On the Road to Safety

Safe driving has always been a concern to many parents when their child is issued their driver’s license. Though each newly licensed driver had to undergo several hours of supervised driving before even being tested to gain their license, their driving ability and safety is still a concern to many parents. Supervised driving and unsupervised driving can be two very different circumstances. This is one fact that many parents are well aware of. Add in the existence of the newest technology and the importance of social media to a newly driving teen who is now driving unsupervised, the results do have the potential to live up to the worst fears of their parents. There are many measures that can be taken and many safety tips given that afford the new drivers their freedom while giving some peace of mind to their parents.

I am not going to lie; social media plays a huge part in my life. It has always been a way for me to keep in close contact with my friends. I live in the country and depend on it to be connected with my group of friends at all times. At my home, cell service is not available so even though we have internet I was never able to text until new programs and newer iphones allowed texting through internet. That being said, I have to drive about 20 minutes to get to town before I have any way of accessing my phone’s social media capabilities. I am mentioning this because my Mom has always said that it was a blessing to her because she knew I would not be tempted to use my phone while driving because once I got to where I had service I would already be with my friends that I was driving to meet. This has always been a concern for my parents that I would be tempted to text or access my social media while driving. I have heard many lectures on ways to avoid this temptation.

I am aware that the lectures and tips that my parents give me are meant to keep me safe and I do trust their advice and listen to them. I have had my license for over a year and a half now and am happy to report that I have been accident free. I do try my best to be a safe driver at all times and follow and obey the laws that were given to me during driver’s education. I am well aware that my life and the lives of others can be impacted by my actions while I am behind the wheel and I take that responsibility very seriously. I actually receive a discount on my insurance premium because of my grades and the fact that I took part in a safe driving option by viewing a safe driving video my insurance company provided.

The best tip that has worked for me regarding social media and driving is to simply not use my phone while I am behind the wheel. I do not turn my phone off which allows me to hear any calls and notifications I may receive. Just because your phone is being active does not mean you have to be active with your phone. Most messages and calls can wait to be addressed once you are at your destination and no longer driving. If I happen to have a passenger in my car with me, I have them act as my secretary and man my phone for me. If I am alone and something is urgent, the phone will probably keep ringing because they will try more than once to reach me. My mom has told me if I notice that type of activity on my phone, just pull off the road to address the urgent issue. She reminds me all of the time that when her and my dad was my age they could not be reached while driving. They survived and so will I. There are apps that allow a message to go out telling people you are driving and that inactivate your phone while driving. If you cannot be responsible enough to just not answer your phone then maybe those would be beneficial. As for myself, I have had no problem resisting the temptation to pick up my phone while driving so I find no need for them.

While the temptation to text and drive can arise for teen drivers, it is the responsibility of the teen to resist this temptation. What the driver does while behind the wheel can affect their life and the lives of others around them. It is their responsibility to adhere to the rules and regulations of the state and also keep safety as their utmost importance and make social media take a back seat.