Essay on Hands-Free Driving Law in the City of Austin

The City of Austin requires that individuals should not use hand-held gadgets and devices while operating a motor vehicle or a bicycle (Hands-Free Austin | Police | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin, n.d.). With the rise in technology and social media platforms, it is often a daunting task for me to observe the law. I often have the desire to participate in various activities taking place on the media platforms and thus find myself disobeying the law. I also feel that I may get a call or a message, which may be an indication for an emergency. Therefore, I would pick a call or check a message that I may receive while operating a motor vehicle to ensure that it is not an urgent issue. I find it hard to observe the law despite its existence and various fines that accompany it.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

I feel that the law is essential for my safety and that of others on the road. Therefore, I do not work towards overturning it. I, however, work on trying to obey the law to ensure that I keep myself and other people safe on the road and to avoid the hefty fines that come with disobeying the law. Many drivers who use hand-held electronic devices are often a risk to safety on the road, and it is one of the leading causes of accidents in the United States. I would, therefore, want to be among those individuals who obey the law to ensure road safety.

In the meantime, I feel like I obey the law to a given extent. I have been working on keeping a focus on the road other than being distracted by a phone or other devices. There are however instances where I will be tempted to pick a call because it might be an emergency. Sometimes I fall, a victim of the temptation, while other times I can resist the urge. I feel that I the long run the significant benefit will e for me.

Thomas Aquinas, a Greek philosopher, develops a theory that deals with eternal, natural, and human law. He explains the eternal law to be, that which is ideal for the human world. Aquinas terms it as that which is pre-existent in the mind of God and is therefore supplemented by His divine law(Lott, 2016). He identifies that natural law as the willingness of the individual to participate in the eternal law. Aquinas explains that every rational creature will always be inclined to take part in the eternal law, which is an indication of natural law. He explains the human law to be, that which spells out the determination of certain matters according to human reason.

According to Aquinas, there are four requirements of the natural law on the human law. One is that people will need divine guidance that is explicit for them to act in a proper way. Another requirement is the need to check on the uncertainty of the human judgment. Aquinas also recommends that people lack the competency to judge various issues and in such instances, they will need spiritual insight. He finally identifies various deeds go beyond the ability of a human being to punish, and in such cases, Aquinas recommends that God will punish such actions (Cullen, 2015).

About the hands-free driving law, there is an indication that the law in place is at the human law level of the Aquinas theory. There are instances where I will choose to obey the law not because there is a penalty attached to it but because I feel it is my responsibility as a human being to observe it. It, therefore, indicates the natural law dimension of the Aquinas theory. The eternal law would be that every individual in the city I included would follow the law, which may not always be the case. The doctrine of the double effect invokes the permissibility of a harmful action or event as a side effect in the advocacy for particular action. Hands-free driving will cause accidents that may even lead to death. Therefore, the consequences of using a hand-held device including death will be a motivation for drivers in Austin I included to observe the hands-free law.

I agree with Aquinas that there will always be the ideal law where there is a certain expectation that things will always be done as expected. That every individual within the community will do as expected without force or follow up from other parties. It is the eternal law. It is also expected that people will have the rational conviction to perform as expected in society. People will understand what is expected of them and adhere to it. There is the human law, which is the fundamental law set by various agents of authority especially the government. In many instances, people will be inclined to observe the human law due to the consequences incorporated within it. It is therefore not a rational decision to obey this law. There is, however, the few in society who will follow these laws for the good of the society in general. Therefore, the arguments by Aquinas support my position that I will observe the hands-free law not mainly to avoid the fines but to ensure my safety and that of others, which is the natural law inclination.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Cullen, P. (2015). Aquinas on law and justice: Conflict of human law and justice in the orderly society. Southern New Hampshire University. Retrieved from http://AcademicArchive.snhu.edu/handle/10474/3070

Hands-Free Austin | Police | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://www.austintexas.gov/handsfree

Lott, W. H. (2016). Human Participation in the Eternal Law through the Natural Law in the Thought of Thomas Aquinas and Bernard Lonergan: Transpositions from a Classical to a Modern Mindset (Thesis). Retrieved from https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/75515