Dangers of Driving

Distracted driving is dangerous, as most people know, and few will admit to having driven while being distracted. I am not afraid to admit that I have been distracted while driving. Admitting to being wrong is the first step to making something right. It is safer to admit to having driven while being distracted than to never admit to it and continue to do it. I do not ever want to get into an accident on the road as a result of being distracted, so I am willingly admitting to what distractions have affected me.

It is important to educate drivers on safe driving practices because the alternative leaves drivers unaware of the danger they can easily put themselves in. Education is the first step towards safer roads. Drivers need to be made aware of how even small distractions can cause big catastrophes. If people are warned that their behavior while driving may result in their death or in the deaths of others, then they are less likely to pay attention to distractions and practice bad driving behavior while on the road.

There are several steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. The first is education, as previously discussed. The next is placing signs on highways where others have died as a result of a car accident. These signs would have sayings such as “don’t drink in drive, in memory of those who died here.” This will be a clear reminder of the consequences of irresponsible driving behavior. Another step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is increasing the police surveillance of highways. When a police car pulls another car over for speeding, that driver is discouraged from speeding. The police have the potential to save the lives of many people by discouraging speeding.

I catch myself driving irresponsibly more than I catch my friends and family driving irresponsibly, however, I have never been in an accident as a result of my distracted driving. I rarely catch my friends and family driving irresponsibly. In my experience, music is moving. The beat pulses through my body and pushes my mouth to sing. It vibrates my car and jostles with the rules of the road in my brain for priority. Music is my number one distraction while driving. When the music is off, my car is too quiet. Having the music on makes driving more exciting, however, this can be extremely dangerous as listening to music can take my mind off of what I am doing. When I am in my car, Cardi B seems to be the most attention-grabbing thing in the world, and Taylor Swift’s newest hit seems to be all I can think about. Not to mention Adele’s newest album. Even with this in mind, I am aware that the number one music station will not seem to be all that great if I get in an accident while listening to music rather than keeping my eyes focused on the road. In order to be safer while I am listening to music, I can turn down the volume so it is not blasting through the speakers, and I can choose to play more relaxing music that I am not very interested in so that it does not distract me, but still keeps the car from being silent. It does not have to be music that I do not like, but it should be music that does not make me emotional or overly excited. Lowering the volume and changing the type of music that I listen to while driving will greatly increase my safety on the road as I will be less distracted.

Changing the music on the radio can be a dangerous task to accomplish. When the commercials come on the radio, I just cannot stand to listen to them. I feel the itch to change the station the second I hear the radio ads. This may only take my eyes off of the road for a second, but that second is all it takes for something to go terribly wrong. I could miss a person walking in the street, a stop sign in front of a crosswalk, or a car stopped for a passing family of ducks. It may seem like a small task to change the radio station, but anything that requires attention being directed away from the road is unsafe. To prevent this danger, I can set up a playlist on my phone to play in my car. I could then use the Bluetooth feature on my car to play the music. With premium Spotify, I do not need to listen to ads. When I get into my car I can turn on the playlist and will not have to touch my phone again. This gets rid of two problems, being distracted by changing the radio station and having to listen to radio ads.

Many people are injured or pass away due to car accidents each year. I am determined not to become a part of this number by protecting myself when I am in the driver’s seat. I can be distracted by my music and by changing the radio station while I am driving, however, I know the steps that I can take to prevent myself from being distracted. I can keep myself safe while driving by taking steps to not be distracted. I can help other drivers stay safe on the road by speaking up when I see my friends getting distracted while they are driving. I can also encourage my sibling and cousins to drive safely. Even if I only reach a few people, spreading the word about distracted driving makes a difference.