Distracted Driving

How long can you go without your cell phone? How necessary is it that you read and reply to that text? How bored are you that you can’t even focus on just operating a motor vehicle? Almost every person I have ever gotten into a car with has texted, changed music, or opened their phone simply to scroll all while driving. Why do we need to respond to texts, or be entertained, so constantly?

Cell phones are the modern, wonderful invention that have ruined our lives. Cell phones have become a need, not only for the sake of constant entertainment, but also because modern communication is made impossible without a cell phone. I’m scared of my phone. And you should probably be too.

The biggest issue on today’s roads is distracted driving, which is now almost always linked to that little god you keep in your pocket and depend on for everything. People get comfortable driving, which makes sense when you consider the average person will spend around 4 years of their life driving, and even more time as a passenger in cars. Cars are so normalized, they aren’t consistently viewed with consideration of their dangers, because they’re everywhere. It’s true, cars are not too dangerous, in fact, cars themselves aren’t dangerous at all. It is the drivers who are given full control over a large piece of machinery that are the dangerous ones. Being afraid of cars, or driving, is the best thing we could have in drivers. A healthy fear of danger would help the roads be so much safer than they are.

My brother was once terrified to drive. He waited until my parents finally forced him to get his temporary permit. His fear felt unnecessary, but in reality it helped shape him into the driver he is. As Jack, my brother, drove me to school every day my sophomore year of high school, I watched him grow in his comfort of handling a car. He began to seem more relaxed about his driving abilities, and he gained more trust as time went on. But the trust continued to grow, and I’ve watched it grow to a fault. Driving with Jack now, he isn’t afraid to go on his phone at a red light, even to change the music while in the middle of driving. He still isn’t a “bad” driver, by any means. My brother has never gotten pulled over or hit anything, he follows law to the letter, except for when it comes to using his phone.

The explanation for why someone like my brother feels so comfortable in something so dangerous as texting while driving is simple, he has been taught by example. My mother and father, while being good drivers by my standards, both text while they drive on occasion. It’s not a chronic ordeal for them, but its not an uncommon experience. Besides people like parents, I’ve talked to my friends on the topic of texting and driving. “I’m sorry I didn’t see your text, I was driving” I said as a young driver, only to be met with “Oh, I always text and drive. Sometimes people text me and ask what I’m doing, and I just tell them that I’m driving because why not.” An absolutely terrifying thing to hear as someone who is sharing the roads with this fellow driver, especially since she had her license only a year by that point. Another story I was told by a friend: “On the way here, I was at a red light, and I went on my phone, and I had no idea the light turned green, and people started honkong at me.” A brag almost, somehow a funny anecdote as if the story she told wasn’t a scary reality of how our phones distract us. For some, texting while ddriving isn’t only necessary, but a rebellious action that brings them adrenaline.

I personally have made an effort in my now 6th months of driving, to never go on my phone while driving. Just because it is normal, doesn’t mean it’s okay, and when it comes down to it: it’s not safe. Besides that, I am scared of the dependence on phones that exists in the world around me and I refuse to succumb to it. My pledge is to avoid distractions, avoid accidents, drive safely, and provide a good example in the world to my siblings, friends, and even my parents.