Was the Text Worth It?

Education is the best possible primary prevention strategy in relation to reducing the number of deaths caused by driving. The number one cause of driving fatalities is distraction. The next time you drive take a look around and count the number of people you see on their phones. I believe that in order to reduce the number of deaths related to driving we need to present reliable date: for example, the CDC claims that distracted driving takes nine lives per day. However, an even greater impact occurs when promoting awareness of driving related fatalities through stories. The error that comes from data is that people become seen as numbers. When telling a story of how an innocent sixteen-year-old boy, let’s call him Joe, was driving home when a distracted driver swerved into his lane and flipped Joe’s car over. That night Joe’s parents got a phone call from the police station that Joe was in a car accident and will not be coming home. Imagine being Joe’s family. You can feel the pain in this story. This brings an emotional weight and impacts more people. It is not just a mere number; it is an innocent young life that was taken away. I personally have not been impacted by a car accident but I know of a few people who’s lives ended to quickly due to distracted driving. One step we can take to be better and safer drivers is downloading safe driving apps. These apps can automatically lock your phone while you are driving and silence all notifications that will help to decrease the natural urge to pick up the phone while driving. These apps can also reply back to texts automatically saying “sorry, I can not text back right now. I am driving.” A text message may seem urgent in the moment but it is not worth a life. Do not text while driving.