Your Phone or Your Life

Behind every statistic of road accidents is a story of preventable tragedy. The continuous rise of technological advancements such as smartphones, CarPlay, and portable Apple products must be met with the amplification of safe driving education for new and experienced drivers. In The New York Times ‘The Rise on U.S Traffic Deaths’, The Vice President at Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Matt Fiorentino, stated, “The adoption of smartphones for the past 15 years — where we are today, being addicted to social media and other apps — absolutely contributes to the increase in fatalities on our roads,”. Researchers found that if the United States made as much progress in reducing accident deaths as other high-income countries, roughly 25,000 fewer U.S. citizens would die each year. Educating drivers on every cause of road accidents, whether it is inattention or reckless driving, with distraction being the number one leading cause, is vital to allow preventable measures. Unfortunately, I see these life-threatening habits exhibited in my peers every day- to the point that they are normalized by young drivers.

Texting and driving is a particularly alarming issue among teens that underscores the importance of driver’s education and safe driving practices. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. Despite widespread awareness campaigns and legal consequences, many young drivers continue to engage in this risky behavior. As a result, countless lives are lost or forever altered by preventable accidents. I have witnessed the devastating effects of distracted driving in my community. I reminisce about my sophomore year of high school, the year we got our first taste of freedom. With the excited chatter of permits, licenses, and first cars, came a collective eagerness to get out of our desks and into the driver’s seat, but without a thorough understanding of driver safety, all of the enthusiasm can be crushed in an instant- When the following summer rolled around, I personally knew of 7 people who- within a year- had wrecked their first car, two of which, sixteen-year-old girls from my old school, did not survive- best friends who lost their lives when they had hardly begun. The following year, I harrowingly remember my aunt spending almost 7 months recovering in the hospital that resulted from a road rage incident involving two other drivers that she was caught in the crossfires of- causing her car of 4-years to roll into a canal and be irreversibly damaged along with the contents inside of it. Though it is prevalent in the statistics of teenage drivers, the harsh reality is that adults are shown to be equally as susceptible to preventable road accidents. In 2021, there were an estimated 6,102,936 police-reported vehicle accidents in the United States, Of those, 39,508 were fatal. and 2022 saw an average of 117 fatal accidents per day. Witnessing these experiences first-hand has reinforced my belief in the critical need for comprehensive driver’s education programs and courses that emphasize the dangers of distracted driving and promote responsible behavior on the road. This is a very important issue and is reflected in the shockingly high statistics that we see revolving around texting and driving.

The availability of Driver’s Education courses for young drivers in schools and communities is not just important – it is crucial. A study held by the University of Nebraska showed that young drivers who have not completed Driver’s education are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket and 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident. When I took Driver’s Education, I was simultaneously taking AP psychology, and found myself connecting the two through what I had learned, being that our brains must be trained like any other muscle, or they begin to weaken in the area that is lacking stimulation. Driver’s education is not simply just a “How to drive” class, it provides the cognitive training that prepares and gradually adapts an individual to the serious responsibility of operating a motor vehicle. To reduce road accident fatality, we must begin at the root and increase the availability of safe driving education through resources equally accessible to everyone, regardless of financial and cultural disparity. Implementing Driver’s education- with engagement and hands-on learning from as early as middle school, up to senior year and offering online and local courses to adults gives each individual the opportunity to truly learn the measures needed to be taken for the overall safety of our nation, there should be no excuse.

It is important to recognize that different demographics may require varying teaching strategies. For example, we can infer that the alarming numbers surrounding senior citizens involved in road accidents are less likely to be due to texting and driving, but inattention or offensive driving. The number of motor-vehicle deaths involving drivers and other road users aged 65 and older increased by 15%, from 7,902 in 2020 to 9,102 in 2021. Over the last decade, the number of deaths increased by 34%. At the same time, the population of older adults in the United States has increased by 29%, resulting in a death rate per 100,000 population increase of 2.5%. These fatality trends are based on mortality data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Generational differences may result in technological inexperience for this demographic, meaning Driver’s Education organizations, with the help of local communities, must align with their learned behavior and offer more direct explanation of the importance of attentive and defensive driving, potentially executing this by offering high school students who have taken and passes Driver’s Education to translate the fresh information to older generations through field trips and oral presentations, allowing the students to put forth what they have learned and enlighten senior citizens of what an updated driver’s education course consists of.

To actively practice safe and defensive driving is always up to the individual behind the wheel, but with knowledge comes power. The availability of safe driving resources gives drivers the education needed to confidently make the right choices when on the road. I had the privilege to be taught by my grandmother, a woman who has spent the last 30 years of her life saving the lives of others and exemplifies that in everything she does – especially driving. Her voice rings in my mind like a bell every time I turn my key in the ignition and start my journey. “Watch your speed”, “Look both ways”, “Pay attention”, and what I thought were simple tips have become constant internal reminders that no matter how easy it feels, I am still operating heavy machinery and I am always learning. Though I am immensely grateful for my meticulous education in driver’s safety, I acknowledge that not everyone gets a mentor, and for many, their driver’s education instructor is the only one to turn to when learning road safety, which emphasizes the importance of educating patient, engaging, and thorough Driver’s Education instructors across United States’ educational institutions to ensure the safety of current and future drivers.

In closing, the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving cannot be overstated. It is crucial to equip both new and experienced drivers with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the roads safely. By understanding the risks associated with distracted and reckless driving, individuals can make informed decisions that could ultimately save lives. To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, steps must be taken to increase the availability of driver’s education programs. These programs should be accessible to everyone, regardless of financial or cultural background. Additionally, different demographics may require varying teaching strategies to address specific issues related to their individuality. Personal experiences, such as knowing individuals who have been involved in accidents, serve me as powerful reminders of the importance of safe driving practices. By actively practicing safe and defensive driving, individuals can contribute to making the roads safer for everyone. Ultimately, driver education is not just about learning how to operate a vehicle. It is about instilling a mindset of responsibility and awareness that can help prevent tragedies on the road. Through comprehensive driver education programs and engaging instructors, we can work towards reducing the number of deaths related to driving and creating a safer environment for all road users.