“Drive safe.” Those are the words I am always told the minute I step foot outside of my house. It's become a routine at this point. I tell my family I’m leaving for my destination and they tell me two things: “text me once you get there," and “drive safe.” I always scoff at their remarks and in annoyance state that “I will.” Thankfully I have lived up to my word, I do drive safe and it has proven successful, my record is clean. No car accidents that I have been a part of and no accidents that have been caused by myself and my driving. I have however been in a situation where another individual's actions may have wiped my record clean.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting and driving was responsible for over 410 deaths in 2021, 410 deaths that could have been prevented had the drivers behind the wheels of their vehicles adhered to the advice taught in drivers education. Although texting and driving is not completely banned in all 50 states, education advising against doing so is required by many states for drivers under the age of 18 through their respective drivers education programs. Unfortunately this education is not required for individuals over the age of 18 seeking to obtain their license or even renew it.
I have had several instances where the driver of the vehicle that I am seated in has engaged in texting and driving, whether that be Uber drivers rerouting their navigation systems or friends checking their snapchats. My specific experience that almost wiped my safe driving streak clean involved an individual in a vehicle other than mine being on their cellphone while driving. It was a clear day, ironically I was on my way to a meeting with my college counselor, to discuss my future plans - plans that were almost postponed or canceled. My car was stopped at a red light located right before the entrance ramp to the highway, about 30 minutes away from the discussion regarding my future. While at this light I saw a car speeding towards mine, with no immediate intentions of stopping for the stalled traffic. Being the first car stopped at the light, I quickly realized that if this car did not in fact stop, my vehicle would be in the middle of a very busy intersection, not only delaying the conversation of my future, but very well ending my story. Fortunately for me, the driver had glanced up from his phone, which was neatly hidden behind his steering wheel, and swerved off the road, going at least from what I could tell well above the 35 mph speed limit. My hands slackly gripped my steering wheel as I glanced over to the driver who was regaining his bearings, with bloodshot eyes he gazed at me, then waved his hand - still gripping his cell phone - mouthing “are you okay?” The true answer was no. I was set to meet my college counselor to discuss my future plans and this man with his cell phone still in his hands almost ended my plans right there. “Okay” was far from how I was feeling, I believe “enraged” would be a better way to describe how I was feeling. Now, given that I was a 17 year old female alone about to get onto a freeway ramp 20 minutes away from home, I did not stop and determine whether any damage was done to my car (which thankfully there was none), instead I proceeded with my journey to discuss my future, with a newfound appreciation for my future goals. What that man still does not know to this day is how he almost ended all of my plans simply because he felt the need to be using his cellphone while operating a vehicle.
Once my rage subsided to reflection, the remaining 20 minutes of my drive consisted of me questioning whether current drivers education programs fully highlight the risks of texting and driving. Recalling my own experiences with drivers education, I recalled there was only one 30 minute lesson regarding the dangers of texting and driving, and not a single question on my permit exam regarding texting and driving. Suddenly, my reflection turned back into anger, how could the system fail myself and so many others? My story may not have been finished but it had every chance to be, but I do acknowledge that a number of stories are ended on a daily basis, in fact an hourly basis. For any major life changing decisions, there are usually short sessions provided by several organizations, like short marriage counseling by religious organizations before marrying, short seminars on pitfalls to avoid before buying a house, etc. So, if there was a short 5 minute session, that could be live or recorded, that every driver applying for a license had to attend/watch, that could result in people realizing the issue more clearly and could stay with them forever. After all, getting a license for the first time is seen by many teens as a right of passage and a major life changing event! The only solution that I see fit is to rework drivers education programs, and to make them required in every state for all individuals seeking to obtain their license in some shape or form. In addition to this, I believe that many drivers forget what they are taught by the time it comes to renewing their license. Although economically this solution may not be sound, and by no means am I a financial specialist, I believe it is valuable to find the resources to do something in regards to the crisis that all Americans are susceptible to.
I believe that my story had the ability to be one with a tragic ending, and I believe that for many if not most individuals such an experience is needed to understand how fragile life is, and how important certain safety measures are. Although the rules and divisions may seem annoying to most drivers, they exist for a reason - to prevent the number of texting and driving related deaths from rising - 2021 displayed an ever growing trend in deaths related to texting and driving, informing drivers is only the first step. It should not take a personal experience, similar or far worse than my own, for drivers to realize the true horrors behind texting and driving.