Safe Driving– We’re All in This Together

Safe Driving—We’re All in This Together

I’d never felt so unsafe in my life. Ever. His eyes were off the road for so long; texting, going through playlists, and snapchatting. I looked over at my friend in the backseat next to me, and as our eyes met, I could tell she was thinking the same thing: we’re so close to getting in an accident. What could we say though? “Hey, uh, so I know you’re being nice to take us to the football game in your car while you use your gas, but can you, like, not use your phone while driving?” That’s exactly what we should have said, and we’re lucky enough to be alive to think about the ‘should haves’ today. It is hard and awkward to tell someone you’re riding with how to drive. It isn’t any easy conversation to have, but it’s necessary. 

Because of that incident, I have pledged to never use my phone while driving. When I get in the car, I set up everything I will need, whether it is my GPS, or what songs I want to listen to. After that, I turn my phone on silent and place it out of reach so I am not tempted to use it. When I am a passenger in a friend’s car, I offer as soon as I get in to do whatever they need me to on their phone, whether it be text, snapchat, change songs, or look up directions for them. This way, I can ensure I am doing my part to keep myself and others safe on the road even if I’m not the one driving. 

In order to obtain a license, teens must pass a mandatory drivers ed course. These courses are extremely important in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving, as they hopefully leave lasting impressions in students’ minds. Requiring instructors of these driving schools to show graphic videos of the possible negative consequences that result from distracted driving would hopefully appeal to the emotions of these impressionable minds. Whether the videos scare, shock, or guilt kids into putting their phones down and paying better attention to the road, hopefully these videos would make kids think twice about putting themselves and others in dangerous situations similar to the ones they were shown. These videos cannot shy away from the sad truth. They must be filled with extremely powerful images and words from those who have been negatively affected by the actions of distracted drivers, whether it is injury, death, fines, jail time, etc. 

There are other steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving on all different levels. Officials can propose increasing penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, car manufacturers can develop advanced safety features in cars, and civilian drivers can actively practice defensive driving. No matter how big or how small, everyone can make a difference to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. We’re all in this together!