Being Safe on the Road

Being Safe on the Road

In today’s world, being fast and first means everything. Responding quickly, updating profiles, reporting developments, etc. are considered essential for everyone from a businessman/woman working in corporate America to an eager teenager trying to get as many views as they can on Tik Tok. The National Safety Council reports that 1.6 million crashes each year are due to cell phone use while driving. Distracted driving is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and resolved so that our roads can be safe.

When I was a junior in high school, I was involved in a crash. I was looking at my blind spot to check for cars as I transitioned into what I thought was an empty lane, but as I changed lanes, the car in front of me had not gone yet through the recently turned green light. I was not speeding so no one was injured and there was mild damage done to both cars, but I rear ended one of my classmates and the experience left us both shaken. The only positive element of this experience was that I was able to truthfully respond to the officer and parents of my classmate that I was NOT using my cell phone while driving. How much more damage could I have done if I was a distracted driver? The statistics show that the damage could’ve been much worse. It is extremely important for young and new drivers to receive proper education and training because they will be able to quickly identify bad habits and form good habits while driving. It is also important that they hear personal stories and testimonies about negative and positive experiences while driving so they can relate it to their own lives and driving.

Texting while driving is one of my more common distracted driving bad habits. It is unsafe, and although I do it very rarely it should never be done at all. However, an efficient and useful way that I plan to avoid texting while driving is putting my phone on airplane mode. In airplane mode all texts, notifications, updates, etc. are disables because there are no wireless signal transmissions. If I need to quickly send a message without taking my eyes off the road or hands off the wheel, I can plan to use the Siri function to choose a name from my contacts, verbalize the message I want to send, and then send the message without ever picking up my phone, or even looking at it for that matter. These methods allow me to focus on driving and arriving safely to my destination. It is worth missing a phone call, text, or Facebook notification if it means not being distracted and avoiding harm and injury not only to yourself but to others.

Talking on my cell phone is another distracted driving habit. With a cell phone in one hand and another on the wheel, I could be putting my life in danger as well as other’s lives. Another method I plan to use to avoid taking my hands off the wheel is to use “speaker mode” on my phone. That way, I can have my phone plugged in to my aux cord, and simply talk to whoever is on the phone as if they were in the car with me. It allows me to stay focused on driving and receive urgent or important phone calls.

Finally, I can be distracted while driving by notifications or updates from social media apps or emails. However, I have found and plan to use a way to combat this and all other distracted driving habits by using the Pocket Points app. My school uses an app called Pocket Points, which is an app designed to accrue points when you keep your phone locked while on campus. You can then use these points at local businesses and restaurants for cool prizes and food. Pocket Points added another feature called Pocket Points Driving, which will also accumulate points while you are driving on campus boundaries. We live extremely close to campus and drive there frequently, so I am earning points towards rewards and deals at local businesses when I turn on this app on my phone. It is an excellent way to stay safe while earning amazing deals.

On city roads and highways alike, you can usually look to the car on either your left or right and see someone texting while driving. You can even be the culprit who is driving distractedly. However, the above-mentioned techniques and plans will allow me to be a safe driver not only for myself, but for other drivers on the road. Driving an automobile is already dangerous enough without throwing in the use of cell phones. We would all do well to remember that, in the end, arriving alive is the only thing that matters. It is worth missing a phone call, text, or Facebook notification if it means not being distracted and avoiding harm and injury not only to yourself but to others.