Stand Up to Distracted Driving

Unfortunately, distracted driving is something that has become more prevalent among drivers.  I believe that the biggest reason there has been an increase in distracted driving is due to cell phones and technology in general.  According to the National Safety Council, talking and texting while driving accounts for 26% of all car crashes.  The percentage soars to over 58% when talking about teen crashes. That fact is both shocking and tragic.  The most concerning thing about this statistic is that distracted driving is preventable.  The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that over 3,000 people lost their lives in 2019 because of distracted driving.  As I think about the many lives that are lost every year due to distracted driving, I realize those accidents could have been avoided if only the driver had either put the phone down, stopped using the GPS, or quit adjusting the music channels. 

Distracted driving has affected me personally in several different ways.  The most common occurrences that I see on the road is when someone in front of me either weaves in their lane or stops at a light and then doesn’t go when it turns green right away.  Each time I have noticed these behaviors on the road, more often than not, I see the person on the phone talking or texting.  In just a split second, those drivers could cause an accident that could take their lives away as well as someone else’s.  

Another way distracted driving has affected me is when I learned that a friend of mine was in an accident due to a distracted driver hitting him in an intersection.  I had just said goodbye to this friend moments before the accident happened.  When he approached the intersection to turn left, his light turned green and he started to go.  The other driver, who was on the opposite side of the intersection, admitted she was distracted because she noticed her light turned red but did not have enough time to stop.  Therefore, she tried to run the red light and get through the intersection.  Thankfully, everyone was okay, but it could have been much worse.  The most important lesson I learned from my friend’s accident was that I need to try to drive more defensively because the other driver could be preoccupied.  I need to be aware of potential problems and try to avoid them.  By anticipating what someone else could do, this gives me an idea of how to react to the other drivers. 

The third way distracted driving has made an impact on me is from a story my mom told me when I started to learn to drive.  When she was 16 years old, she was in a terrible accident that resulted in the death of one of her friends.  The reason she wanted me to know about this accident is because she wanted me to understand that tragedies do happen to teens.  So often, teens don’t think something bad could happen to them.  This thinking prevents young drivers from making good decisions when driving.  

When getting my license, I personally made a promise to my parents and myself to not drive distracted.  One way this was guaranteed in our family was by getting Life 360 on our phones.  This app that my family uses will show all family members if you have been speeding, made any hard stops, handled your phone while driving, or rapidly accelerated at any point.. This app is a way that I am held accountable for my driving.  My parents are also on the app and they too have to answer to any alerts that come while driving.  My mom and dad have both admitted that the app has made them more conscientious of their driving and to avoid driving distracted.  

I realize not all teens may want an app like Life 360 on their phone to help keep them from driving distracted.  Therefore, I feel that there must be something that can encourage new drivers to download an app like Life 360.  Offering incentives for people to use the app could be a big motivation.. As drivers, we are always in need of gas.  One incentive could be to earn points toward fuel.  Some companies do this type of thing to get more business.  When drivers earn positive reports on the app, this could help them earn points to reduce the cost of gas.  Something else that people could earn for having good driving statistics is a discount on a selection of businesses.  People could choose from a list of stores and end up getting a free coffee, shake, or fries.  Different options could bring more drivers to use the app and as a result become a safer driver.   

Another way awareness can be delivered to young drivers is to have speakers, guests, or peers give talks at high schools.  People that have been involved in deadly or near-deadly accidents should come to a high school and talk about their tragedy, what they learned from it, and why it is so important to not drive distracted.  When teens listen to someone that has experienced something first-hand, it makes a big impact on them.  I know that when my mom first told me about her car accident she had when she was 16 years old, it had an influence on how I drove and continue to drive.          

The third way new drivers could be encouraged to drive safely is by taking a class.  If schools required a safe driving class in addition to the standard driver’s education class that is currently taken by high school students, this could help reduce distracted driving.  In these classes, law enforcement could come and talk about the importance of staying off the phone while driving, videos could be shown about accidents that have happened to young drivers, and class discussions among our peers could help urge safe driving.  

My hope is that distracted driving becomes more of a rare occurrence than a common one as it is today.  I know that education is the key and when people understand the importance of staying off their phone or fidgeting with the controls, the percentage of distracted drivers will decrease.