Don't Text and Drive

12% Equals 100%

I am a huge fan of mathematics. In fact, in my freshman year in high school, I went so deep down the math rabbit hole that I finished four years of math in one school year. It is with that said that I am presenting a math problem that will cause most people to think.

12% Equals 100%

12% of all teen car crashes are the result of cell phone use while driving. I postulate two things:

1. 100% of people who get into auto accidents while texting and driving regret being on their cell phone.

2. 100% of these accidents are preventable

Awareness

Did you know that, according to AAA in an article in 2018, “The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has conducted numerous studies regarding distracted driving that demonstrate:

• Drivers interacting with cell phones to perform tasks like texting or surfing the Internet are two to eight times more likely to be involved in a crash.

• Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of being involved in a crash.

• 59 percent of all teen crashes involve some form of driver inattention, and 12 percent of teen crashes involve cell phone use.”

Another way to look at this is if you consume four 12 ounce beers in 1 hour, here in Texas that puts you at the BAC (Blood Alcohol Level) to be considered driving drunk. Texting and driving puts you in that same precarious position - breaking the law.

Why is this important to you

Here is Austin, Texas “AAA Texas says distracted driving is an epidemic in the state and across the nation, and kills an average of nine people and injures 1,000 each day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.’

In the 748 days since I turned 16, 6,732 people have died due to distracted driving, according to the numbers above. 748,000 are injured during that time.

Another way of looking at it: If the average person has 40 friends, that means approximately 5 of your friends will be impacted by distracted drivers.

One of those MAY be you or someone you love.

Distracted Driving Prevention

First, it is important that you own your own behavior. Four things that you can do that will greatly diminish the liklihood of you texting while driving:

1. Focus on Driving - don’t let your mobile device be the cause of your distraction

2. If driving with others in the car, enlist their help so you can focus safely on driving. Make a commitment to those in the car AND yourself to not use your phone while driving.

3. Stow your phone away - put your phone out of reach

4. Pull over and stop if it is important

Doing the above will all contribute to minimizing the risks associated with distracted driving.

And for a visual (and graphic) depiction, this video drives home the point: https://youtu.be/zGDZIv8_pB0

Hopefully, in some way, you see the connection I am making between the risks on distracted driving and how your awareness can prevent any accidents that can happen due to texting and driving.

Although not a wholly empirical construct, you should be able to see that 100% of distracted driving incidents are preventable. In retrospect, 100% of all those that have been in accidents from distracted driving regret doing so.

If 12% of teen car crashes are the result of distracted driving, then 100% of them are preventable.

I submit - 12% = 100% (preventable)