Name: Lilith Anne Pocai
From: Cincinnati, OH
Votes: 0
Your
Fries Are Not Innocent
One of the most
important messages we always see posted on the side of the road is to
not drive while under the influence of alcohol. By now we should all
know to call an uber instead of driving home from that party after a
few drinks, but there are other activities which cause injury and
death on the road. Being educated about the risks of distracted
driving can help bring down the number of deaths on the road each
year.
That fast food bag
in the passenger seat seems quite innocent compared to a drunk
driver. Grabbing a few fries to hold you over isn’t really that
dangerous, right? Unfortunately for you, distracted driving can come
in more forms than texting your BFF back on the road. Taking your
hands off the wheel to do anything is dangerous, and taking your eyes
off the road for a fry is as well. Any distraction, whether it is
eating, applying make-up, or changing the song on the radio should be
avoided when you are driving. More focused drivers on the road will
help reduce the number of fatal accidents.
My dad often stops
at gas stations on the way home from work to grab a candy bar. By the
time he is home this candy bar is a shell of its former self, with
just a wrapper sitting on the floor to remind my mom to scold him for
this unhealthy eating habits. Upon closer inspection we find that
this habit is also dangerous to others on the road since he is eating
candy behind the wheel! Educating him about this has not led to less
candy wrappers on the floor of his car, but at least he eats them
before he begins to drive now.
In order to improve
my driving I need to stop changing stations on the radio. Even with
the ability to do so from my steering wheel, taking my eyes off the
road to glance at what song is playing now is more dangerous than it
seems. Just like the french fries from earlier, changing what music
you are listening to is not all that innocent when it distracts you
from the squirrel that just tried to run in front of your car. It is
better to listen to the most recent annoying commercial than it is to
switch the channel. When you are driving, remember that being
distracted by anything is dangerous to others, and that you need to
minimize distractions. So please, don’t grab another french fry
until you get home from work. You could save someone’s life by
being focused on the road, whether it’s a human or a squirrel.
