Distracted Driving

Years before I was born, my father was involved in a motor vehicle accident. A distracted driver, traveling at a high speed, slammed into his car. He flipped a number of times and had to be cut out of the vehicle. He still has back issues today. This happened before cell phones, so there was no texting involved, but there are other types of driving distractions. I’ve seen people eating, dancing, watching videos, applying make up, reading and even falling asleep while driving.

To reduce the number of deaths that occur as a result of driving, driver education courses should be mandatory for all new drivers. Some may not agree, but there are many on the road that could benefit from taking or repeating a traffic safety education class. Insurance companies should require all drivers take a defensive driving course at least every 3 to 5 years. It is obvious that some drivers don’t know or have forgotten the basic rules of the road. They ignore speed limits and stop signs and speed through construction zones, with little or no regard to the lives they are putting in danger.

I took a driver education class and driving lessons before I got my license. In the instructional session, we learned about the dangers of distracted driving. We saw current and past social media and news reports that involved drug or alcohol impaired and other distracted drivers. Unfortunately, a large percentage of those accidents resulted in loss of life. A police officer also spoke about the consequences of driving while distracted or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Penalties for driving drunk in Georgia include fines, suspension of license, community service and imprisonment, but I’m not sure if the laws and penalties are strong enough. Even with the convenience of ride services companies, some still make the bad decision to drink and drive.

My parents have a No Phone In Hand While Driving rule. If I’m caught texting and driving or even looking at my phone, I lose all driving privileges. I’m also not allowed to have a ton of people in the car. My parents believe that too many teens talking, laughing and playing in a car, is also an unnecessary distraction. When my mother was in her senior year of high school, her neighbor and a few of her classmates skipped school and went for a drive. They ended up getting into an accident and the neighbor passed away. There were too many people in the car and something, possibly a distraction, caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Some adults believe teens are the main demographic of people that text and drive, but I’ve seen more adults looking down at their phones, talking and texting than teens. They believe they have more experience and can react quicker in an emergency, but having more experience and practice behind the wheel does not ensure that someone will be able to react in time to avoid an accident.

While the use of cell phones behind the wheel are extremely dangerous, technology can be useful in preventing distracted driving. Putting phones on do not disturb or silencing calls and texts while a car is in motion can discourage individuals from texting while driving. For those with social media addictions, placing phones in the middle or glove compartment can also help when they have the desire to text or look at their phone. Other ways to prevent distracted driving would be to: apply make-up at home or work, pull over to eat when hungry or take a nap if tired, and most importantly, never drink and drive.

Our voices can also be a powerful took in reducing distractions and the number of deaths related to driving. If I’m in a passenger in someone’s car and they pull out their phone, I’m not afraid to ask them to put their phone away. If they refuse, they can let me out of the car. Also, I will not allow family or friends to drink and drive. As my mother says, I’m precious cargo. I’d rather be late getting to my destination or home than end up in the hospital or not arrive at all.

Almost every day, there is traffic and while the cause is sometimes construction, the majority of the time it is due to one or more motor vehicle accidents. If we all try to keep our eyes and minds on the road, slow down and commit to avoiding distractions, we can not only help to reduce traffic, but also limit the number of accidents that result in damage to property, injury and loss of life.