The dangers of distracted driving and my ideas of how to fix them

When I was five, I was hurled into a sudden, life-threatening car accident that would etch a mark on my mind and body forever. In the car accident, the car driver that hit my car was doing her makeup while driving, running a red light, and hit the door of the car that I was sitting next to and the glass from my window cut up my forehead very badly, concusing me, and almost blinding me. Despite the shock of what just happened, my older sister, at the age of 13, sprung into action. She tore off her outer shirt and applied it to my forehead (Despite my screaming), slowing the bleeding. Without my sister’s actions I would have had significant blood loss and could have led to other permanent effects. Immediately I was rushed to my local hospital for treatment but had to be transported to Children’s hospital in the capital to have a 3 hour life saving surgery. Due to the car accident I had to wear a large bandage across my forehead for several months, changing it out everyday until transitioning to wearing a hat in any sunlight for the next 4 years and now, 12 years later I still have a very big scar across my forehead and have to wear my hair across it to cover it. Also, I had to make trips to Children’s hospital in Little Rock, which is an hour and a half away for check ups. Within a year and a half after the accident I had to have two surgeries for glass removal and dermabrasion. When I was little, always having to wear hats, I gained a natural hate for wearing them and would sometimes try to go outside without it on, but my friends or teachers would tell me I had to put it back on. One time when I was little I didn’t go to recess with my friends so that they wouldn’t tell me to wear it and I played with these two kids who didn’t know me. One of those kids ended up being one of my closest friends for the next 10 years. When I look back on the accident I have this recurring memory of me kneeling in the car praying, begging for my life. I have taken this as a sign that I never truly know what could happen at any given time and to live life to the fullest and not worry about the frivolous things in life. On the note that I could die at any moment, I want to be able to say that if I were to die right now that I had a positive influence on my community and the people around me. Despite some of the positive outcomes of the car wreck, I don’t wish for anyone else to get as close to death as I did.

One way to reduce distracted driving is by implementing awareness sensors in cars. Currently, there are sensors in cars that can track where you are looking. With the integration of A.I., it becomes possible not only to track where you are looking but also where you should be looking. With this, a portfolio can be created that rates a driver’s attentiveness to their driving and surroundings. Additionally, it could note when a driver tends to drive unsafely and suggest ways they could be safer, if the driver wants to enable such feedback. If insurance companies were to implement a reduced cost of car insurance based on the driver’s calculated attentiveness, it is likely to significantly reduce distracted driving among young adults. For many young adults, car insurance is one of their first major expenses, and a reduction in cost serves as a powerful incentive for safe driving. In our capitalist society, I am confident that if this technology is available, insurance companies wouldn’t hesitate to market it to their clients. While there are similar insurance programs that aim to monitor safe driving, they often fail to account for distracted driving, which is the leading cause of car accidents in the United States.

While throwing statistics at someone about the dangers of distracted driving may go right over their head, the best way to convey a widespread impactful message is to gather personal stories on the topic from multiple sources. Since a large majority of young adults are on social media, many can connect and hear from millions of other people through these platforms. By having several individuals share their personal stories, like mine, on the dangers of distracted driving it will clearly demonstrate to the public the hazards involved. This could potentially evolve into a social media movement similar to the ‘me too’ movement that connected millions globally. Since distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in the United States, if just a handful of individuals share their stories on social media and encourage others, it could create a trend reaching millions across different social media platforms. Hearing several actual accounts of people’s experiences with distracted driving can lead to an awareness similar to mine without others having to go through similar experiences.