It Can Wait!

“It Can Wait!”

Stop. Put the phone down. It can wait. It really can. Whoever or whatever is on the other side of your cellular device can wait. They can respect your safety and everyone else on the roads, so yes, it can wait!

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults, specifically 15-24 years olds. According to the NHTSA, distracted driving alone killed 2,841 people in 2018, with a total of 400,000 people injured in distracted driving crashes in the same year. Distracted driving can be considered many things like texting, snapchatting, changing music, talking to your friends in the car, or playing your music too loud. Whether you think you’re “good” at multitasking like texting and driving, it is scientifically proven that the brain cannot give 100% attention and effort to two things at once. For teenagers and young adults, our brain is still developing and growing with us as well as our attention span. The need for complete focus and concentration when driving is impeccable.

Although we do not see driving a vehicle is a big deal, it really is a big deal. For most people, it is a natural transition in life to learn how to drive, get a learner’s permit, and then finally get a license and drive on your own. You may drive to school, the grocery store, work, or a friend’s house, which are all very common things in life. However, it is time to start spending more time teaching good habits of driving and learning how important it is to practice safe driving. The numbers do not need to steadily increase before we decide to take action, so the time is now. Someone once told me something that has stuck with me for a while now, “When you are driving on a two-lane road, death and tragedy are easily about 5 feet from you.” This puzzled me because driving is such a common occurrence in life, and most of the time is considered necessary. 5 feet and 1 second. In one blink of an eye, everything can change. The only thing between you, another vehicle, and death, is your driving habits. I think everyone in the world can agree texting and driving is the biggest distraction and cause of most accidents. Not only does texting take your eyes off the road and one hand off the wheel, but it also takes our mind off what task is at hand- making it to your destination alive. I will be the first to admit I wish I had better driving habits. This is not my parents’ fault or anyone else who gave me driving lessons; this one is on me. The distractions of the world and my own personal life have grown bigger than paying attention to the road. It is time to change for the safety of myself and others on the roads.

On July 12, 2019, there was a tragic accident in my hometown. A 17 year old was involved in a head on collision with another motor vehicle. A teenager on the verge of young adulthood, about to start her senior year of highschool, lead her cheer team as captain, and about to take her senior portraits the next week; her senior year was supposed to be the best year yet. However, our dear sweet friend passed away that day. I have never witnessed such heartache that her family, friends, teammates, and surrounding community experienced. It is safe to say after this tragedy we all started to change our ways for the better, especially while driving. It’s hard to think that something so tragic had to happen close to home for me and everyone else to realize that driving can be a dangerous thing if not handled with caution. There’s one critical step to take in driving safer: putting the phone down. Placing your phone in your glove box, in the passenger seat, or any other compartment is a good driving habit that everyone can implement. In addition to putting my phone away, whoever I may be texting or communicating with at the time, can be told “Hey, I’m about to drive, so I will talk to you later.” Even telling whoever you are talking to that “I’m about to start driving, so if there is an emergency give me a call.” iPhones also have a “Do Not Disturb” mode specifically for driving, which can be a great tool to use to help limit distractions and notifications coming through; limiting the notifications popping up on your phone screen can decrease the urge to grab your phone and start using it. Lastly, a helpful tool iPhones and most updated cars have is voice command. While this is still considered distracted driving because you are taking your mind off the road and onto something else, I feel it can eliminate your eyes being distracted along with your mind.

I strive everyday to ensure my safety and others’ safety by practicing safe driving habits and eliminating texting and driving in order to diminish the rising number of motor vehicle accidents. Everyone, whether in the 15-24 age group or not, should practice safe driving routines. This will not only ensure the safety of the roadways but also save your family or someone else’s family the pain and heartache from a tragedy that could have been prevented. The text, tweet, snapchat, selfie, post, like, and share can wait; it can all wait.