Reckless Driving

Reckless Driving

2,841 people died in 2018 from distracted driving according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That calculates to “1,780 drivers, 605 passengers, 400 pedestraits, and 77 bicyclists.” 1 out of 5 of those were not even in the distracted driver’s vehicle. In this essay I will be discussing the dangers of distracted driving and ways to prevent it.

Distracted driving is focusing on anything else but the road. This includes eating, loud music, passengers, or using a GPS. The NHTSA organization found that texting for even five seconds while traveling at 55 mph, would be like traveling across a football field blindfolded. Texting and driving involves three types of distraction according to the CDC. There is visual distraction which is taking your eyes off the road.

Manual distraction is taking your hands off the wheel to use a cell phone. Finally there is cognitive distraction, which is when a person stops focusing on safely operating a car, but instead focuses on a phone. It is clear that texting and driving is a dangerous and deadly idea, but people are not stopping. In 2019, 39% of teens who drove in the past month said that they drove distracted. These teens also reported that they engaged in other risky behavior such as not wearing a seat belt, driving under the influence, or riding with a drunk driver (CDC).

So what can we do about it? The first and most obvious things a person can do is to silence their phone, pulling over if it is an emergency, or keeping the music low. Another way is making a pact with someone for safe and focused driving. This can be with their parents, siblings, friends, or even a pet, as long as they make a promise to someone they love to drive safely. The third way is to make it nearly impossible to reach for their device. Putting the phone in the backseat, glove box, or trunk so it is out of sight and out of mind.

Being a safer passenger can help stop distracting driving. This person can hold the phone or other distractions of the driver and be the d.j. They can also avoid difficult conversations while in the car. Not to mention, passengers can fix the GPS, tend to the backseat riders, find a CD, or do whatever the driver would do if they were alone.

In this essay, I discussed in detail what distracted driving is and how harmful it is. I also discussed ways it can be prevented and what it means to be a safe passenger. Hopefully with awareness and work, distracted driving can cease. Thank you for your time, and I hope you consider me for this scholarship.

Stopping Distracted Driving – Defensive Driving Tips for a Safe Journey. (2019, June 28). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.defensivedriving.org/guides/stopping-distracted-driving/

[email protected]. (2020, October 05). Distracted Driving. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving

Distracted Driving. (2020, October 26). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_driving/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fmotorvehiclesafety%2Fdistracted_driving%2Findex.html