Put it Down

It only takes one. One moment of distraction. One hazard in the road. One kid crossing the road. It only takes one moment to show the effects of distracted driving but it can also take all the other moments where attentive, focused, educated drivers are acting in other’s favor and practicing safe driving on the road. By education drivers we can help prevent people from being on the road who may not know what to do or how to handle certain situations. Both written and field tests help to prevent unskilled drivers from entering the world of driving, however, this does not mean that they will always be safe. Factors out of your control can occur while on the road, but with the correct education, drivers can make quick decisions that could even save lives. The importance of driver education in saving lives is extremely important so that drivers are equipped with the skills to save others and keep themselves safe. Some of the steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths while driving is to educate young drivers before they get on the road. By reaching younger drivers earlier you have the longest amount of time to educate them on what they will need to know on the road and most importantly at that age, why distracted driving is so dangerous. Younger drivers need to be reached before they gain the driving permits so that they know the risks of distracted driving could be fatal. By showing kids people who are similar to them who maybe have barely survived such accidents could be a wakeup call to know that someone in their shoes had something like this happen to them. This could also be shown in the next strategy in negative advertising in which these same people who have survived or even loved ones of distracted driving victims talking about their stories. I have seen friends and family members driving irresponsibly and at no point of age or experience does distracted driving disappear as a threat. The most common victim in my experiences is a cell phone. Today cell phones are used for everything such as calling, texting, music in the car and anything you can think of. The amount that people use their phones today is not helping because people will continue to use their phones while in the car. By doing this they are putting themselves, those in the car with them, and everyone else on the road at risk of an accident. Simple steps can be taken to make yourself a better driver on the road and to make others better as well. First, turn your phone off while driving and put it out of sight. This is only a short time you will be without your phone and no doubt whoever is trying to contact you would want you to respond when you are safe and not in a place to risk your life. Second, call out friends or family who you see driving irresponsibly so that you can prevent playing around from turning into a fatal accident. Third, educate yourself and others on the risks and prevention of distracted driving because everyone is at risk for distracted driving accidents.