“Distracted
Driving”


We
live in a day and age where technology can get in the way of using
common sense. This is true while driving, especially when a new
driver is put behind the wheel. Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram give
people an extra incentive to get online, even when they should not.
While I have been fortunate enough to not be in a car accident, I
have seen many happen because of distracted driving. When traveling
to big cities, I have counted how many people I’ve seen on their
phones and driving simultaneously. I am usually shocked to say that
the number is in the ten to twenty range. People are not being
educated enough on the dangers of distracted driving and how badly it
can damage property and lives. Drivers ed would be one way to
significantly reduce the number of deaths related to driving. By
teaching people statistics and the dangers of driving while doing
other activities, the number of deaths could be significantly
reduced. Teaching new drivers would bring about a new generation of
people who do not feel the need to use devices while behind the
wheel, which they could later teach to their children, who will also
be safer. Some technology, such as Do Not Disturb While Driving on
the iPhone, keeps text messages from being sent or received while
driving. This gives the driver less reason to check their phone and
keeps the roads safer. If more technology is released like this,
making phones inaccessible while driving, the lives of people across
the country would improve, and there would be less accidents while on
the road. Additionally, if this technology used incentives, such as
lowering insurance prices, people may begin to put down the
distractions and drive safely. As for my friends and I, sharing the
consequences of distracted driving as well as making a habit of
putting down the cell phones and paying more attention to the road
can help us become safer while driving. Making every person aware of
what they are doing while they are driving can lower death rates and
make our roadways safer for everyone.