Driver Education Initiative Award; Kambria Neumeyer

For this essay, I just wanted to start by saying this is an amazing opportunity and wanted to say thank you. This is a great way to spread awareness.

For me, growing up in the time that I have, distracted driving is a problem. Phones are everywhere. A problem I wish wasn’t something we needed to deal with. With the growth of cell phones, there is always someone bound to being distracted. This can be extremely dangerous for both the driver, and people around them, in the car and in other cars.

Drivers Education really helped me to understand the consequences. They would show videos of crashes caused by distractive driving. This scared me and many others. At first, I thought this was harsh and inappropriate to show to a barely 15 years old, but these terrifying crashes are the sad truth about distractive driving. Taking your eyes off the road for a second could change someone’s world completely. I am now grateful for them showing me these videos. Driving shouldn’t be taken lightly, and people shouldn’t be too comfortable while driving. This creates laziness when paying attention to the road and things around people. Drivers’ education helped me and others to know the consequences to certain actions while driving.

When learning to drive, I would drive with either my mom or grandpa, who always told me to never touch my phone while driving. At first, I understood because I was just learning how to drive. I couldn’t multitask. Then once I learned how to drive and became used to all the responsibilities of driving, I became a little too comfortable. I would look at my phone occasionally, which is horrible looking back. I found that my friends would always be on their phones while driving. It was scary to ride in their cars. That is when I figured out that I would never do that. What makes a good driver is being attentive to the road and the people around them. If people are on their phone while driving, they can’t pay close attention to the things around them.

It is crazy to think about all the people in my life who are distractive drivers. It can be very scary to be in a car with someone like this. I try to avoid it as much as I can. One story that I can remember while driving with a friend, is one night when we were driving through a canyon. This road is full of narrow twists and turns. It is also high up on the mountain which means if you swerve off the road there is a huge drop to the bottom of the canyon. When we were heading home my friend would not get off her phone. We kept swerving back and forth. This scared both me and my other friend in the car. I ended up taking her phone from her and told her she couldn’t have it back until we were home. I told her I felt scared and that it was dangerous. I now choose not to ride with her if she is driving. At this point it just isn’t worth the stress and risk she puts me and herself in by being on her phone.

Since being with people who are distracted drivers, I will not get on my phone while driving. All my friends and family know this. Texting can wait. If someone needs me, they can call, and I can talk to them through my speakers in my car. My car has Apple Car play, which allows me to have everything I need on my screen. Even then, I will barely use it. But I can answer calls with a button on my steering wheel and use Siri to send a text. When I get in my car I choose my music then, and then use a button on my steering wheel to change the song if needed.

There are lots of things people can do to make sure they and others aren’t distracted. The first thing people should do is turn their phones on Do Not Disturb. This can help make sure they aren’t getting notifications that are going to tempt them to look at their phone. The next thing is to make sure they know how to get to where they are going. Figure out the best route to take and if they need to use a map on their phone, either they can connect it to their car so they can follow on their screen or get a phone mount that is eye level. Another thing they can do to limit distractions is to choose their music or playlist ahead of time. This can make it so that the person isn’t scrolling on their phone for songs. If the driver is with others and need to get on their phone for any reason, they can ask a passenger to help them out. That is something I do all the time and same with my mom. I can ask someone else to text for me or to choose a song.

Things you can do to help the driver in car not get distracted is to assist them in anyway. Be a good navigator and help them with the map to get to where you are going. If they try to get on their phone say, “hey let me help,” and take their phone. You can tell them you don’t feel safe. By you helping the driver, you are removing the risks from yourself, the driver, and others around you.

I think the last thing you can do to help yourself not get distracted is to think about what you risk by not paying attention. You can get yourself hurt or your passengers. You can also hurt others around you. Getting in a wreck can harm so many and can possibly kill people. It is important to know the consequences of your actions. It is important to know how serious it can really be. Distracted driving shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Overall, distracted driving is one of the deadliest things someone can do. Being distracted can lead to death to the driver, passengers, and people in other cars. There are so many ways to avoid being distracted, and people should never get tempted to look at their phones while driving. Just one second of looking down from the road, could change someone’s world completely. It isn’t something that should be taken lightly. There are ways to keep yourself safe by driving and being in someone else’s car. My grandpa said, “If you are driving, their phone should automatically turn off.” I completely agree with him, but how exactly can that be managed. It is important to stay safe and stay off your phone.