Distracted Driving

Distracted driving has been an ongoing epidemic not only among younger generations, but also older generations. Distracted driving is a serious issue that can lead to accidents and fatalities. Here are some tips to help reduce dangerous driving habits, particularly texting or using social media while driving amongst teenagers. Now that everyone has a social media account, they want to be accessible 24/7 which in turn means using while driving. Even if you are at a stop light, stop sign, stalled traffic, you must still be aware of your surroundings in order to be a defensive and agile driver. The fact that people are tied to their devices at every moment of the day leads to unnecessary accidents due to lack of attention. When you first learn to drive, you follow in the habits that you see your parents do when driving. So, we can start there, with having parents lead by example and not be distracted or using their devices while driving. Parents can continue to educate their children at home about this issue to ensure they are aware of the implications and dangers surrounding the behavior and ramifications of what could happen. There should be no exceptions to the rules you set, and modeling the behavior you want your teens to emulate is much more powerful than a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude.

Education is key, and having a continued exposure to this type of education program will help over time. I believe that having consistent in school educational programs offered in class would educate students at a younger age. They could also include a more in-depth course during driver’s education classes. As in the state could offer a student discount on car insurance for taking the course as an incentive. I know for a fact most parents would appreciate a cheaper car insurance for their children.

A few things that can be done to lessen the dangers for the driver are, to lower the music so they can hear what is going on outside and around them. It is hard to hear a car horn or an ambulance when you are jamming out full blast. If your car has the capability, connect it to hands free Bluetooth so that you do not have to have it in your hands. You can also just put the phone away for the duration of your drive to ensure you ae not tempted to look at it. If you need it for navigation, get yourself a phone stand and enter the address before moving the vehicle, this way you are not fumbling with the phone later on your drive. Another issue I see is people eating while driving. I know this seems like an easy task to do when you commute to and from places, but it can also be dangerous if you spill or drop your food and you look away from the road for a split second. Remember, texting or using social media while driving is not worth the risk. It’s important to stay focused on the road and avoid any distractions that could lead to an accident.

Another effective project can be having social media presence for this campaign can reach a younger demographic since we are always attached to our phones and PSAs or short messages can over time also leave an imprint. One of the most important aspects of an effective project is to get community backing as well as local government officials on our side to help push the agenda. Locally there are many things we can do to have support and get the ball rolling with our vision. Attending council meetings and informing them of our interest to increase awareness within our schools and community is imperative. This will have a ripple effect on community members, local police agencies, and even local businesses to share and partake in the project. If we saw more commercials about safe driving and being responsible drivers, then we could likely see a decrease in these types of cases.

In my personal experience I have been involved in one fender bender which did not cause much damage to either party involved. I was a little shaken, but managed to overcome the feeling shortly after a few days. My mother on the other hand, has been involved in two major car accidents where she ended up in the ER twice. The first was on her way to work when she was t-boned by another truck causing a total loss of the vehicle and leading to 6 months of physical therapy. The second accident included my baby sister who was 5 years old at the time. My mother again was t-boned this time by an even bigger SUV who’s driver was on her phone. She admitted to not seeing my mother’s car and took blame for the accident. My mother and sister went to the ER with whiplash and again had 6-8 months of physical therapy. Seeing them in pain was very hard for me and not being able to protect them bothered me for some time.

Car accidents are inevitable, but can be diminished if we work together to get the point across about safe driving. I strongly believe the more you see or hear about a topic, the more it will stick. If we can change one mind, we can plant the seed of caution and help modify the behaviors of drivers over time.