Put Away the Distractions

Put Away the Distractions

Getting your Driver’s Permit is a very exciting step in getting older. The first thing most people want to do is jump in the car and start driving. Although driving can be a “right of passage,” it can easily be a death sentence. New drivers should look into a Driver’s Ed course, these are crucial to becoming a safe driver. The best way to prepare yourself for the road is the Drivers’ Ed courses. I still use the skills I was taught during the course every day! Not only will these courses help you pass your driver’s test, but it will teach you valuable tools that will help keep you safe on the roads. If every driver would take a Driver’s Ed course, and put away the distractions while driving, the roads could become safer. People need to start paying attention to the roads and their surroundings. You can be the most careful driver in the world but still, get into an accident.

Drivers today are distracted and reckless. People are too busy texting, eating, and talking with friends, when they should be focused on the road. When learning to drive, I was taught to always watch other drivers. You never know if there are drunk drivers out there, so being on alert is the number one priority. Distracted drivers are a large part of accidents. I got into my first car accident when a driver did not look both ways before pulling out and backed into my car. Luckily we were both ok, and there was minimal damage, but one of us could have easily gotten seriously injured. A friend of mine got a concussion because someone was not paying attention and T-Boned her. She was pushed into a building, and her car was totaled. Luckily new technology has some ways to prevent accidents that can be fatal.

Texting while driving has always been a large problem with distracted driving. Some smartphones now have a “Do Not Disturb” setting. This can be very useful, so people are not tempted to use their phones while driving. According to a study in 2019 done by the CDC, older teens are more likely to text while driving. Another popular feature in some cars is “smart technology.”

When my dad was purchasing our newest car, he looked into cars with smart technology since I would be new to the road. Our Subaru has a couple of features that help prevent car accidents. If the “iSight” detects that you are going to hit someone, the car will stop. It also can keep your car in the lane and beeps when you leave your lane. Another feature that has been the most helpful to me, is the blind spot detector. The side mirror lights up when someone is in your blind spot.

Although many new technological advances help against distracted driving, there are still the same amount, if not more, of distractions. Being on the lookout and being aware of your surroundings, is always a good idea while driving. By educating new drivers and putting away distractions, we can help reduce fatal car accidents.