Name: Joseph Velasco
From: Lawrence, Kansas
Votes: 0
In the Driver’s Seat
Distracted driving is one of the
top causes of teen crashes in 2019. Any activity that takes your
attention off the road, whether it was taking your eyes off the road
or your hands off the wheel, can be tragic. All types of distracted
driving increases a teen’s risk of car crashes, major injuries and
even death. All activities like staring at cell phones, eating, or
looking at maps are examples of what puts individuals and others on
the road in danger. To counter such catastrophes from happening,
awareness should increase towards students about the importance of
driving safety.
Drivers ed is important
because of the amount of teens who are more prone to accidents than
the average adult driver. Inexperience, lacking
the necessary driving skills and lacking capabilities are the main
factors of teen crashes. Proper driving education in drivers ed can
prevent car crashes and reduce the risk of distracted driving for
teens. According to the AAA Foundation, Driver
education is associated with a lower incidence of both crashes and
convictions – reducing the number of crashes by 4.3% and convictions
by nearly 40%. Teens who complete drivers ed demonstrated greater
long-term knowledge over their peers who did not take program.
There
are numerous steps that can be taken to reduce the amount of deaths
related to driving. One step includes emphasizing the importance of
distracted driving in schools and in social media. Another step would
include the already implemented restrictions when being on your
phone, for an example: Your phone turns off notifications while
driving. My story when I was in a friend’s car is one prime reason
for such restrictions. During this ride, my friend would once and a
while get on his phone while driving, i did not say anything about it
because of the thought that he knew what he was doing. During the
ride, there was a moment when the line was moving and my friend
expected the cars to keep advancing on the road. He would then glance
over to his phone as the car in front of us stopped unexpectedly. In
the few seconds while i saw my friend on his phone I quickly yelled
out his name and he immediately hit the brakes as he was only moments
away from crashing. While this is a prime example of irresponsible
driving, there were many drivers who experienced similar stories but
were not so lucky.
Distracted
driving is proven to be one of the most causes of teen crashes. When
driving I always remember to put my phone down with the automatic
notification mute to make sure I am not tempted. I will increase the
awareness of distracted driving to my peers, especially to those who
are just now getting their license and/or those who are more prone to
distractions. 3,477 people were killed because of distracted driving,
we could easily reduce that number one step of a time.
