The Cost of Recklessness

My sister and I love driving together! Some of my favorite memories with my sister are cruising down the highway, jamming to broadway music and feeling the extreme wind on our faces. One busy night in Washington D.C., my sister and I were experiencing these exact conditions while driving home from the gym. While operating a vehicle, my sister was simultaneously picking the best music on her phone for our short trip and whipping through traffic. As the passenger, I was laughing and dancing to the music with my hands out of the window. Right as my sister began screaming the chorus of “Sincerely me” while driving 80 miles an hour, a car out of nowhere whips right in front of us, almost causing an extreme accident. At that exact moment, It felt like everything was in slow motion. Heart pounding and hands shaking, I saw my entire future, from dreams to aspirations, disappear in front of my eyes. After what felt like a lifetime, Both my sister and I looked at each other with both shocked and relieved faces. In that moment, this near accident changed my entire perspective of driving. Before, driving was a fun activity full of speed and crazy music. However, driving as carelessly as we were, we both realized how our lives could have completely changed or even worse ended by that stupid moment of feeling invincible. Thankfully, both my sister and I never put our lives and others at risk like that again. Even so, it took an almost life or death experience to realize that.

This story is only one of thousands representing reckless driving on the road. And sadly, this chaotic picture is prevalent almost every time I am in a car with friends. We as teenagers for some reason see driving as a video game rather than real life, risking our lives for the sake of going 20 over the speed limit for fun. Driving truly is a privilege that many people, especially teens, take for granted due to prioritizing recklessness over responsibility. This often leads to risking not only our own lives but those around us. From electronics to music, it is so easy for everyone to get distracted while behind the wheel, which is why I will provide three different steps we should all take into account with the goal of avoiding car crashes and careless driving.

First, we should put our phones on silent and out of reach while operating a vehicle. From personal passenger experience, almost every teen I have ever driven with has checked their phone at least once while driving. Of course, many make the excuse of only checking during a red light. And, this might sound justified due to not physically driving. However, having any form of distraction is extremely dangerous while operating a vehicle. According to the national safety council, 1.6 million crashes per year are caused by cell phone use and 1 out of 4 crashes are caused by texting in the United States alone. To prevent these countless car crashes, we all must keep our phones out of arms distance. Waiting on responding to a text can literally save lives.

Second, we should limit the amount of passengers we are willing to drive, especially when addressing teenagers. Compared to adults, teens are more likely to have accidents while driving multiple passengers. That being said, having any people in the car other than yourself can cause deadly distractions, no matter your age. Even if an adult is operating the vehicle, there is a 44% increase in risk of a fatal accident with just the presence of a teen in a car. Despite your age, having endless distractions through multiple people in your car can create a detrimental outcome for you, your passengers, and those around you.

Lastly, when addressing music, we should either provide a set queue of music or listen to the radio before even starting the car. Whether classical or punk rock, we can all easily become so distracted by music. From singing along to finding that perfect song on your phone while driving, we are splitting our attention between the road and other stimuli, which decreases our reaction time when addressing unknown dangers. Again, this is just another form of carelesses that can harm you and those around you.

Driving is a beautiful experience that gives you the feeling of freedom and control. That being said, it is also a great responsibility that many take for granted. So many lives are negatively impacted by careless mistakes we can all avoid through diligence and responsibility. No matter your age or gender, we can all make a difference in the safety of drivers by setting an example. We should not only exemplify these tips but also teach the importance of safety while operating a vehicle to those around you, whether friends or family. Instead of being reckless on the road, we can all protect lives with these simple steps that lean towards a safer future.