Never stop learning

I know why they say phones are dangerous to drivers. It is common sense to keep your eyes on the road when driving, but when that small device makes that iconic “ding ” and you see the text bubble pop up, it is instinctive to look at the text on my phone. I don’t always respond to texts, but I always pick up my phone to see who is messaging me. This habit distracts me momentarily from the road and other cars around me. I’ve been driving for almost two years and this practice has become something I do often enough to initiate a personal course correction in my routine. 

My parents say changing the stations on the radio was what distracted them while driving. It is interesting how the distraction concern is still there, but it is a different device that drivers now worry about. We all know that it only takes a second to be distracted and that is how car accidents happen. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. I have personally seen accidents that have occurred where the driver was distracted by their phone. Part of me feels grateful it wasn’t me in the situation, but that is always followed up with the sinking feeling that at any time it could be me.

Driver’s education is an excellent start to teaching the correct protocols for driving. But through my own experience and watching young drivers around me, I can tell it is not enough. My solution is to require annual follow up courses that teenagers take until they are 18. Almost like a vaccine booster shot. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, in 2014, 10 percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of the crash. Reducing the common driving distractions can greatly decrease the death related accidents. This can be done by reminding young drivers of what can happen if they start thinking that they are immune to accidents and relax too much on their driving habits. If these follow up education courses could include steps to fix bad habits, we would have drivers who would be more acutely aware of the danger they pose by looking at their phone, speeding, or driving recklessly.

To avoid the temptation of looking at my phone, I now put it where I can’t reach it when I’m driving. For example, the backseat or the glove box. I like this practice because I can start the habit of putting it away the minute I sit in the car. I think the term “out of sight, out of mind” will apply nicely in this situation. I know that working on correcting my habits will help me stay more focused and be a safer driver on the road. I want to correct myself while I am still young and can be an example to my siblings and friends about safe driving practices. This will especially be important as I head off to college and will be solely responsible for myself and my vehicle. We know that young adults learn from their peers, so what better way to teach those around me and show that I respect their life enough to ignore my phone for the length of our drive. 

I would love to see a program in place to require teens to continue to take drivers education courses. If that cannot happen, then I will start with being that example to others. Making awareness that distracted driving is not something to take lightly. Each death from a car accident where the driver was distracted is a fatality that could be avoided. Death is not the only thing we want to avoid. I know of a girl who was the victim in a major car accident where the driver was recklessly speeding and she tried to get him to slow down. The accident sent all the passengers to the ICU. Although her body healed over time, her psychological trauma was irreversible. She no longer will drive her own car and she has major PTSD when driving in another car. We must take responsibility for the lives of those in our cars. Our small decisions have irreversible consequences and it is up to us to improve ourselves to educate others. I will take this pledge and join other organizations like the National Foundation for Teen Safe Driving (NFTSD) who continue to educate young drivers and encourage them to be positive influences to their peers. Let’s make a big enough impact that people cannot ignore the call to drive safer.