Texting and Driving

Habits can be difficult to break. It might seem that habits can essentially be harmless, but when it comes to risking another person’s life, these habits are no longer tolerated and need to be taken under control. Developing a bad driving habit that includes the use of a phone does not only put one life in danger but many others. Texting while driving involves the three different types of distractions: visual, manual, and cognitive. Teens are more likely to text and drive than older drivers, and 1 out of every 4 car accidents are caused by texting and driving. These statistics are a great representation of why the reduction of texting while driving is necessary.

There are many ways to prevent texting and driving, and the big reason people will tend to check their phones is because of the notifications that continuously send alerts. Apple has created a Drive Safe Mode, which helps in that aspect of reducing distractions and limiting the display of notifications on one’s phone. The Drive Safe Mode is also provided through Spotify, Windows, Android, Zoom, and many other apps. Zoom was a great addition to the Drive Safe Mode, considering that Zoom has been of great use to society recently and gives another reason why people will use their phones while driving. The only downfall of these apps creating a Drive Safe Mode is that they can easily be turned off. Because this feature has been added it leads to people deciding whether or not they want to listen and can only be effective if chosen to be kept on.

Without the help of an app, self-discipline is a great contributor to reducing texting while driving. What must be learned first is that a phone should be put away while driving, and if calling or answering someone’s call is necessary, then pulling over to park in a safe place is the best option. Letting others know before driving and discouraging them to call can help because not only is one person at work, but two people are working towards a common goal of reducing distractions. It is also essential that music and GPS are preset before driving. Passengers can also help when needing to make adjustments to the music or directions in a GPS along with answering texts and calls.

Modeling good driving behavior can be of great help to others. Teenagers are easily influenced and will not think that texting while driving is wrong if they see everyone else doing it. This good behavior can also help with flushing out the original bad habits. Bad habits, in general, are challenging to overcome and can be even more difficult if others are discouraging the practices of good habits. If others get in the way of being able to learn a new habit, then it essential to practice good driving behavior alone before in front of peers. So these actions should be practiced by society, and if someone is busy driving, then offer to help so that the driver can focus on driving, and now the driver, passenger, as well as other drivers on the road are at a lower risk of getting into an accident.