One Text Would’t Hurt

When you think of the number one cause of death among teenagers what comes to mind? Maybe school shootings, suicide, or sickness is what one would immediately think of. However, this is incorrect: the number one cause of death among people aged 12 to 19 years old is motor vehicle accidents. Many factors can contribute to these fatal accidents, texting and driving, driving under the influence, and distracted driving are among some of the factors. In order to prevent these deaths and decrease the number, it is important to spread awareness to the age group that is affected most. Driver’s education is the most effective way to spread awareness before people even sit behind a wheel.

Society as a whole is addicted to their phones, that is a fact. The anxiety one feels when a ring or vibration goes off on their phone makes it “impossible” to ignore. Many people are on their phones for hours upon hours a day. This doesn’t end when someone enters a vehicle. One may think, “I can send this text quickly then focus on the road again”, but statistically speaking this is not true. Although it may only take “one second” to send a text, by the time someone unlocks their phone, finds the message app, types a message and sends it, it has been at least 5 seconds. If whoever is driving is going at least 55 miles per hour, by being distracted from the road for this long they can swerve up to the length of a football field. Texting and driving is extremely common, according to reports, 43 percent of teenagers that think texting and driving is dangerous still participate in it. Why would someone do something they know could be life threatening? The answer is simple: their friends do it, so why shouldn’t they? Teenagers are highly influenced by their peers and friends. A teacher I had and still have lost his son to irresponsible driving at a young age, devastated, he devoted part of his curriculum to teaching about the dangers of irresponsible driving, even though he was an art teacher. Education on these statistics is so important and could save a life or many lives.

Statistics can be terrifying but are very real and true. Related specifically to drunk driving, a teenager aged 16-20 is 17 times more likely to crash when their blood alcohol limit is .08 percent or higher than when they have not had anything to drink. According to the CDC in 2010 twenty percent of teens involved in fatal crashes were under the influence of alcohol. This topic is very personal to me, my biological father has half a dozen DUIs and has driven me under the influence many times, putting me and my siblings at risk. Every year at least 1.5 million adults are arrested for a DUI. I am so passionate about this topic because it is more than likely life threatening. When someone drives drunk, they are not only putting themselves in danger of dying, but also their passengers and other people they are driving near. It is important to spread awareness to not participate in this. Even if you’ve only had a couple drinks and it has been a couple hours, it is still too risky to drive. By putting more ads and commercials out into the mainstream media, others may be able to understand better that it can be life or death.

In order for me to be a better driver and safer on the road, I take numerous steps. When driving I put my phone on the “Do Not Disturb” option in order to not receive unnecessary notifications that can become distracting to me. I also refrain from ever texting and driving or using my phone at all. If I do need to send a text message, I find a safe place to pull over or find a parking lot to park in. I also encourage my peers and friends as well. If I know they are in the car, I don’t send any messages or communicate with them. A simple text or call from me could easily be the reason they become distracted. By being one of only a small percentage of teenagers to stand up and not drive dangerously, I hope to not only create a good example but strongly encourage others as well. Driving is such a responsibility to have, and not taking it seriously can be life altering, life ruining, or fatal.