Up in Smoke

In response to Mark’s post “*Cough*” he explains his view on the impact of second hand smoke.

From the beginning of Mark’s post he brings a picture into my mind of exactly what I think when I walk by a cloud of cigarette smoke. The smell of cigarettes is nauseating to me and as he stated “I don't even want to think about what it's doing to my lungs.”

As Mark goes on he brought reliable facts from the American Cancer Society website on how harmful second hand smoke really is. I didn’t even know that the number of fatalities tied to second hand smoke was so high! It’s scary to think how many times I may have walked past someone that was smoking and how much of an impact it can have on a person. I know some people can’t kick the habit, but as Mark had explained going off campus can benefit us nonsmokers and leave smokers to do their own thing. 

I appreciate that he showed there is a solution to the problem of second hand smoke by bringing up ACC and how they banned smoking on campus. I agree that this was a great decision and I am glad I can walk into class without harming my health or smelling like a pack of cigarettes.

Distracted driving is blind driving

In this so technology forward era you can’t drive down the street without seeing somebody on their phone in the car next to you. Recently a 21 year old college student name Chase Bothe foretold his future when he sent a text saying he needed to quit texting and driving or he would end up in a car crash consequently he ended up in the exact situation he had texted. Cell phones seem to be an essential item in the 21st century, but is using it on the road really worth it? 

In the article, “Cell phone & texting accident statistics,” it said that at least 6,000 deaths and at least half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers every year. That is incredibly high amount of fatalities for something that can wait. According to another article, “What is distracted driving?,” it stated that  “sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind.” Using a phone and driving can only mean dire consequence according to these facts. As Chase Bothe said, “Don't do it. It's not worth losing your life.”

In June 2011, Perry vetoed the HB 242 which would have banned texting while driving. Texas needs harsher laws for distracted driving. Only two laws were enacted, one prohibits teens from using cellular devices even if it is hands free and the other prohibits the use of cell phones in school zones. That isn’t enough when we can obviously see that there are so many casualties annually. Texas should ban all phone use on the road. It could change our statistics and make Texas roads safer. With all the crazy things that already happen on the road a cell phone should be the last thing on people’s minds.

Get out the car, we're taking a joyride

In response to Cynthia’s post “Let’s Take a Joyride!” she goes in depth on how an expanded Austin MetroRail would be a great advantage for us and I couldn’t agree more.

Have you seen the gas prices lately? They are just burning a hole in my pocket and laughing at my sad face as I drive off from an overpriced gas station. With the growing population which means more cars and more unbearable traffic, Cynthia explained some great wins for riding public transportation.

Cynthia had some credible knowledge on our Austin MetroRail. Considering the fact she pointed out that most stops will leave you walking and by walking I mean you better have some good shoes on because your destination will be far. I agree that expanding the route could only have a good outcome considering the recent boom in population as shown by Cynthia’s article on the Texas census. An expanded route will get people where they need to go. This brings another one of her points out that an expanded Austin MetroRail “will get more car traffic out of the streets” and “will decrease pollution in the air.” How can someone say no to that!?  Texas traffic is unbearable and anything that can ease that slow snail moving traffic is awesome in my book.

Throughout her post she stated many more valid points on why she supports an expanded Austin MetroRail and I like how her statements can all be credited by the other article she had used. In my opinion I would definitely take that joyride and keep my pockets and the Earth happy.