Name: Elizabeth
From: Crooksville, Ohio
Votes: 37
Until distracted driving impacts an individual directly; drivers overlook these risks and fail to prioritize their own and others’ safety. Impaired driving is any driving that dangerously lacks focus on the road. Ignorance surrounding impaired driving exacerbates the problem. The recklessness of impaired drivers costs lives. It is the responsibility of every citizen to practice safe driving and encourage others to do the same. There are major changes in action, policy, and culture that are necessary to make American roads safer for all.
When people think about distracted driving, fatigue does not cross their mind. The media does not highlight fatigue like alcohol consumption and phone use. Beyond alcohol and drug impairment, texting while driving is on the rise. I have witnessed texting and driving becoming increasingly more common among my peers and relatives. Most people are aware that texting and driving is reckless but are ignorant of the potential consequences. It is easier to submit to cultural norms of phone use while driving rather than to safe use, which is no use at all.
Increased awareness towards impaired driving will help save lives. Impaired driving is often misunderstood because impairment via drugs and alcohol is underplayed. People will often claim that they are not impaired when they are under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Statements like: “I’m not that drunk” or “I’m okay to drive” whilst ignoring the first symptoms of impairment are dangerous and reckless. It is so often misunderstood because people assess their ability to drive based on how they feel in the moment. This is flawed, as sensations are also suppressed by many substances that lead to impairment.
Every year, because of distracted driving, people continue to lose their lives. In my life, one of my best friends was in a life-endangering car accident. The driver endangered the lives of her and her unborn child, two young sisters, her mother, and her grandparents. The driver said he fell asleep at the wheel. My friend was life-flighted to a hospital and transferred by ambulance to another hospital. There were many concerns about whether she and the baby would survive.
I spent days visiting her in the hospital after surgery, two symmetrical aneurysms on each side of her brain, a dislocated hip, an incredibly fractured foot, a compound fractured rib, blood clots in her lungs, and other complications. There were conversations regarding what would happen if she died, and tearful nights worrying over her and the son she was so excited to welcome into the world. She went from a low-risk pregnancy to a high-risk pregnancy in a matter of days. I remember the faces of the hospital staff when they thought she might be going into labor due to the baby’s irregular heartbeat. It was terrifying, no one should lose someone so young to something entirely preventable. In her own words regarding safe driving, “People take it for granted and don’t realize how fast your life can change.”
My friend’s accident changed everything about driving. In good and bad ways, I was more aware of the risks driving entailed. Even now, there is anxiety getting behind the wheel. I have learned that instead of fearing being behind the wheel, I can focus on my surroundings while driving. Utilize knowledge of defensive driving and careful driving to decrease risk. I can volunteer to drive my friends, and being a responsible driver is the most powerful way to ensure their safety. After nearly losing a loved one to distracted driving, I have committed to doing anything I can to learn more about the methods of preventing car accidents.
Across the nation, a better path to ending distracted driving is to enforce comprehensive driver’s education. Everyone should be required to participate in driver’s education programs. These programs should be affordable and accessible to all people. I was privileged to participate in a defensive driving course before other driver’s classes while I had my permit. This one-day course included safe driving practices and limiting distractions while driving. Most of the information taught during this course was never addressed in my required driving course for my license.
I experienced real-life scenarios in a safe environment to practice defensive driving movements. I find myself recalling practicing hydroplaning, emergency lane changes, and sliding while driving today. This knowledge empowered me to be a safe driver. Most people will not experience or learn how to drive through unsafe conditions. This knowledge is important in a world where you don’t know what other drivers are doing behind the wheel. Reckless driving must first be addressed through proper education.
Finally, it is the responsibility of parents, friends, peers, teachers, and law enforcement to hold irresponsible drivers accountable. The most permanent solution to safer driving is to change the cultural response. Culture is one of the strongest explanations of behavior. It is important to ensure everyone understands the risk of distracted driving. This can be communicated through driving classes, including the physiological changes that fatigue, alcohol, and other drug use cause. A comprehensive education includes the risks of texting and driving. To make real changes in the world, communities must clearly and consistently speak out against distracted driving.
