Name: Andile Moyo
From: Antioch, Tn
Votes: 0
Andile Moyo
RISKS
& PRECAUTIONS ON DRIVING A WEAPON
On
April 23rd, 2018, I got into an accident while I was driving. I
wasn’t texting, or even looking at my phone for that matter. I
still am not exactly sure how I didn’t see that car, but my
conclusion was that I wasn’t mentally focused. I was terrified of
what my parents would say about what happened to my car, but all they
cared about was my safety. I will never forget them telling me that a
car could be replaced any day, but a life is something you can never
get back. Before that day, I had never thought about that.
Distracted
driving is the leading cause of accident related deaths. With driver
education, accidents can be prevented and decreased with the simple
knowledge and understanding of what not to do and what to be aware
of. When talking about driver safety, a big topic is phone usage and
with the increase in technology nowadays, that should be something
talked about. However, a phone isn’t the only thing one should
stray away from while operating a vehicle. Drivers are distracted in
many ways including: talking to passengers, searching for music,
listening to navigation, and simply being zoned out. By reducing the
amount of distractions such as previously stated, the number of
accident related deaths and accidents in general will reduce
tremendously.
Talking
to passengers is a form of distracted driving! It is not as commonly
mentioned, however it is still there. When talking to passengers, one
is tempted to look at them while talking, look at whatever they may
be pointing to or showing the driver, or directing their attention to
their ears rather than their eyes, which should be on the road,
meaning that the driver is mainly focused on hearing what the
passenger is saying rather than watching the road, further decreasing
reaction time. To prevent this form of distracted driving, one must
let the passengers know that in order to arrive at their destination
safely, they are to limit their conversation with the driver or wait
till they have stopped and arrived at their destination.
Searching
for music is one that seems simple and harmless yet is also a form of
distracted driving that will reduce reaction time. Searching for
music could be on the phone, inserting a cd, inserting the aux cord,
or even just pressing to find that perfect radio station. However,
that all requires the driver to turn their attention away from the
road and to a screen or set of buttons. Ways to prevent this form of
distraction are creating a playlist beforehand or preselecting the
radio station before driving.
Listening
to navigation which absolutely does not seem to be a form of
distracted driving is actually considered one. When a driver is
listening or looking at the navigator, their focus is on the screen.
The driver tends to slow down due to confusion from not knowing where
to turn or how far to go. By looking up the directions before driving
and just having the navigation as clarification in the background can
reduce accidents.
Lastly
and one that occurs to almost every driver at some point at time is
being zoned out. Have you ever gotten home and realized that you
don’t remember anything about the drive or what you saw? It may be
the same route you use everyday that you know like the back of your
hand, but the traffic flow is different every time. Zoning out while
driving is very dangerous because even though your eyes are on the
road, you will be on autopilot and the time it takes for you to zone
back in and react to a possible accident is increased.
After
finding out about all the ways and forms of distracted driving, I
have become very cautious of distractions and have fully directed my
attention to the road. A car is a weapon that if used the wrong way
and not carefully, can injure and kill many. By knowing the risks
and taking the necessary precautions to insure safe driving, one will
decrease the risk of an accident. The stigma of practicing driver
safety should not be embarrassing or lame especially when lives are
at stake.
