Small Steps, Big Differences

Every year almost 40,000 people die in car accidents per year. 25% of these deaths are caused by distracted driving. Looking at these statistics alone we can see that 10,000 deaths of Americans alone every year could be prevented by a simple action: putting away the distractions, specifically our cell phones. Now although not all accidents are caused by electronics, and not all distractions stem from our phones, they are a big factor that can save a large percentage of people from these crucial accidents and situations. Reducing dangerous habits by implementing strict rules and routines and taking advantage of new electronic applications for our phones while operating inside a vehicle is an important and necessary step that needs to be taken in all households across the United States, as well as the rest of the world in order to prevent these deadly situations.

Operating a vehicle can be dangerous given any age or place, however a necessary daily task that almost everyone has to learn how to do. Proper driver’s education is very important and can make a big difference in how someone operates on the road. With this being said, there are many responsibilities we must learn and take on to be able to do this safely, efficiently, and to keep others out of harm’s way. One very prominent hindering of driving safely in today’s society is the use of text messaging and social media through the use of our cell phones while behind the wheel. Many Americans today struggle with being able to put down the phone long enough to even take a simple 10 minute drive, specifically in teenagers today. This seemingly small issue has had a very large impact on the death toll by car accident each year in young adults ages 16-34, and the numbers are still increasing. Clearly there is a need for extra precautions to be made to reduce these dangerous habits. However, luckily there are several simple routines along with helpful free applications made to assist in making our daily drives significantly safer.

Creating simple rules and routines for yourself and all of your passengers to abide by can improve your driving and chances of avoiding an accident by a notable percent. For example, taking the time to leave for your destination at least 10-15 minutes early. This can reduce stress by giving you extra leeway time to make it to your destination on time and avoid feeling the need to rush or speed. Another example would be refraining from having the music too loud, or too much noise in the car in general. Loud noises can be a big distraction when you’re in the driver’s seat, and it can hinder your ability to be completely aware of your surroundings. Being able to hear what’s going on around your car, such as car horns or police sirens, is important because they can be signals to get you out of the way of a potential accident before it occurs. Lastly, the installation of applications made to aid in reducing the amount of distractions that come from our cell phones, can greatly assist in this issue as well. These potentially life saving apps such as DriveMode, Life360, TrueMotion Family and more are specifically designed to reduce the amount of distractions we receive while operating our vehicles. They have several features such as automatically silencing notifications and ringtones, sending automated replies after receiving a text message to let others know you are on the road, and keeping track of speed, acceleration, location and other phone use. These applications are especially good for teenagers and young adults who are still high risk drivers because most of them have the option to alert parents when dangerous actions are being made.

All in all, taking the extra step to set in rules and assistance to reduce potentially life threatening situations inside the vehicle is an important and necessary action that we all should take the responsibility of doing. Personally, I nor anyone in my family have ever experienced a car wreck, or been in any type of accidents involving a vehicle, which I am very blessed to be able to say. I believe the strict following of these steps which have been proven to be effective can give everyone a much higher chance of that being their own reality as well. Not only for ourselves, but also for the safety of the people around us, small steps like these can make a big difference and ultimately save lives.