Driving is dangerous

I am lucky to be alive. I have had a few close calls from distracted driving. It is scary to think about how often people risk death or severe injury while driving. I often think that 100 years from now, people will think we are crazy for driving cars the way we do, especially when considering the number of fatalities. The United States Department of Transportation estimates that 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States last year. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declared the statistic a national crisis. Dr. Steven Cliff, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Deputy Administrator, said, “We will redouble our safety efforts, and we need everyone – state and local governments, safety advocates, automakers, and drivers – to join us. All of our lives depend on it.” The NHTSA recently launched a “Click It or Ticket” campaign to raise seat belt safety awareness. Clearly, highway safety is a significant issue in the United States. However, driving remains an essential form of transportation in this country. So, driver education is essential. We need to learn how to be more careful.

Last year I was driving home while listening to music streaming from my phone. I was not too fond of the song playing, so I reached for my phone to advance to a new song. It sounds stupid, and it was. Within a second or two, I hit a mailbox on the side of the road. The collision destroyed the mailbox and resulted in over $2,000 of damage to my car. My parents were disappointed in me but, more importantly, concerned that I could have just as quickly had a collision with an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian. Thinking about the potential impact of my mistake is very sobering. But, it wasn’t enough to encourage proper focus while driving.

A few months after the mailbox incident, I swerved onto the shoulder of the road. Once again, this was a situation that could have been much worse. I had a few friends with me in the car. In hindsight, I realize we were goofing around. The radio was loud, and we were laughing at stories about each other. My attention got compromised briefly, and my car veered onto the gravel shoulder. The incident lasted just a second and caused no damage, but it was another reminder about the dangers of driving. I have had some close calls, but I have made many more observations of distracted driving by others. I live in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, and I frequently drive in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The driving hazards from urban to rural roads are very different, but most of the biggest dangers are distracted people. My own driving issues were related to distracted driving, and I have observed that to be a frequent issue for other drivers as well.

Twelve years ago, my family started a tradition of visiting national parks. We have currently seen 53 out of 63 sites that the National Park Service has designated as National Parks and several Monuments, Memorials, and other places. Most of these trips were long drives. Very long. We have driven from Minnesota to Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, and many places in between. We have observed a lot during these thousands of miles on the road. Our country is beautiful. However, it has a lot of distracted drivers. Unfortunately, we have observed at least two fatal car accidents during our travels and countless accidents. We have not been in any car accidents during these road trips, which seems incredible, but we have had several close calls. Tourist destinations seem to have additional risks related to distracted driving. People tend to be more focused on sightseeing than driving. Also, drivers seem to be less confident with where they are going, so they are looking at navigation systems or Google Maps on their phones. Better driver education, especially education about the dangers of distracted driving, would have resolved most of the accidents we observed and saved lives.

My experiences have helped me realize the importance of maintaining focus while driving. I have seen how distractions can be deadly, and I understand how quickly an accident can happen. Nobody is perfect, so we are all susceptible to losing focus at times. As a result, following speed limits and wearing seat belts are equally important and save lives. I share my experiences with friends and family when possible, and hopefully, my cautionary tales will help others avoid accidents.

Thank you for considering me for this scholarship,