Name: Samuel J Pasqualoni
From: Rye, NH
Votes: 0
The
way to combat distracted driving in any form is to create systems in
which it is eliminated and tell people about it so it can be properly
utilized. Throughout my work serving as a senator on my school’s
Student Government Association, I have worked on a project to prevent
distracted driving. This project is known as Saferide. What Saferide
does, is works with Lyft and Uber to give students free rides home
when they may not be in a position to drive. There is an amount which
the Student Government Association pays Lyft and Uber to accomplish
the namesake of the initiative. Saferide is a project which will be
supported for years to come due to how much of an epidemic distracted
driving is and will continue to be into the foreseeable future.
Through Lyft and Uber apps, students under the influence can
safely get back to their residence free of charge. By eliminating the
price of an Uber or Lyft, any student is able to use the resource
without having to worry about paying a price which they may not be
able to afford. This way, as many people as possible are able to use
Saferide to prevent distracted driving. I am very proud of what I
have accomplished with Saferide, but I know that it is nowhere near
the end of the project.
Creating a platform or system which is able to eliminate driving
under the influence is paramount in combating the issue, but telling
people about it is just as important. Without people knowing Saferide
exists, then nobody will use it. Community outreach in the hopes of
showing students Saferide is will hopefully bring more attention to
the project and get more people involved in using the platform.
I believe that a similar system can be implemented at the local
and even state level legislature to diminish the number of accidents
and distracted driving accidents which occur. This would be a
daunting project, but taking it to local administrators and
policymakers is a good place to start. A world without distracted
driving is implausible, but each accident which can be avoided is a
life or lives which are saved. But like any issue, distracted driving
can be diminished by telling people about a solution and making it
available to as many people as possible.
Educating people on the dangers of drinking and using
mind-altering substances, in general, is an issue which colleges
require students to learn about before attending class in an online
setting. Reminding people about these dangers in real situations is
more important than a computer program we are forced to use in my
opinion. We as students have to watch out for each other and remember
that safety is paramount. Make sure people who have been partying are
not driving, because speaking up is a lot less painful than losing
someone.
This
issue and Saferide are especially pressing to me due to the loss of
my aunt in a distracted driving accident. When I passed my driving
test my father told me something I won’t soon forget: “Driving is
the most dangerous thing we do every single day.” Coming from a car
enthusiast, I knew that the danger of driving is not to be taken
lightly. Other factors can influence the safety of not just a single
car, but every vehicle on the road. People will drink and do other
mind-altering substances, there is no way around it. But to help
people who put themselves in bad situations with these substances,
being vocal about the use of a platform to diminish these accidents
saves lives, and life is the most important thing you will ever do.
