During December of 2018, I was heading to eat with my family after my first winter band concert. While about to turn right into the Cheesecake Factory at the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Florida, my family was rear-ended. What was supposed to be a momentous occasion turned into a day that I would never forget. Fortunately, there were no injuries to either party, however, it left a lifelong impact on the way in which I perceived the term “safe driving”.
My father was a known distracted driver, and it always frightened me to enter a vehicle with him. He would watch YouTube videos, make calls to his colleagues, and browse the web while his family was in the car. My friends would make Instagram posts and TikTok videos while going 70 mph on the I-295 Expressway, a main thoroughfare into the heart of Jacksonville. I never wanted to mention how their driving affected me, because at the end of the day, it was their vehicle, not mine. It was their time, not mine. But I wish they had considered that it was not just their lives in jeopardy. It was ours.
I watched an automobile accident occur in front of me at the age of sixteen. I watched as car after car parked in my driveway, as my father accumulated a new one every other year because his previous ones were totaled. I have watched my acquaintances drive away without me, as I did not want to be in a vehicle with a driver who was under the influence. I have been rear-ended on my college campus due to distracted driving.
Building awareness for distracted driving has been shown to be beneficial in Florida, but it does not dismiss the fact that it is a far too common occurrence amongst drivers in all age groups. According to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), “A crash occurs every 44 seconds”, and since 2019, there have been over 1.5 million distracted driving citations issued. An increase in distracted driving citations does not mean that progress cannot be made individually.
Many teens in Florida receive their licenses at age 16. Unfortunately, I was unable to due to my father’s disinterest in teaching me to drive in combination with my mother’s anxiety about driving, as she had been in a car accident the year prior to the incident mentioned before. As a result, I was a persistent passenger in my family’s and friends' vehicles until Summer 2025. I purchased my first car, a 1998 Mercedes-Benz C230, in June of 2025. That vehicle, while older than my peers, has instilled patience and pride in my everyday actions that I never knew I contained. I have had to learn to be a mechanic for a German-manufactured car without the assistance of my family members or friends. I am always diligent when it comes to ensuring that my vehicle is running efficiently, and I actively choose to be a safe driver over a braggadocious and hostile one. This takes in the form of putting my phone on Driving Mode to ensure that I do not receive notifications that could distract me from my route, ensuring all passengers, and myself, have their seatbelts on before the vehicle is in motion, keeping my music at a substantial level so I can be aware of my environment, and most importantly, giving myself time to arrive to my destination so I do not put myself or others in harms way due to my lack of efficient planning.
As a Political Science and Public Administration Scholar at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, I am constantly placed in situations that require analytical and creative thinking. I also develop ideas that appeal to all generations, not just those that are the most convenient to address. An idea that can raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and prevent this behavior among young drivers is to hold sessions where students are evaluated on their reaction time. Many young adults are highly competitive and will alter their actions if there are rewards for their participation. These sessions are interactive as students will have to complete a series of stations where they may have to listen to music while answering questions, but there are other distractions such as dogs barking, children crying, and construction noise blaring. The sessions are not intended to induce stress on the participants, but to emphasize that distractions take place in all forms. While there may be similar programs to the initiative I proposed, I am confident that it can leave a lasting positive effect on participants. With enough support, this idea could be proposed to Florida State representatives as a requirement to be completed before obtaining a driver's license. This idea would also be reinforced every other year for citizens with a driver’s license over the age of seventy. Citizens in that age range may exhibit signs of cognitive decline and, therefore, may need to undergo a consistent test to prove to FLHSMV that they are still a certified safe Florida driver.
Having a vehicle is a privilege that individuals take for granted each day. I understand the difficulties of having a car and the difficulties of not having a car. Hearing the news that it was your mother, your father, your best friend, your sibling, or your mentor who was involved in an automobile accident is never a joyous occasion. Being a distracted driver is an objective I have never sought out. However, being a safe, dependable, and cognizant driver is a goal I have not only for myself, but for the future youth of the United States, my peers, my future children, and for my family. I proudly take a stand against distracted driving.
My father was a known distracted driver, and it always frightened me to enter a vehicle with him. He would watch YouTube videos, make calls to his colleagues, and browse the web while his family was in the car. My friends would make Instagram posts and TikTok videos while going 70 mph on the I-295 Expressway, a main thoroughfare into the heart of Jacksonville. I never wanted to mention how their driving affected me, because at the end of the day, it was their vehicle, not mine. It was their time, not mine. But I wish they had considered that it was not just their lives in jeopardy. It was ours.
I watched an automobile accident occur in front of me at the age of sixteen. I watched as car after car parked in my driveway, as my father accumulated a new one every other year because his previous ones were totaled. I have watched my acquaintances drive away without me, as I did not want to be in a vehicle with a driver who was under the influence. I have been rear-ended on my college campus due to distracted driving.
Building awareness for distracted driving has been shown to be beneficial in Florida, but it does not dismiss the fact that it is a far too common occurrence amongst drivers in all age groups. According to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), “A crash occurs every 44 seconds”, and since 2019, there have been over 1.5 million distracted driving citations issued. An increase in distracted driving citations does not mean that progress cannot be made individually.
Many teens in Florida receive their licenses at age 16. Unfortunately, I was unable to due to my father’s disinterest in teaching me to drive in combination with my mother’s anxiety about driving, as she had been in a car accident the year prior to the incident mentioned before. As a result, I was a persistent passenger in my family’s and friends' vehicles until Summer 2025. I purchased my first car, a 1998 Mercedes-Benz C230, in June of 2025. That vehicle, while older than my peers, has instilled patience and pride in my everyday actions that I never knew I contained. I have had to learn to be a mechanic for a German-manufactured car without the assistance of my family members or friends. I am always diligent when it comes to ensuring that my vehicle is running efficiently, and I actively choose to be a safe driver over a braggadocious and hostile one. This takes in the form of putting my phone on Driving Mode to ensure that I do not receive notifications that could distract me from my route, ensuring all passengers, and myself, have their seatbelts on before the vehicle is in motion, keeping my music at a substantial level so I can be aware of my environment, and most importantly, giving myself time to arrive to my destination so I do not put myself or others in harms way due to my lack of efficient planning.
As a Political Science and Public Administration Scholar at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, I am constantly placed in situations that require analytical and creative thinking. I also develop ideas that appeal to all generations, not just those that are the most convenient to address. An idea that can raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and prevent this behavior among young drivers is to hold sessions where students are evaluated on their reaction time. Many young adults are highly competitive and will alter their actions if there are rewards for their participation. These sessions are interactive as students will have to complete a series of stations where they may have to listen to music while answering questions, but there are other distractions such as dogs barking, children crying, and construction noise blaring. The sessions are not intended to induce stress on the participants, but to emphasize that distractions take place in all forms. While there may be similar programs to the initiative I proposed, I am confident that it can leave a lasting positive effect on participants. With enough support, this idea could be proposed to Florida State representatives as a requirement to be completed before obtaining a driver's license. This idea would also be reinforced every other year for citizens with a driver’s license over the age of seventy. Citizens in that age range may exhibit signs of cognitive decline and, therefore, may need to undergo a consistent test to prove to FLHSMV that they are still a certified safe Florida driver.
Having a vehicle is a privilege that individuals take for granted each day. I understand the difficulties of having a car and the difficulties of not having a car. Hearing the news that it was your mother, your father, your best friend, your sibling, or your mentor who was involved in an automobile accident is never a joyous occasion. Being a distracted driver is an objective I have never sought out. However, being a safe, dependable, and cognizant driver is a goal I have not only for myself, but for the future youth of the United States, my peers, my future children, and for my family. I proudly take a stand against distracted driving.
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