred to blacks as “those people.” I did this to prove the point that to a lot of people that is just what they are; their skin color. Racism and mass incarceration are highly crucial problems in the modern world and we as a society can do something about this. We may not hold the power to create laws or decide and conclude verdicts but we do have the power of our voices. If we can get some talk started then we have a conversation, and the concept of a conversation then paves way for action, and that action will serve to save lives.

https://kellerlawoffices.com/guilty-of-crime/

https://kellerlawoffices.com/felony-theft-charges/

https://kellerlawoffices.com/false-accusations/