REDUCING DANGEROUS DRIVING HABITS AMONGST TEENAGERS

REDUCING DANGEROUS DRIVING HABITS AMONGST TEENAGERS

Chinonye Angel Odumodu

The problem of distracted driving, especially texting and driving amongst teenagers, is one that cannot be overemphasized. It is one that warrants every effort possible to reduce its incidence, and the attendant carnage, death and sorrow, that accompanies it. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving accounted for the death of more than 3000 persons in 2010. Records show that distracted driving is the leading cause of death for American teens, and that they are the one of those most likely to text and talk behind the wheel. As a student of Trotwood Madison High School, Trotwood, Ohio, I have witnessed heart-breaking losses of about five promising student lives due to teenage accidents occasioned by distracted driving. The problem is real, frightening, and of particular interest to me as a teenager. However, before I proceed, I shall first of all give a brief background on myself.

From the first day I set foot into Trotwood Madison High School in 2018, I determined I was going to give my best to everything I did, just as was the case in Nigeria (Africa), where I had been a Prefect and academic leader in my class. I was very excited at the opportunity to study in the United States, and this was made possible by the movement of my father with his entire family of seven, to the United States in response to his Christian Missionary calling.

From my Junior High School year to this day, I have maintained first rank in my academics in school, and have remained in the Trotwood Madison High School Honor Roll. Also, in recognition of my outstanding academic achievements and leadership, I was admitted both into the National Honor Society, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. I am passionate about community service and leadership, and this inspired me to volunteer to take care of children in my church – Victory Christian Church, for two years now. This has also led to my involvement in Trotwood Madison High School student government leadership for two years in a row now. As a Students Government leader, I have engaged in the collection of items for the homeless and fundraising for the organization because I believe that the purpose of leadership is to bring about positive change and development to those you represent.

I have since been dreaming about my forthcoming college experience which expectedly could necessitate my having to drive. Consequently, my dad has taken steps to ensure that I procure a Learner’s Permit and begin the process of learning how to drive. While I read driving literature and prepared myself for the Learner Permit Test at the Ohio BMV, I became aware of the high incidence of teenage accidents and fatalities in the US due to issues such as drunk-driving, over-speeding, driving in the company of other teens, and mobile phone induced distracted driving. Of these four issues, mobile phone induced distracted driving is currently the most dangerous, with texting and social media use while driving, accounting for the most fatalities.

Given what we know now, how then can dangerous driving habits, especially texting and using social media while driving, be reduced amongst teenagers? Firstly, I would like to state that a lot of responsibility lies with parents. While the driving lessons are going on, parents should be very observant and strictly penalize violations of the law on texting, answering calls, or using social media while driving. Their teens must be made to know that they must resist the temptation to use their phones or read text messages at red lights also. Parents should withdraw for a season, the permission given to their teen to drive their cars, once violations occur. They should ensure that they set a good example for their children by not texting or attempting to use social media while driving. This is because teenagers are more likely to follow the example of their parents than their words. Because mobile phones are often likely to be used as GPS Maps for directions, parents should ensure that they provide a dashboard mountable phone holder for this purpose, and ensure that their teens understand how to use the map application. Also, it would be a great idea to install an application in the phone that can disable calls and texting when the phone is in motion up to certain speeds.

In conclusion, teenagers should be encouraged to think about the consequences of mobile phone misuse while driving and do an honest cost-benefit analysis of it. Parents should guide their teens through this process. Teenagers tend to feel they are invincible and far away from death, but this is not so. We are mortal too. Perhaps it could help ultimately, whenever we are tempted to misuse our phones while driving, to say to ourselves – “Thousands have died because of this. It can wait.”