Speeding, Drowsiness, & Texting-A Guide to Saving Lives and Not Being Jeanine

The car barrels down the highway. As cars zip by, Jeanine has her mind on the future. She’s not confined by the road she travels on. She’s late for work for God’s sake! There’s not much else that’s more important than that.

Buzz. Buzz.

There’s no doubt in her mind that the text came from her boss. This is her third time this week. She could not believe she had slept in again! Yet, she was still so tired. Grabbing her phone, she hesitates, holding it in her hand.

The text reads, “Five minutes.”

Maybe an explanation or an apology would do the trick. She was certain something needed to be done right then and there. She must beg for his forgiveness and hope for his mercy.

The light is green when she peeks at her phone. She refuses to slow down and be caught by the red light. Her hands dance across her keyboard. Her heart beats against her chest. Jeanine has not been paying too much attention to her boss’ text. Only a few seconds had gone by.

A few seconds of her ignoring the road. A couple of seconds of her attempting to recover from her predicament. At least, that’s how long she interpreted her time on her phone. She would bring her eyes to the road every few seconds, but that did not mean she was focused.

You cannot blame a light for a car crash. Stoplights don’t cause crashes, people do. Stoplights simply direct traffic. The light had gone from green to yellow to red in an instant. Her speed hadn’t faltered.

A prolonged beep sounds in front of her. She slams on her brakes, but it’s too late. Her car smashes into the one in front of hers. Her front hood is submerged into the car in front of her. The force of the collision causes her to black out, unsure of whether she’ll live to see the next day.

No one ever thinks they’ll be Jeanine. That they’ll die at the hands of their cellphone or any other distraction they may face. However, that’s how life often is. You never know what decisions may lead to your death and that’s why you should avoid decisions like this at all causes. Avoiding distractions while driving is a crucial step drivers can take to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Drivers tend to wave off these risks with the rationale of, “I’ll be quick!” Or “This will only take a few seconds.” But it’s just not worth the risk.

Texting while driving takes your focus away from the road, leaving you vulnerable. When you do not focus on the road you leave yourself open to the mistakes of others. You are being an irresponsible, negligent driver by simply trusting others to drive for you and not for themselves. People will make mistakes while driving and being on your phone delays your reaction time. If you are on your phone texting, you will not be prepared if someone in front of you suddenly hits their brakes. Since you did not see the action as it occurred, you will have a late reaction and it may be too late.

This wasn’t the only mistake Jeanine made. She was speeding. Speeding while driving increases drivers’ chances of losing control of their vehicles. The faster the car is heading the longer it takes for the vehicle to slow down. Drivers speed because “They have places to be,” Or “They can’t be late.” When in truth, everyone feels this way for the most part. Speeding while driving is a hazard that puts everyone at risk.

Driving while tired is the last risk Jeanine engaged in. Jeanine knew the risk of this action as she left her house that morning. Driving while tired is practically the same as drunk driving. These two types of drivers also have the same feelings. They believe that they can make it to where they need to go, and everything will be fine. They believe that they can push through, but this is foolish.

Driving while tired delays your reaction time. When you’re tired, you tend to not think straight. You do things that don’t make the most sense. Typically, driving does not allow for careless mistakes. Sure, drivers can get lucky from time to time, however drivers cannot expect to coast around on pure luck.

In the end, drivers ought to drive for others. Driving with others in mind keeps drivers from making these missteps altogether. Driving for others means driving with the attitude that not everyone is as knowledgeable a driver as you. This keeps drivers from making careless mistakes such as driving while drowsy, speeding, and texting while driving. Saving thousands or many more lives in the process.