In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

Most teenagers can’t wait until they can get their license; it is basically their passport to freedom. Being able to go wherever and whenever you want without someone looking over your shoulder is every teenager’s dream. Being able to make your own decisions without asking. Being totally in control. But with such freedom comes responsibility.

A month after I had gotten my license, I had received my first car, Silvia the Silver Civic. She was a 2006 silver Honda Civic and all mine. I had just pulled into the school parking lot. The entire front parking lot was full, so I had to park in the back. My friend sat in the passenger’s seat as I backed into my space. As I was looking into the rearview mirror, I felt a slight movement in the car but thought nothing of it until I got out and saw the damage. Someone had sped by the front of my car, hit the passenger side of the hood, and drove off.

They had mangled the entire right side of the bumper. I could not imagine how that much damage could have been done, and I didn’t feel it. I felt so angry that whoever did this did not bother to stop or even to check to see if we were okay. I was scared about what my parents would say and upset over something I had no control over. I realized driving is not just about looking out for myself, it’s about looking out for all the other drivers on the road as well.

Each year, 1.35 million people are killed on roadways around the world. In 2018, there were 36,750 deaths related to car accidents and of these deaths, 5.7% were due to the driver texting and driving or talking on their cell phone. Anything that distracts your attention from the road, even for a second, is considered distracted driving. Visual distraction is when your eyes are taken off the road. Manual distraction is taking your hands off the wheel. Cognitive distraction is when your mind is not on the roads. However, texting is considered the most dangerous distracted driving activity because it involves visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. According to the United States Department of Transportation, it takes 5 seconds to read a text. During those five seconds that your eyes are off the road, you can drive the length of a football field. Texting while driving gives the driver the same response time as a person who has drunk four beers in a single hour.

Distractions are the leading cause of accidents. Anyone and everyone can be distracted, not just teenagers. Anytime someone calls you, anytime someone texts you, anytime someone uses an app, anytime you look at your phone, really, you’re taking your eyes off the road. Drivers need to focus on the road. They need to take responsibility for themselves and for others. If someone is texting or emailing while driving, he or she is not just taking chances with his or her own life, but playing with the lives of others.

It’s not enough to just tell people to not text and drive. People as a whole, not just the government, need to enforce it. Currently, it is illegal to text and drive, but that doesn’t stop people. People need to be more aware. Scare tactics, using media, through the sharing of personal tragedies due to driving distractions could help encourage people to see the importance of taking responsibility while driving. In addition, the government needs to create harsher penalties against distracted driving in order to deter drivers from using cell phones irresponsibly.

Moreover, if a driver is texting, the passenger should realize his or her life is in danger and speak up. There needs to be a more global push to stop distracted driving.

States now require Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Systems in order to obtain a permanent license. These systems require drivers to log in a certain number of supervised hours, both day and night, enforce restricted driving times, and demand a longer wait time to get a license. In addition, a driver’s education course is required. Research indicates that GDL systems are associated with reductions of about 19% for injury crashes and about 21% for fatal crashes for 16-year-olds. This system allows the new driver more experience and awareness of driving skills. Driving with an instructor gives a more formal education than driving with a parent.

Though driver education is a very important part of the driving experience, it cannot be the only level of instruction. Drivers need to recognize and take individual responsibility as well as taking responsibility together as a whole.