Deadly Distractions

Sutliff
& Stout Annual Scholarship Contest Essay

Srushti
Parekh – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Focus
– while it can be detrimental to a child’s studies or an employee on
the job, for someone on the road, it can make up the lethal line
between life and death. In 2014, the RCMP reported a whopping 4
million motor vehicle crashes to be caused by inattentive drivers. By
discouraging distracted driving throughout younger drivers, it can
ensure that following generations are held to the same standard. It’s
not always easy to have all your focus on the road – I started
driving about two years ago, and have noticed many ways in which my
attention is diverted from driving. Long roads, loud passengers, and
time constraints are all contributing factors to my distractedness on
the road, and after asking around, it seems those are the most common
factors that contribute to an unsafe drive for many of my friends as
well. If those habits are fixed as soon as possible, me and my peers
can contribute to a road that is safer for everyone to drive on.

Ever
since I was a child, I loved going on road trips. I would bring a
small backpack filled to the brim with snacks, books, and my precious
Nintendo DS. I always wondered, however, how my dad would be able to
focus on miles and miles of road ahead without getting bored – did
his foot never get tired? Of course, this was before I learned about
the wonders of cruise control. However, I realized just how dangerous
it could be to travel on long stretches of road when fatigued when
one of my good friends got into an accident. They were coming back
from a trip to Banff, at about 10 pm, when their mom dozed off for a
couple of minutes on the wheel and ended up driving up the side of a
mountain, which they then proceeded to flip off of. Thankfully, no
fatal damage was done, but ever since that incident, whenever I go on
long car rides I ensure that I have gotten adequate sleep the night
before, and eaten enough food so that I have enough energy for the
car ride ahead. No road trip is worth risking your life over – if you
feel tired or unfocused, the chances are not something to be played
with.

I
love my friends, I honestly do! However, on the occasions I offer to
drive them somewhere and they come into my car with the energy of a
five year old on a sugar high, my love for them diminishes ever so
slightly. All jokes aside, however, rambunctious passengers in a car
are one of the most distracting factors that can contribute to a
dangerous car ride – and it’s not like you can turn their volume down
like you may be able to on a particularly loud song. It’s not
always friends either – sometimes, it can be beloved family members
who just don’t realize how distracting they are, and asking them to
lower their volume respectively can get challenging. When I first
started driving, I would not be able to handle it if someone was
talking at the same time as I was trying to drive, and I believe that
many drivers are still distracted to a degree when they attempt to
simultaneously multitask a conversation, no matter how many years
they’ve been on the road. The best way to fix this problem would be
self-awareness, and knowing if you are capable of adequately focusing
on the road while holding a conversation, and having that discussion
respectfully with family members and friends on the topic if need be
– it’s crucial in order to keep everyone in the car safe.

If
I were a character in a Greek fable, my achilles heel would,
undoubtedly, be punctuality. I’m notorious for showing up to plans
late, and I try to make up for it by driving faster or with less
discretion than I normally would give. This results in a driving
environment that is not only unsafe for me, but for the other people
on the road as well. Sometimes it’s done unconsciously, and I have
to remind myself to slow down my frantic train of thoughts –
regardless, it’s a very underrated form of distracted driving. This
can be fixed by waking up earlier and giving myself ample time to get
ready and making sure that I’m consciously driving on the road. The
time that I am driving is not a flexible space for me to arrive
earlier – it should be a fixed block of time that I am driving
safely, keeping myself and others in mind.

Distracted
driving can be present in many forms, especially for drivers that are
just starting out. It can manifest in terms of fatigue, excited
peers, and stress. By actively recognizing and attempting to fix
these shortcomings, one can ensure a safer driving space for
everyone, and minimize distracted driving statistics in the future by
setting a standard for future generations to follow.

Citations:

Distracted
Driving – Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2019, from
https://www.caa.ca/distracted-driving/statistics/