Leave Your Phone Alone While Driving!

Throughout the years I have heard countless stories of people losing their lives over car accidents. When I was 16 years old, I was so excited to get my license, but my father quickly reminded me that driving isn’t fun and games. This year my school lost the life of a young teen on the road. It is not only devastating for the friends and family of that person, but the entire community is affected by the mistake of one person. I personally have lost friends and classmates due to car accidents that could have easily been prevented. Texting and driving is a major issue for new drivers on the road. The use of a cell phone while driving is an extremely dangerous risk for the driver and others. I understand that people sometimes have emergencies in which they need to access their phone, but most of the time people are just being careless. There is no need to be on the road with your phone as it completely distracts the driver from having their full attention on the road. My car was recently bumped at a traffic light because the driver behind me was texting and not watching the road ahead of them.
I believe that the use of a cell phone and driving should be entirely illegal in all 50 states. I know that some states are more lenient than others, but that is completely unacceptable. I think that accidents caused by drivers using their phone should have a greater penalty in the court of law as it is putting other innocent citizens' lives in danger. I always make sure to put my phone out of sight before I start driving because I know that if a notification pops up it can take my attention away from the road. Driving itself is a very serious and dangerous task, and adding a necessary distraction can lead to a fatal ending. I think that if you see friends or family texting and driving you need to tell them to stop and explain why it is important to do so. I think people need to hold each other accountable for the sake of others. One person can ruin an entire family and community by being careless and unsafe. I think that a way people can stop this cycle of texting and driving fatalities is to put their phone out of sight before they start their car. I do this, and it has helped me stay focused on the road at all times. When the phone is in sight, even if the driver isn't using it, any call, text, or notification can be seen and take the drivers focus off the road ahead of them. It is best to put the phone away to save numerous amounts of lives that could be taken in just a matter of seconds.
Driving is not a game and should be taken seriously by everybody on the road. There is no text message more important than the life of a loved one. Let's be the generation to make change for the better on the road.