Stopping Death From Calling

Sofia
Gonzales

Stopping
Death From Calling

Although
millions of Americans get behind the wheel of their vehicles
everyday, driving remains one of the most deadly activities that most
people partake in on a consistent basis. Because driving has become
so common for most people, many have unfortunately developed poor
habits behind the wheel that end up having deadly results. This is
why drivers ed is key in reducing the number of
driving-related deaths, as it can help stress the importance of
having clear focus and attention while driving. The most fatal habit
I have observed in not only my generation but all age groups is cell
phone usage while behind the wheel. Many teenagers often say that
they were only using their cell phone to change the song quickly or
to read an “important” text message in the moment, but in reality
that kind of mentality is what sparks the beginning of many of the
fatal automobile crashes that we see today. While America constantly
stresses the idea that using a cell phone while behind the wheel is
extremely dangerous, most people do not seem to grasp the idea. In
order to better stress not using a cell phone whilst behind the
wheel, everyone as a community needs to undertsand that there is more
than just the drivers life at stake, there are also fellow drivers
and others in the community.

I
personally have been impacted by cell phone usage behind the wheel.
In late January of 2019, I was in a car accident that left both my
passenger and I with a concussion and slight bruising. The other
driver had been using their cell phone when approching a two way stop
intersection that caused them to not read the traffic signs. While
driving through this intersection, knowing I had the right of way, I
could see the other driver continuing at a faster speed than he
should have. Before I could think, the driver had slammed into my
passenger door. After going to the hospital, I woke up to the doctors
telling me that I might experience amnesia from the accident. It was
not until this moment that I realized I had hit my head on my car
window. I began dealing with not knowing many of the people that I
had been going to school with for years, and them not understanding
why I was not acknowledging them, which terrified me. This is why I
personally turn my phone on driving mode whenever I get behind the
wheel of my car. This mode silences my phone while I am driving and
sends text messages out to those who contact me, letting them know I
am driving and I will respond when I can. I think it is equally as
important that we also hold each other accountable whenever we step
into a car with a driver who claims they can use their cell phone
while driving. As a community, we can all do our part to ensure our
roads are safer.

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