A Matter of Seconds

I am freshly 16, on my way to the DMV to take my driver’s test. I nervously get into the test car and after a few turns and a go at parallel parking, I pass. I am handed the keys to the old family Acura RDX and am granted a level of freedom I had been craving for years. My first day of driving was spent driving aimlessly with nowhere to go, blasting songs on my iPhone with my friends. The possession of a car that could take me wherever I wanted to go, gave me a feeling that I was invincible, and could drive as fast as I wanted or listen to music as loud as it could go with no repercussions.

That all changed on March 10th, 2021. On that fateful morning, my community lost the glue that held us together. In a matter of seconds, one of my friends lost his life participating in the reckless behavior I indulged in daily. Driving to football practice, Jackson Coker ran his car off the road while texting and driving, ultimately flipping his car. He died instantly as he was ejected from his car due to the lack of wearing a seatbelt. Jackson was one of the most amazing people you could ever meet. He was loving, cared about others, and overall, an amazing person. He was the captain of the football team, a leader in his church, and best of all a friend to everyone he met.

Losing someone so kind to something as avoidable as texting and driving was extremely frustrating and took a huge hit on our community. As someone who used to text and drive myself, this was a huge wake-up call on how quickly your life can change over something so pointless. I hate that I had to lose a friend to learn the lesson not to use my phone while driving, but I hope it is a wake-up call to teenagers everywhere. Distracted driving can ruin an entire community in seconds, but it shouldn’t take death to realize.

           The most important and effective way to stop distracted driving is to educate people on the sheer impact it can have. Jackson, although a great kid, was not wearing his seatbelt and was texting when his car ran off the road. Because he didn’t have his seatbelt on, he was ejected from the car and died in a crash that probably would not have killed him if he buckled up. As gruesome as this is, hearing about the details of the crash scared me enough to make a change in my driving habits. Before the accident, many of my friends drove distracted or even recklessly. However, after seeing how one second of being distracted can take your life, there has been a genuine change in everyone’s behavior. I never knew the driving statistics before we lost Jackson. A distracted driver is 5.36 times more likely to get into an accident than undistracted drivers. Distracted driving makes up for 27% of vehicular crashes and claims thousands of lives, not to mention the hundreds of thousands injured every year.

I know that just hearing numbers doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but educating teenagers about the dangers and consequences of distracted driving is the first step to preventing it. Even if you make it out alive, you could be hit with huge fines, jail time, and even the guilt of injuring or killing another person for something as silly as using your phone while driving. After experiencing this tragedy and becoming more aware of the issue, everyone I know makes sure to buckle up and put their phone away when driving. Sharing one’s personal stories, no matter how tragic, really makes a difference in how youth view driving. This is why driver’s education is so imperative. Driver’s ED, the course many 15-year-olds must take before receiving a license, does a great job of scaring kids into taking driving seriously. However, the stories should not stop once this course is complete. The government, and everyone, should make more of an effort to share the realities of distracted driving and just how dangerous it can be.

          

Other, and more physical, steps can also be taken to prevent the number of driving-related deaths. When driving, one should only focus on getting from point A to point B safely while in the car. One should also not distract others if they are a passenger in a car. It’s easy to assume that by just not texting, you are being safe, but eating, drinking, calling people, changing the music, listening to the music too loud, and even talking to friends can put you in danger. To avoid this, you can try to limit the number of people you travel with. The more people in the car, the easier it is for the driver to become distracted. Limiting the number of passengers is an easy yet safe way to avoid distracted driving.

Additionally, technology has also made more resources available to prevent you from picking up your phone. For example, most phones have a do not disturb function set up. This function essentially turns off your phone while you are driving unless you have an emergency. The function makes you unlock the phone before using it and sends automated text messages to those who try to contact you that you are driving. It removes almost all temptation to reach for your phone because you are not receiving texts or calls.

Another way to stay focused is to use your car’s GPS for directions and put your phone in the center console. When a phone is out of sight, it tends to be out of mind. While I understand the danger of distracted driving, it can still be pretty tempting at the moment. To avoid the temptation of using my phone, I have implemented the strategies above. They have tremendously helped me in being a safer and less distracted driver. I also have made a conscious effort to always remind my friends when I am with them to drive without distractions. Telling Jackson’s story has been a duty of mine as I cannot imagine losing another close friend to something so avoidable ever again.

Education and prevention are the key steps to preventing deaths like Jackson’s. While many, including myself, may get wrapped up in the excitement of getting your license and driving recklessly, no text, song, or call is ever worth risking your life. Ensure that no one else tragically loses their life like Jackson by implementing safe driving strategies and educating others on the dangers of distracted driving.