Smartphones: a Constant Distraction

Name: Angel Alessandro Caoile

Address: 1309 W Cortez Ct, Chandler, Arizona 85224

Phone Number: (480) 269-6862

School: Chandler Preparatory Academy

Prompt: What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

Smartphones: a Constant Distraction

I got my first smartphone when I was 9 years old. It was a big jump from my old dumb phone, which I got when I was 5. As time went on, I depended on it more and more. Now, it is a mental necessity. Once connected, it is very difficult to undo. This poses a grave threat to safe driving.

This is something that plagues my generation especially. When teachers assign homework on apps and parents monitor location 24/7, it is easy to see the benefits that a smartphone brings. But, it is a constant distraction. I constantly have to look at my phone to make sure that I am not missing out on anything. In everything that I do, I multitask in a sense because of my phone. Dividing my attention like that can be very dangerous, especially when driving.

Teenagers like me irrationally prioritize social media in our minds. It is an addiction. The moment we hear the notification bell of our phones, our minds are caught off guard. It is very sad how easily we give away our attention to such trivial things. But, the thrill comes from the fact that we won’t find out what the bell or ring is about until we open our phones.

The thrill of opening that new notification is what causes us to stop everything and open our phones. We dedicate a section of our minds to hearing our ringtone. In our minds, It cannot wait. The danger of this addiction is when our mind thinks it can multitask. It may be a quick text or quick call, but it can wait. When driving, it is very important to focus our entire mind to that task.

Even when I am not driving, when I hear my phone ring I immediately lose focus on whatever I was doing. This is why I never use my phone when I am driving. To do so would be saying that my phone is more important than my life and the lives of other people. Attention should never be split when there are lives at stake. I know that a simple notification ring throws me off guard, so why would I go through and open it? Let alone while driving? It can wait.