IT CAN WAIT!!

PING

ESPN alert. Lebron not playing tonight.

PING

Snapchat. Spencer snapped a pic of his face.

PING

Text message. Mom reminding to brush teeth.

PING

Phone call. Local number — must be important.

PING

Instagram. Kaedyn posted new story.

This is an example of a typical 2-minute stretch for a teenager in the morning. The alerts just keep coming. The problem is, the notifications do not take a break while we are driving to school.

It is hard enough to drive a car and navigate the roads on a normal day. Throw in these types of outside influences, and it’s no wonder thousands of people are killed each year because of distracted driving.

Smart phones are a problem. Every time that ping occurs it is human nature to take a look at the screen. It is obviously a problem in today’s society and the numbers back that up.

According to the 2023 Travelers Risk Index on distracted driving, 70% of survey respondents said this is a bigger problem now than it was a few years ago. About 34% of drivers say they’ve had a near-miss crash because of their distracted driving.

Also among those surveyed, 79% of drivers admitted to making or receiving calls. 56% admitted to reading a text message or e-mail. 74% said they looked at map directions on a smartphone. And over a quarter of drivers admitted to posting social media updates (28%) or taking photos or videos while on the road (27%).

Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen, new drivers would have much higher numbers than those. Furthermore, teens who are prone to use phones while driving also engage in other risky behaviors. They are more liable to speed, run red lights, and make unsafe turns.

I have also found it surprising that parents call and/or text their kids so much. Of course we want to respond if our dad is calling. But that puts us in a precarious position. Answer the call or risk getting in trouble for not. And text messages are actually worse, as they prompt us to actually look and read.

It is almost shocking that a parent would choose to connect while they know their kid is driving. If they knew what that entails on the other end there is no way that would happen so much. If they were sitting in the passenger seat they would be appalled if we answered a call. So why would they put us in danger by calling or texting something that is most likely not that important?

In this technological age, parents need to remember what it was like when they were young. They had little to no communication with their mom and dad because there were no personal devices. Life was simpler. And everything worked out just fine.

But we as teen drivers also need to take responsibility. Yes, we are all addicted to various social media sites. The smart phones make it all to easy to access those pages. And the constant alerts give us instant gratification.

This is all well and good, but not while we are behind the wheel. We all know to keep our eyes on the road but it is really difficult with all the distractions. Unfortunately, I am talking about technological distractions. Coming from one source. The smart phone.

This has to stop. Some sort of legistlation needs to be enacted so that drivers and their phones are separated. Personally, I would push for extreme measures. Such as: the car doesn’t turn on unless your phone is off. Or the phone stays in a closed compartment while the vehicle is moving.

Everybody has a do not disturb option on their phone. But how many of us use it? Newer cars give the option of setting up hands-free connections. Again, how many of us use it? Somehow these features need to be enforced.

When studying for our drivers’ test we learn the laws of the road. We are taught safety measures. While there are mentions of distracted driving, they are few and far between. The tests need to be updated to reflect the technological issues drivers face today.

Student drivers need to know what can happen when they look at their phone. Having gone through drivers education, I feel this is not emphasized enough. The lessons and tests need to be updated for the times.

Our devices help us in nearly every aspect of life. But when it comes to operating a moving vehicle, they can be deadly. Let’s put away the phones and eliminate the distractions. Whatever the information coming in is, IT CAN WAIT!!