Turning Tragedy into Advocacy: A Mission to Combat Distracted Driving

As I walked home back from my afternoon class, I heard soft crying. It was coming from the dorm next to my dorm, which was a girl I became friendly neighbors with. So out of concern, I knocked on the door and asked if she needed help. She hesitantly opened the door to let me in. With a quivering voice, she explained how her cousin, who was the same age and year in college as us, nineteen and a freshman, had passed away the night before due to a driver who was on their phone while heavily intoxicated. I did my best to comfort her since I had never been in a situation to help someone who was grieving, especially someone so young grieving a person who was their same age. She further explained how they had grown up with each other and had seen each other two weeks ago, during winter break, and to find out her cousin died completely broke her. During that time, my mind was stuck on how young her cousin was and how he never got to live a full life, which was easily taken by someone so negligent.

Ever since then, as an individual, I leave my phone on silent or just put it out of sight anytime I drive, and I encourage close friends and family to do the same. However, on an institutional level, I believe there should be more preventive measures done even outside of the people I know. Since I live in a city on a big campus, younger people are more susceptible to getting distracted through means of intoxication or being on their phones while driving. My college made it a requirement for all college freshmen to take a quick online class about alcohol prevention that featured topics such as the prevention of alcohol poisoning, distracted driving, and sexual assault. Though it was informational to my freshman class, I felt like it glossed over a lot of topics, especially distracted driving. The class could have done more to help students retain the information and apply it in real-life situations. For instance, I plan on creating a student-run program that incorporates interactive simulations or hosting workshops where students practice safe driving to prevent distracted driving, which could greatly enhance their understanding and retention of the material. This spreads more awareness of distracted driving since everyone while starting college will already be well educated about preventive actions, which could decrease the statistics of injury and death due to distracted driving on campus. This could even manifest outside of college campuses. When college students graduate, they could continue applying these safe driving practices, well beyond when they first learned them.

This program may face potential challenges, such as gaining support and funding from my college. Getting my college to support the program will already require a lot of negotiating bureautic processes and convincing stakeholders of the program’s importance. The added need for funds to develop and sustain the program, including the costs of materials, workshops, simulations, and promotional efforts, could pose a significant challenge. The best way to mitigate these challenges is for me to build a community that has been impacted by distracted driving, whether they were the distracted driver or not. This community can also include members who are simply interested in preventing distracted driving. Furthermore, a consistent and strong social media account presence that promotes the prevention of distracted drivers, can build an even stronger community. Through these methods, I can propose my program to my college with an already established community which will allow them to see the necessary need for my program. With this need, I can secure the funds I need to make this program a reality, ensuring our campus and surrounding communities are equipped with the right knowledge and resources to combat distracted driving.

Unfortunately, my inspiration for spreading safer driving practices was through tragedy, but if this program is done, my goal is to ensure that his passing was not in vain by advocating for safer driving practices and by spreading awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. It isn’t fair that someone so young died due to the irresponsible actions of a distracted driver, that could have been prevented. As an individual, I refrain from using my phone while driving and aim to establish a comprehensive anti-distracted driving program at my college, addressing the issue at an institutional level. We must hold ourselves accountable in the prevention of distracted driving everywhere, without exception.