Pay Attention or Pay the Price

Pay
Attention or Pay the Price

As Americans, we
risk our lives every day and don’t even realize it. What people
need to remember is that driving isn’t just another everyday chore,
it is a risky activity that can become lethal when not performed
correctly. Having your license is not just an innate right, it is a
privilege that needs to be earned. For a lot of drivers, operating a
vehicle is a simple task that can be done solely through muscle
memory without needing to pay attention to one’s surroundings.
However, when you get in the car and stop paying attention to what’s
in front of you, things can get dangerous.

One of the worst
things you can do while driving is texting. It takes your eyes off
the road and distracts you. Nearly every single friend I’ve driven
with has been on their phone while driving at some point. Even taking
your focus off the road for a second to respond to a quick text can
cause an accident. I’ve been in many situations where a friend has
been texting instead of paying attention to the road, and nearly
caused an accident. Once I was in a car with a group of my friends on
the highway, and my friend who was driving went on his phone. He
ended up swerving into the other lane and caused a lot of panic for
all of us in the car. Taking your eyes off the road can become
lethal. It’s important to educate drivers on the importance of
this.

Therefore, there is
a simple step many drivers can take in order to become a safer
driver. Pay attention to the road. Doing this can save your life and
the lives of others involved in potential accidents. I was recently
in a near collision that could’ve ended my life. I was heading
straight through a green light, while a driver in their truck was in
the left hand lane on the opposite side. The driver had a red light,
but instead of stopping and waiting, they sped up and ran it. This
driver nearly plowed into the driver’s side of my car at a high
speed because they had not paid enough attention to their
surroundings. It was terrifying for me because I know I would not
have survived a collision like that.

I know too many
people that have been involved in accidents. None of these drivers
were at fault, either. In all of these cases, the other driver was
not paying attention. One was a texting while driving situation, and
another was caused because the driver was looking around in their car
instead of the road in front of them. These accidents could have
easily been prevented. Ultimately, there needs to be an emphasis on
the importance of paying attention to the road while driving, and
drivers need to understand the consequences when they don’t.