Distracted Driving Equals Deadly Driving

Driver’s Education introduces many valuable lessons to young people learning to drive. The basics behind driving are covered, but other real-life lessons can be learned. For example, what to do if you get in an accident, how to get out of a distracting situation, what to do if you get pulled over, and most importantly, how to practice safe driving techniques. All these lessons are crucial to educating teens on how to best practice the rules so they can integrate themselves responsibly on the road. When taught through Driver’s Education, kids can be aware of how they should handle the pressures of commuting, and with that knowledge, they can be cautious and reduce the number of fatalities on the road.

Despite the numerous lessons that highlight safe driving when on the road, many still drive irresponsibly. An issue for all, not just the younger generation, is their phones. The ease of keeping in touch with others results in society’s dependence on technology. When looking around a public place, people are always seen with their eyes glued to their mobile devices, not appreciating the world around them. Phones are an addiction, and they present an issue when utilized during driving when people need to be on social media, checking up on everyone else’s lives. Because technology has become so prevalent, Driver’s Education has adjusted to teach the danger of texting and driving. This valuable lesson is not emphasized enough because deaths are still occurring, with the phone being the cause of many. Analyzing the root causes of traffic accidents is crucial to creating solutions to driving fatalities. As well as phones, people can also be a distraction, leading to decreased concentration when driving. Friends can be a threat in the car because of the diversion they can pose to new, inexperienced drivers. Even adults can be susceptible to outside noises, such as crying children. While it can be hard to reduce all distractions, informing people about the dangers can allow them to pause and contemplate how inattentive they are while driving. Making citizens aware of the deadly statistics can be part of the effort to reduce those high numbers. Through reflection on their bad habits, some will make changes to their irresponsible practices and create safer roadways for all.

As a teen myself, I can attest to the fact that it is common for us to feel invincible, especially when driving because we don’t commonly hear about death at our age. It took the car accident that killed my classmate for me to realize that I can be a victim of dangerous driving. Fortunately, not everyone has those life-changing moments, so other methods need to be utilized to enforce the message that driving can, and is, a very deadly action that is a norm for our society. As previously mentioned, people spend much of their time on their mobile devices, so one effective way to spread safe driving messages is through social media. Running ads to educate the young and the old about how deadly driving is can be a useful tool in opening their eyes to the necessity of paying attention and being a cautious driver.

A personal experience with irresponsible driving occurred when I was seven years old. As my family was driving home, we got rear-ended. The cause of the crash? The woman was not paying attention and didn’t see our brake lights as we slowed at a stop light. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the issue of inattentive driving is exemplified by this accident. As I became a driver when I turned 15, I took more notice of the actions of others. Being fresh out of my lessons for Driver’s Education, it was easy for me to see the driving mistakes others were making. Accidents happen at any age; therefore, all members of society need to be educated, which leads to another conclusion concerning how cautious driving techniques can be implemented. In the workplace, refreshing employees on rules of the road can remind adults of practices to increase safety when commuting. With an emphasis on reducing texting and driving, not falling victim to distractions, such as kids in the car, and not drinking and driving, these reminders can be beneficial in reminding adult drivers of some rules they may have forgotten or choose to ignore.

There are things I can do as a teen driver to reduce the number of fatalities on the roadways. One is for me to devote my full attention to driving when I am on the road. Learning about the vast number of deaths due to vehicles reminded me of how my car is a weapon and should be used responsibly. If others were made aware of those statistics, they would also make a difference in their driving habits. In my school, I can add messages in the daily announcements to showcase the sad reality of driving deaths to inspire others my age to make changes. If I notice my friend on their mobile device and not paying attention, I can politely ask them to put it away so our safety is not in jeopardy. The main message I would want to emphasize: Put down the phone, tune out distractions, and follow the traffic laws, and as a society, death due to driving can be dramatically reduced.