Name: Mackenzie Shank
From: Williamsport , Maryland
Votes: 0
Dating
back to infancy, babies are taught to navigate the world by keeping
their heads up and looking forward. In the months after birth when
they first experience “tummy time” and must use their necks to
hold their heads high and look up, eventually progressing to
exploring new territory by crawling and walking. These practices
inexplicably prepare them for the future by teaching them good habits
to keep their eyes forward, especially when driving; however,
ironically, these premature teachings could lead to their death if
not followed.
Understanding
these responsibilities and the importance of safe driving is
developed throughout a young teen’s drivers ed, preparing
and ultimately preventing the increase in the number of driving
related deaths. As teenagers and people, in general, become more
comfortable with driving and navigating the roads, they begin to
stray away from these fundamental principles, leading to possibly
unguarded and unsafe driving. Diversions such as cell phone use,
music, passengers, eating or drinking all contribute to distracted
driving; however, according to SafeStart, “generally distracted or
‘lost in thought’” is “by far the biggest cause of distracted
driving fatalities,” being the source of the accident 62% of the
time.
Initiatives
can be taken to assist in reducing the number of deaths related to
driving, such as limiting the number of passengers, including family
members, in the early years of driving and implementing mandatory
distracted driving training through insurance companies as a
condition for their coverage. At the federal level, regulations for
vehicle braking assistance and backup cameras should be a mandate,
not an optional feature.
Gratefully,
I have not been in a car accident but I do know many people who have
been in one. One of my childhood friends was fatally injured in a
disastrous car accident, causing her to be flown out by helicopter
and placed in critical condition; however, it was her fault.
Thankfully, she is healthy and in great condition now, but she was
the cause of the accident because she was distracted by her sibling,
therefore causing a potentially deadly accident.
Unfortunately,
I have been in the car with someone while they were driving
irresponsibly and I have always been honest with them in regards to
my discomfort with their driving, typically resulting in them
changing how they were navigating the roads. My honesty is a small
but significant step into taking the initiative of helping others
become safer on the road. Personally, I can mute my phone before
driving, keeping my music at a reasonable volume, and requesting
passengers limit their dialogue to a minimum.
The
circle of life, beginning with birth, growing, and ending with death
parallelly takes place in the maturing of a driver and their
education. Each time someone sits behind the wheel, they need to
recognize they are holding their life, as well as others, in their
hands and it can end at any moment. This begins and continues with
their drivers ed and the initiatives they take to understand
the responsibilities behind it.
SafeStart.
“Top 10 Causes of Distracted Driving-and What They All Have in
Common.” SafeStart,
10 July 2014,
safestart.com/news/top-10-causes-distracted-driving-and-what-they-all-have-common/.
