The most important factor to help reduce the number of deaths caused by driving is ongoing driver education. The best way to reach young drivers like myself is through social media platforms. Most kids ages 14-25 are on social media sites like TikTok, X, Snapchat, and Instagram. Using these sites to promote safe driving behavior and spread the message about putting phones on “do not disturb” mode and not texting while driving will help reduce the number of traffic deaths. I am on these sites daily, and I have never seen public service announcements for not texting and driving. If there were more PSAs about how distracted driving kills, more young drivers would think twice before answering a text or making a call while driving.

In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 3,308 people were killed in traffic crashes due to distracted driving. In addition to over three thousand lives lost, an additional 289,310 people were injured in crashes caused by driving while distracted. If these numbers were about the same for 2023 and 2024 that means that nearly 10,000 people have been killed in just three years! These are people who were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, friends and children. If 10,000 people died in just three years from a deadly disease, I think more people would raise an alarm. But because these were traffic deaths, not enough people are paying attention to how severe the problem is of distracted driving.

These simple steps can help reduce the number of deaths while driving:



Create commercials on social media sites like Youtube about distracted driving that shows horrible crashes as a result of using phones while driving. Tell drivers to put away their phones while driving! These commercials should be on social media sites that younger people typically watch, which will create safer driving habits from the start.


Increase traffic patrols and police presence around bars and places where people drink alcohol. Ask bars to post signs in the bathrooms and at the front doors about how to call for a taxi, Uber or Lyft for a safe ride home. These signs should also show the penalties for drunk driving, like being arrested, having their car towed, and large fines.


Enforce seat belt laws nation-wide, and educate new drivers on the importance of using seat belts properly.


DMV tests for new drivers should include more information on distracted driving, drunk driving, and wearing seat belts on the test. This will help make new drivers more aware of these dangers, because they won’t pass the DMV test if they don’t familiarize themselves with dangerous driving behavior.


Require all drivers over the age of 40 to retake a written driving test with DMV. This could be an online test that drivers take at home, but would include information on the test about distracted driving and ways to avoid dangerous driving situations. This would help educate older Americans who didn’t grow up with cell phones about the dangers of distracted driving. Also, since a 40 year old probably last took the driving test when they were 16, that was 24 years ago. By having drivers take a “refresher” test, this is one way to educate and improve driving behavior in older drivers as well.



I had a harrowing personal experience while driving on a highway several months ago. Traffic had slowed down in front of me, so I braked and slowed down, eventually coming to a complete stop. I’m not sure why we were stopped, but both my lane and the lane to the left were stopped completely. I looked in my rearview mirror to see if traffic behind me was stopping, and I had the horrible realization that a large dump truck was barreling down on me. I braced for impact, and expected to be crushed between the dump truck behind me and the car in front of me. I kept watching my rearview mirror and saw the dump truck driver suddenly realize that both lanes of traffic were stopped. Right before impact, he swerved to my right and narrowly missed me by going into the breakdown lane. I could hear his tires screeching on the pavement and saw a large cloud of dust and exhaust fly up around me. I still have no idea what took the driver so long to figure out that traffic was stopped, but I can only assume that he was driving while distracted. This is why it matters so much not to be driving while distracted, because lives are on the line anytime a driver is looking at their cell phone, texting or playing around with their music. I feel very fortunate to have survived this near-collison, because I might have paid the ultimate price with my life because of this distracted driver.

We all play a role in becoming better and safer drivers. As a teen driver, I refuse to drive with other teenage drivers who insist on using their cell phones while driving. I tell them that I don’t feel safe, and they need to put down their phones. I think teens can set good examples for other teenagers by not using their phones, refusing to ride with people who do, and just wait to use their phones until they arrive at their destination. Another way that drivers can become safer is to put their phones on "do not disturb” mode while they are driving. Since teenagers tend to be more tech-savvy than older generations, we can teach older adults how to do this. It’s as simple as going to the settings feature on either an iPhone or Android, and then enabling the “do not disturb” icon. I’ve even taught my mom how to do this, and showed her she can set up an “auto reply”, so her phone will tell people trying to message her that she is driving and will respond later.

October 17 of every year is the National Do Not Disturb While Driving Day. One way to help spread the word that distracted driving kills is to include a hashtag on social media posts to raise awareness. The hashtag is #ButNotWhileDriving, and this can be included on normal posts to help remind people that using phones while driving can cost people their lives. By being a role model and helping spread awareness, I can keep our roads safer for everyone and save lives.