Just Say No To Distracted Driving

Distracted driving has had one of the most profound effects on my life. When I was just four years old, my father and I were victims of a distracted driver’s negligence which caused permanent damages to my father and I. My father was driving us home from the health food store and a distracted driver ran into the back of my father’s vehicle causing it to run into a light pole. Smoke instantly filled the entire vehicle as my father reached over me to open my door so I could I could exit the vehicle first.

I vividly remember seeing black smoke rapidly fill the car as my father fought for his life to get out of the vehicle. Noble citizens pulled over to help us and dialed 911 for further assistance. Once an ambulance arrived, we rushed to the hospital. While in the back of the ambulance, I repeatedly cried “Daddy, are you ok?” as he was covered in blood from his injuries. My father and I were ultimately able to partially recover from our injuries sustained. Yet, I will always remember my father saving my life first as he held on for his dear life at the hands of a distracted driver.

I also experienced the devastation of another distracted driver when I was 16. My cousin and I were sitting at a red light and a distracted teenage driver ran into the vehicle behind my cousin’s vehicle which caused that vehicle to ram into my cousin’s vehicle from behind. This accident left my cousin with a spinal cord injury, severe organ damage, broken bones and torn ligaments while I also suffered serious non-life threatening injuries. These permanent and disabling injuries could have been prevented if the distracted driver was not busy playing games on his phone and paid attention to the road.

Furthermore, the distracted driver did not have insurance which caused a financial burden to my cousin and I along with the injuries sustained. We both faced high mounting medical bills, lost wages and reduced earning capacity as a result of the distracted driver’s carelessness. My cousin also had to pay for her vehicle repairs, increased insurance rates and ongoing expenses for medication, therapy and assistive devices.

I strongly stand against distracted driving and feel it is one of the most careless things a driver can do whether it’s using electronic devices, reaching for objects inside the vehicle, eating, applying makeup, adjusting the stereo, driving drowsy or dealing with children. All of these things can wait when another person’s life is at stake. My life has been spared more than once by the grace of God and I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak out against the devastations that distracted driving can cause.

Driver education is crucial in reducing the number of driving-related deaths by providing essential knowledge on the rules of road, distracted driving, safety mechanisms, defensive driving techniques and the dangers of driving making irresponsible choices. I am eager to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving through my connections within my community. I plan to partner with local businesses in efforts to incorporate a distracted driving prevention program at my local church, Community Covenant Church (CCC), that regularly distributes information through social media campaigns, peer-to-peer outreach, youth education workshops and school programs.

I will establish small committees to plan and coordinate distracted driving prevention events and pass out informational flyers to clients of CCC’s Food Pantry Youth Programs. I plan to select 7 youth team leaders to help motivate volunteers and sponsors, share the workload and help meet the designated deadlines. I will also create training for the youth team leaders and volunteers which provides the youth leaders with a list of key dates and times for preparation, responsibilities necessary to carry out the event and contact information for myself and the other team leaders. Each youth team leader will be required to help promote distracted driving prevention events via social media/distributing flyers, viral campaigns and public awareness events.

My distracted driving prevention program will provide distracted driving education and activities to help prevent youth and adults from distracted driving through eLearning courses that encourage utilizing driving simulators and bi-weekly in-person workshops in the local community. These workshops provide direct access to educational sessions and mentoring on ways to identify signs of distracted drivers, common driving distractions inside and outside the vehicle, avoid and manage distractions and prevent accidents caused by distracted driving. I encourage CCC’s youth team leaders, mentors, members and volunteers to regularly contact policymakers in Illinois to advocate for policies that advocate for stricter laws and penalties for violations resulting from distracted driving.

Being a Youth Programs Manager at CCC’s Food Pantry goes beyond providing immediate food aid and meals. I seek to provide other resources including but not limited to: hygiene products, cold storage solutions, educational programs, nutrition workshops, community outreach efforts, food waste awareness campaigns, helping people access services that provide job training, financial assistance, distracted driving prevention programs, in-school support and transportation. Our youth volunteers also assist individuals with applications for federal nutritional assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). My distracted driving prevention program via CCC’s Food Pantry Youth Program is vital in our community because it helps promote healthy lifestyles, safe driving, address inequity, create partnerships, increase civic engagement and empower youth.

I will continue to operate this distracted driving prevention program while I am attending college. I personally trained each member of CCC’s Food Pantry Youth Program and ensured that they were cross trained in the event that a team member is unable to volunteer. I detailed strategic policies and procedures for the youth team which outlined how the program should operate while I’m attending college. I was eager to reach out to our local partners including businesses, schools, churches and community center to ensure that they are readily available to regularly promote the distracted driving prevention program. I will also continue to promote the project through social media and the local news in order to add creative incentives for donors and maintain communication with sponsors to ensure efficient collection and distribution. I will also continue to issue regular newsletters and e-mail blasts to my community network.