The Difference Between Your Last Text And Your Whole Life

The
Difference Between Your Last Text And Your Whole Life

The
first thing I thought when I was handed the keys to my new car at age
16 was: “I am finally free!” This statement is a common one among
novice drivers as they are usually allowed to do more things once
their travel barrier has been lifted. However, with this new freedom
comes an immense amount of responsibility that few teenagers
recognize nor understand. Which explains their common disregard for
taking preventative measures when it comes to safe driving. Thus
creating unnecessary scenarios in which themselves or others could be
hurt, or fatally injured. Although the national average of crash
fatalities involving drivers ages 15 to 20 in the United States is
12.8%, a study conducted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
showed that that percentage could be drastically reduced with the
mandatory administration of drivers ed. The study showed that
young drivers that had not completed drivers ed were 75
percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24% more likely to be
involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to
have an accident. This study shows the importance of driver’s
education because it would help in dramatically reducing the number
of deaths stemming from teen driving alone.

As
I established earlier teen driving plays a massive role in the deaths
and injury of many people, but more specifically it is distracted
driving that is becoming the biggest threat to the roads. Most people
point to phones as the main culprit with the growing urge to be on
social media 24/7 and most people would be correct. Not only do
phones take your hands off the wheel, but they also distract both
your eyes and your mind. Though this is a very serious problem, it
can be easily combated in multiple ways. The most obvious but also
least likely is to shut your phone off when entering the driver seat
of a vehicle thus eliminating any and all distractions. Although,
simply turning on your phone’s automatic do-not-disturb function
when it detects high speeds could be the difference between your last
text and you living the rest of your life. Doing small things like
this can help lower the death toll due to car accidents one drive at
a time.

When
it comes to me being a safer driver, however, I tend to do pretty
well. I have a difficult to operate phone holder that usually
prevents my feeble attempts at grabbing my phone when I feel the need
to check something. In addition to that, I often utilize various
playlists in order to further limit my phone usage. Though my
practices are relatively safe, I tend to find myself often reminding
my peers and family members about the potential dangers of phone
usage which is often enough to get them to stop. Luckily I’ve yet
to have been nor have had a loved one injured in a car accident due
to gentle reminders and frequently safe driving.