Any Distraction Is A Major Distraction

Alexis
Knoll

Driver
Ed Scholarship 2020

Any
Distraction Is A Major Distraction

When
in the driver’s seat of any vehicle, it is important to have your
full attention glued to the road and those around you at all times.
For the safety of yourself, your passengers, and other vehicles on
the road, avoiding all notifications or causing yourself to be
distracted can be very dangerous. There are many steps or precautions
one could take to avoid deaths while driving, but I believe the main
one begins with avoiding using phones while in control of the
vehicle.

Many
teenagers and even adults can easily be distracted from notifications
that pop up while driving. Although for teenagers who have grown up
with cell phones being a major part of their life, it is much harder
for some to avoid making quick glances when their phone lights up.
For most people they think simple, quick glances at their device is
no big deal but all it takes is one small jurk of the wheel and a
wreck can occur without any intentions.

People
who are constantly on their phones while driving put themselves in
even more danger because they may still look up every few seconds,
but their main focus ends up being what they are trying to type in a
text instead of which lane they are in on the highway or watching for
cars trying to merge or even not noticing an animal or person in the
road. Once someone picks up their phone they are no longer aware of
what’s going on around them because their attention has shifted to
their phone. Even when they put down the phone they tend to still be
thinking of what conversations they are having so they are not fully
aware of their surroundings.

Putting
your phone on silent is one way to help with distractions, but
drivers can still catch a glance of the screen lighting up. Having
your phone on silent, flipped over, and in a place your aren’t
always tempted to pick it up is the best and probably the only way to
avoid being distracted by your device. Without having the phone in
sight, it can’t be a distraction therefore a person is already less
likely to cause or be in an accident. Minimizing the small
distractions keeps a drivers attention and focus in check which
allows that person to be more aware for a greater period of time.
When the driver is more focused solely on their driving, they can
react better to situations that may occur on the road and lower the
number of deaths while driving for teens and adults.