During high school, I felt pain and grief when I got the phone calls twice to hear that close friends had passed away in car accidents. My heart sank as I heard those words over the phone those nights. One of my friends was alive on life support for a couple of days following the car accident as they tried to relieve the swelling and pressure of her brain. When the doctors declared that she would not survive, her parents allowed of her friends to go say goodbye. I will never forget seeing my beautiful friend laying the intensive care unit with so much brain swelling at 16 years old. She never got to experience her senior prom, graduation, college, or her wedding. I hated seeing her parents and family determine her burial services. The idea that a parent should never have to bury their own children is true and heartbreaking in situations where they do. I wear bracelets everyday with their names on them to remind myself that I am living my life the way that both would have wanted me to. Distracted driving and speeding led to these two young people losing their lives. It may not be that you are out of control of your car but that someone else is and that causes a problem for you. Some of the problems that we face while on the roads include distracted driving which can be improved by all people on the roads and increase laws.
Distracted driving has become so common in today’s world of driving. I often see other people on their phones, eating or looking for something while at a stoplight. Even though they may be stopped for a short period of time, drivers need to focus on giving their full attention to the road and the environment around them. A change in a situation can occur in a second while driving which requires your utmost attention to handle. I grew up in a town in the mountains where we had wildlife that would jump out in front of cars. If a driver took their eyes off the road for a second, they may miss the deer running into the road. For the human mind to see an obstacle and react to it, they need more time and attention. Biking was popular in my town growing up. There were multiple accidents that occurred while I was growing up where a driver was looking at something other than the road and collided with bikers. Often these bikers were left in critical condition or unfortunately did not make it. In middle school, one of the mothers from a family who were active in community clubs unfortunately was the victim of an accident. She had ridden her bike daily on the same route but was hit one morning by a distracted driver. She was critically injured and suffered injuries that changed the course of her life and abilities. It is important for all drivers to be giving their full and undivided attention to the task of driving to help improve road safety.
In my opinion, there are simple actions that can be taken to help lessen the occurrence of distracted driving and help people return home to their families. Phones are so commonly used while driving today even though many states have laws regarding phone usage while driving. If we all put our phones out of reach, then we will not be tempted to go on them while driving. If I am in the car where the driver is on their phone, I explain why I am not comfortable with their decision and ask that they stop while I am in the car. My life and everyone else who is on the road matters, and we need to stand up to protect them. Food and other tasks are also common distractions while driving. If I need to get food while I am out in my car, I go somewhere to park and eat. Not only is it safer but it can help you get out of your car if you go to a park. There are simple steps that we as drivers can take to help make the roads safer for everyone.
Personally, I strive to focus on driving safely so that I am doing my part to help people get home safely. I like to put my phone in the backseat where I cannot reach it and not eat while driving to help keep my focus on the road. We can all make simple changes such as these to help decrease the prevalence of distracted driving and deadly accidents.