Dangerous Driving

Dangerous Driving

As a nation, we are faced with ever increasing distractions in our daily lives. Almost anywhere you go, you see people of all ages on various devices. Most people are always able to be accessed by multiple avenues, such as through emails, texts, and phone calls, to name a few. As a result, we are faced with being distracted in our daily lives. It is of no surprise that there has been an increase in vehicle accidents due to distracted drivers over the past few years. According to the CDC, every day about 8 people in the United States are killed in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. A distraction is defined as anything that takes your attention away from driving. A few examples include talking on a cell phone, sending or reading text messages, using a navigation system, putting on makeup, and eating while driving. We are distracted when we engage in things that take our eyes off of the road, even for a few seconds, such taking our hands off of the steering wheel, or when our mind wanders to things that take our mind off of driving. Any of these distractions can endanger you, your passengers, and others on the road. In a report completed by the CDC in 2019 in the U.S, it was determined that 25% of the distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes involved young adults between the ages of 20-29. It was also determined that drivers aged 15-19 were more likely to be distracted than drivers aged 20 and older when involved in a fatal car crash. In addition to this study, CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System reported in a study involving teen-age drivers noted in 2019, 39% of high school students who drove in the past 30 days texted or emailed while driving on at least one of those days. This study determined that accidents involving distracted drivers that resulted in fatalities were highest among those in the 15-19 age bracket. These statistics were both alarming and eye opening for me, as I fall in this age bracket. I think as teenagers we tend to have a mind set that these types of things will never happen to us. We tend to think of ourselves as being invincible, which I think is at least partly why the numbers are so high in this age range.

What can we do to address this? I think the first step to educate yourself. Knowledge is

power, and information leads to better decision making. These statistics need to be

communicated, particularly to first time drivers. Often time simply increasing awareness can

serve as a deterrent to allowing yourself to make poor choices. One thing we can all do is avoid

multitasking. As a society, most of us are guilty of this. We must make an intentional decision

to not multitask while driving. Whether it’s choosing music to listen to, putting on make-up,

adjusting the mirrors, eating, or making phone calls, do these things before or after your trip, not

during. Something that I have done personally, is set my phone to not receive notifications while

driving. If your phone does not have this capability, you could turn the ringer off or place your

phone out of reach while driving. As a passenger, things that you can do to reduce distractions to

the driver, is offer to assist with navigation, or another task the driver may be trying to

accomplish while driving. I have experienced this on multiple occasions when riding with

friends. We are so accustomed to being attached to our phones so much, that it becomes second

nature to continue this while driving. Often time these may just be a continuation of bad habits

that we may not even realize we are doing. If you are riding with a distracted driver, it may help

just to bring these things to the attention of the person you are riding with. As a parent, I think it

is important to talk to your children about the rules and responsibilities involved in driving. My

parents have done this with my brother and I on a regular basis. They have also shared stories

related to people they know that have been involved in accidents due to texting, etc. I think

hearing these things help make it more of a reality and increase your awareness that these things

can happen to anyone. Something else my parents have done that has encouraged my brother and

I to be self-aware while driving, is putting the Life 360 app on each of our phones. Through this

app, they are notified of various things such as speeding and cell phone use while driving.

Knowing that you are being monitored typically serves as a deterrent to making these types of

choices.

As a society, we all need to take personal responsibility for the decisions we make while

driving. It is important to remember the decisions you make not only effect you, but also your

passengers, as well as other drivers you encounter. Completing this essay and the research

involved, increased my understanding of the importance of not being a distracted driver.

Personally, it has also made me more aware of not trying to multi-task in my daily life, and be

more present in every situation I encounter throughout my day.