Driver Education Initiative – Distracted Driving Dangers

Molly
Doolittle

Distracted
Driving Dangers

I’m
eight years old, sitting in the passenger side of my mother’s car,
three days before Christmas. We are driving home from a gingerbread
house contest at church. Not five minutes after pulling out of the
church’s parking lot, a distracted driver runs a redlight, slamming
into the driver’s side of the car. My first ever car crash. The
last thing I remember is seeing my gingerbread house break apart at
my feet. Fortunately, I was uninjured, but most aren’t as lucky. My
mother broke her leg and she dealt with the repercussions of that for
years afterward. This car crash not only took a toll on my mother’s
health, it put huge financial stress on my family.

Situations
like mine are sadly very common in the United States. Everyday at
least 9 people were killed and 1,000 people are injured in car
crashes involving a distracted driver (1). In the past, distractions
while driving were very limited, but with increasing technology comes
increasing distractions which means increasing deaths per year due to
distracted driving. Knowing these statistics is the first step in
reducing the amount of deaths as a result of driving. Making people
aware of enormous risks while driving is vital to drivers ed.

Distractions
are all around us. There’s really no way to avoid them completely,
but there are steps you can take to reduce the distractions while
driving.Technology is not in and of itself a bad thing, but we can
sometimes turn them into a bad thing without monitored use. Here are
some tips you can use to decrease the distractions while driving.

• Turn
  your phone off. I know this sounds obvious, but it is so important.
  If you are worried about getting a text, there is a setting on
  iPhones that enables a text to be sent to anyone who texts you
  while you are driving, saying you are driving. I know the most
  common excuse for having your phone on is listening to music. Turn
  on the radio, you might even get to learn a new song or two.

• Know
  where you are going. Plan your trip ahead of time, so you wont feel
  the need to use your phone for directions while driving. If you
  absolutely need navigation from your phone, set it up before you
  enter the road, or have a passenger do it for you.

• Be
  well rested and don’t drive on an empty stomach. Making sure you are
  mentally able to drive, is just as important as being physically
  able to drive. Dozing off at the wheel can be extremely fatal, and
  eating while driving is just another unnecessary distraction.

Works
Cited

1. https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html