Stay Alive When You Drive

April 11, 2017. I started the day off great with a college visit and ended it watching my older brother, Van, get wheeled into the operating room about to undergo neurosurgery. This was for a traumatic brain injury he suffered when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle home from baseball practice. A college-recruited athlete, he was a month away from graduating high school and now had a 50% chance of survival. And while he did make it, it has come at a great cost to himself and our family over the past nearly-five years.

My brother’s accident is actually why I am applying for this scholarship. Much of his five years of physical, occupational and speech therapy wasn’t covered by insurance, however, my family and I believe it was essential to getting him to where he is today. Unfortunately, the additional treatment cost the money my parents saved for our college educations, so although I’ve been working since I was 14, and will continue to do so, it will be scholarships such as this one that will allow me to complete my education.

But back to the point…

Driving while drinking, drugging and texting are the major causes of distraction. The consequences for each have been addressed in recent years, and I will share some examples with you now.

Not long ago, I was so happy to read in the Washington Post that there is a mandate under review proposing that all new cars come equipped with a Breathalyzer Interlock devise by 2024 in order to cut down on the approximately 10,000 deaths caused annually by drunk drivers. See the article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/11/09/drunk-driving-technology-infrastructure/

As for texting while driving, in my home state of Maryland, this has been banned since 2009. All drivers are prohibited from writing or sending text messages while operating a motor vehicle. This is one of the first lessons taught by any driving school in the area.

Currently in Maryland, the distracted driving fine for first-time offenders is $83. A second offense can cost $140, and a third offense is $175. There are also additional costs related to court proceedings, as well as points on your driving record. And should you injure or kill someone while you are using a handheld device, thanks to Jake’s Law (named after five-year-old Jake Owen who was killed by a driver who was texting and talking), you will be fined up to $5,000 and receive three years in jail. A few years ago, Maryland lawmakers approved a bill that increases the maximum fine for texting while driving to $500.

Over the last five years in my Maryland county alone (Montgomery), five teenagers have been killed and at least 292 teen pedestrians have been hit by cars due to the drivers texting or being otherwise distracted. Last April, as part of educating all drivers, the county instituted the “Stay Alert. Stay Alive” campaign (see following page) directed at both distracted drivers and pedestrians and bicyclists to try to combat the problem.

In addition to requiring everyone to take professional driver’s ed classes before applying for their license so they can really learn the rules of the road and how to react in an emergency, I believe a great solution for reducing risk would be an invention to help lower the temptation to drive while distracted. Installing a device similar to the ignition interlock breathalyzer that would prevent your car from starting until you listened to/viewed the following check list could be helpful.

I would like to propose the following as a possible solution for keeping pedestrians safer:

PROPOSED DISTRACTED DRIVING DEVICE – Starts when key is put in ignition:

AUDIO:
DO NOT THINK OF DRIVING THIS CAR IF YOU:

• Have consumed alcohol;

• Are tired;

• Plan to text or talk without a hands-free device;

• Are going to eat, drink or play with your radio.

IF YOU CAN’T BE RESPONSIBLE, DON’T DRIVE!

VIDEO:
As the check list is being read, a series of Street Smart ads similar to the following would be rotating on the screen:

While I am not sure that a specific invention or device can make someone take more personal responsibility, I do believe being acutely aware of the causes of distracted driving and paying the price for not following the rules are keys to stopping the problem.

To end on a positive note, I’d like to share that after five years, Van has nearly fully recovered from his brain injury and is now attending Drexel University with me where he is majoring in product design and developing products whose goal is to keep people safe.

My brother, Van, and me in front of Drexel’s mascot.