Maybe not…

Turning 16 and getting your license is a moment that many teens look forward to and is surrounded with nervousness and anticipation. Perfecting different parking procedures and the “Rules of the Road” is the result of hours of practice and years of life taken off of a stressed parent’s life expectancy. These things that are so important for teens to perfect for the D.M.V. tests are often forgotten after becoming comfortable behind the wheel. Of course drivers should be comfortable on the road and confident with their ability to drive however I believe there is such a thing as too comfortable in this case. Drivers who allow themselves to put more focus into the radio station, their reflection, or their phone are allowing themselves to lose the awareness and reactivity that is common among new drivers. It has been found that distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in the United States and many of these accidents are caused by distractions regarding the phone. The average person checks their phone around once every 10-12 minutes and many don’t break this habit just because they are behind the wheel.

“It only takes a second to look at my phone.”

“I’ll just respond really fast.”

“It’s fine.”

“The road isn’t even crowded.”

“I just need to change the station quickly.”

“It’s my mom.”

“It might be important.”

“I’ve never been in an accident before.”

“I’m not gonna crash.”

Maybe…

“Where did they come from?”

“I didn’t see them.”

“I only looked away for a second.”

“My parents are gonna kill me.”

Maybe not.

Most teenagers don’t expect themselves to be the ones involved in the accident their parents warn them about. The threat doesn’t seem real enough to young drivers until they experience it. In my own experience with other highschool students, I have found that even a near accident isn’t enough to scare drivers into changing their habits. Habits are a hard thing to break and the way phone companies and app designers have created their notifications to become almost addicting to the user have only made this problem worse.

This is an issue that is clearly important because of the facts presented to you both in this essay and in the driver education introduction to this essay. How I believe we can combat this issue is with more education and regulation. Drivers Ed. Classes include warning against distracted driving and explain the laws regarding texting and driving but don’t teach any methods to prevent yourself from doing these things. With lessons regarding breaking the habit of checking your phone constantly included young drivers will be more likely to implement these into their driving routine. Showing more examples or acted out videos of how quickly losing focus can cause a car accident can also be helpful. With these demonstrations we can be reminded of the results that a quick text message can have and better be able to weigh the outcomes of that decision. Regulations or features on phones that would disable the features of the phone when driving motion is detected can also prove to be lifesaving. This is less practical because of passengers that may be using devices or legalities of restricting access to the driver’s phone but even a simple reminder that can be ignored might make the difference between life or death. A pop-up of this style can still be hugely important because it would give drivers a second chance to consider their actions and their actions’ effects. If drivers are asked the question “Are you sure you want to use this device when the vehicle is in motion?”, they will be forced to consider that they are being irresponsible and putting themselves at risk. If this reminder included a small note reminding the phone user that it is illegal to text and drive, the driver would also be forced to essentially admit that they wish to break the law. Employing this pop-up on all devices detected to be in a moving vehicle might be considered as annoying for someone in the backseat but can build awareness that using a phone while driving is both dangerous and illegal. With more children getting access to phones and other devices, this policy can have an even greater impact. Allowing children to develop an understanding of the implications of irresponsible driving early on in their lives can be influential in dictating their future driving habits. With these measures in place I believe that the issue of such high accident rates can be solved because even though you think you’ll be O.K.

Maybe not…