Driving In The Age Of Smartphones

Every day, thousands of new drivers hit the roads with 6 hours or less of drivers ed courses under their belts and very little experience. usually freshly 15/16, these drivers have no facts based notion about the real dangers of driving. If drivers ed courses were to highlight the real and present dangers associated with operating a motor vehicle, the awareness, defensive attitude and focus of these brand new drivers would help to reduce the terrifying number of accidents and accident related deaths that happen daily due to simple carelessness. As a teen I remember only the freedom and fun that came with getting my license, and rarely even considered the threat of a major accident involving me or anyone I know. A friend of mine would often browse social media and text while she was driving, there were times I think she would look at the road less often than she would look at her phone. Although this friend wasn’t being safe and these things sound scary, I think this is more common than we think, with the rise of easily accessible smartphones and social media takes over our world. I personally can take steps towards being a safer driver by making sure my phone is not easily accessible while I’m driving, and maybe relying on a GPS system that is not on my smartphone, or even on a smaller scale, putting my music on shuffle rather than browsing for songs while driving. It’s small things we don’t often consider that can be our biggest downfall on the road, and I hope that i can set an example for those around me by being a safer driver even if the trip is 5 minutes.