The Distracted Driving Epidemic

According to the United States Department of Transportation, distracted driving is “any activity that diverts attention from driving”, and it claimed 3,142 lives in 2019.  We may all be guilty of occasionally eating while driving, texting, or being too involved with the passengers in our vehicles.  Even if you are careful not to participate in these activities while driving, you are still placed in harm’s way by the drivers around you that are distracted by these, and other activities.  Distracted driving touches us all and we all play a part in getting the message out against this harmful habit.  

Teens may be the population most affected by distracted driving with our love of phones, friends, music, and food.  Driver distraction is responsible for more than 58 percent of teen crashes, reports the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.  But teens can also be the best advocates against distracted driving and the best messengers in spreading the word of its dangers.  

With statistics like these, it is evident that a more intensive plan of attack is needed to combat distracted driving in all populations, but especially in teenagers.  Not only are teens the population most affected by distracted driving, they are also our most inexperienced drivers.  This is creating a deadly combination of factors when it comes to operating a vehicle.  I feel that we have to find a way to reach more teenagers, and people of all ages, with the important message against distracted driving. 

My plan would start with the development of a curriculum that would first teach our newest, most inexperienced drivers, the teenagers.  These beginning steps would need a caring adult sponsor in high schools to lead and teach a group of concerned teenage citizens.  These students would be taught about the many dangers of distracted driving, as well as safe driver and passenger behaviors.  They would also be taught how to teach these behaviors to other students and adults, as well.

This group of advocates for safe driving behavior would be encouraged to, first and foremost, be examples of safe driving themselves, by pledging to and practicing not using their phones, eating, listening to loud music, and other distracting behaviors while driving.

Also, they would be called on to be a voice for safe driving behaviors, both in their school and on social media platforms.  Examples of this could be leading campaigns inside their high schools that teach the dangers of distracted driving, planning spirit days and other publicity events that encourage safe driving habits, teaching mini-lessons to Driver’s Education classes, and arranging for speakers to share stories of their experiences with distracted driving (police officers, parents, other students).

Thirdly, these teens would take their message into elementary schools, where they could reach and teach future drivers.  I would like to call for a push to take education about distracted driving into elementary schools, into the classrooms of young children before they are old enough to get behind the wheels of cars and make decisions that could affect their lives and others around them.  I would also argue that the best teachers for this type of program are teenagers, themselves; the very population that may be most affected by distracted driving.  Elementary students aren’t drivers yet, but they are passengers.  Here, the message could start with safe passenger behaviors such as wearing a seat belt, phone usage, radio usage, and eating and drinking.  Lessons about being a safe passenger will naturally morph into dialogue about being a safe driver or future driver, planting the seed early for these responsible habits and behaviors. 

This is why I feel that early education, that includes teens as teachers, is a part of the solution to stop distracted driving.  We educate our youth on the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and smoking long before this become a choice they are old enough to make on their own, with the hope that this preemptive strike will deter them from harmful actions when they are older.  Why not do the same with driving while distracted?

The final, and maybe most important audience to reach with this safe driving initiative is adults, specifically parents.  A study from the University of Michigan states that, “90 percent of parent drivers said they engaged in at least one of the ten distractions examined in the study while their child was a passenger and the vehicle was moving”.  The same study also says that children of parents who drive with distractions are 2-4 times more likely to drive distracted themselves.  With statistics like these, it is obvious that the years of watching their parents eat, text, put on makeup, or change the radio has led to bad driving habits that are being passed down from generation to generation.  Part of the approach in educating America to be safer, more responsible drivers has to address parents, as well as encourage children to speak up about these issues with their parents.  

Our teen advocates could be called on to develop public service announcements in the form of videos that target parents.  These short videos, that could be sent through social media channels, could educate and encourage parents with statistics of unsafe driving and encourage setting a safer, more responsible example for their children.  Flyers, brochures, and other media could be used to highlight the topic, as well as giving children a platform to help them speak to their parents about safe driving.

The statistics mentioned above, combined with a host of others, speak to the need for reform among current and future drivers. Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can choose to change the world.”  Believing that he is correct, we must start with educating ourselves first, then others around us in the dangers of distracted driving.  But, we cannot stop there.  Where we point out a problem, we must offer solutions.  This education must continue to offer a better way on the road, both literal and figurative, to our safer collective future.