The Risk is Never Worth It

The
Risk is Never Worth It

Every time you get
in a car, you are putting your life at risk. Driving is the most
dangerous form of transportation used by humans daily. Many
accidents occur when distracted drivers become careless behind the
wheel. In 2018, 2,871 people were killed due to distracted driving.
While motor vehicle deaths may never be completely eliminated, better
education could lead to a decrease in fatalities.

Many teen drivers
believe they are invincible. They believe that they are good at
distracted driving and that there is no way they could cause an
accident. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Anything that takes
your attention off of the road, is unsafe and can cause an accident,
whether it be texting, drinking, calling, eating or even singing in
your car. While some distractions are worse than others, all require
multitasking, something that should never be done while driving a
car. Being an educated driver could help lower the number of
distracted drivers on the road and simultaneously lower the number of
car accidents. Teaching through media and high schools, this
important information could reach teens. Learning the risks you are
taking by having a selfish mindset can aid in the prevention of
distracted driving.

However, education
is not enough. In order to prevent vehicle deaths, the legal system
needs to put stricter punishments on distracted driving. The
consequence of distracted driving is not very severe. Therefore,
people feel as though they can push the boundaries and break those
laws because they know that if they are caught, the punishment is not
horrendous. If distracted drivers were caught and punished more
regularly, less people would choose to break the law out of fear of
being caught and if they are caught early on, they can be stopped
before they seriously injure someone in an accident.

I have had the
unfortunate experience of being a victim to two distracted drivers
who both caused an accident. In the first three months of my junior
year of high school, I was in two car accidents. Both drivers were
young females who had been distracted and hit my car. Thankfully I
was not seriously injured by the accident, however the careless
actions of another person damaged my car and have put me into
physical therapy for many months. A split second of distraction
caused an accident and the driver not only injured themselves, but
hurt someone else as well. They believed they knew how to drive
while distracted, however, no one can be a good driver while not
completely focused on the road.

Following my own
car accidents, I have learned that no risk is ever worth it. If a
distraction is urgent enough to risk your own life and those around
you, then it is important enough to pull over and stop driving.
Being a driver does not allow you to take careless risks that danger
others and yourself. While some accidents will still happen,
becoming educated and punishing distracted driving, will help lessen
vehicle accidents.