Ambivalence

It was as dark as the night was supposed to be but there was a feeling of security as dawn was near. It was just the normal commute to school for Myles Hutcheson, a senior at Vista Ridge High School. He wasn’t texting, he wasn’t eating, he was just naturally sleepy, driving down the road to his high school. At 5:45 AM, with the road unlively, his car lost control for unknown reasons. The road condition was perfect, it wasn’t raining, and there was no debris. He swerved off the road, crashed into a tree, and succumbed to his fatal wounds at the scene, dying shortly after.

Without learning that Myles wasn’t using his phone or was distracted, it is easy to place the blame on that. But Myles’ case shows how a fatal accident can happen to anyone. Replying to a text doesn’t need to be what loosens your control on life, but it can increase the risk of it happening by more than 2300%; yes, 2 thousand three hundred PERCENT. That is 23 times more likely. It is so easy to lose control of a 2-ton vehicle traveling at 45 miles per hour without any texting involved and causing hurt to yourself or others. The CDC reports that teen drivers have a fatal crash rate three times higher than any other age group. This is exactly why insurance rates are sky-high for teenagers. During this time of your life, whenever you are driving, you must drive with the utmost care, always paying attention to your surroundings and situation. These are the golden years in your life, please don’t throw it all away just to something not rooted in reality.

Distracted driving accounts for 66% of all teenage car accidents, with cell phone use only accounting for 12% of this. So what is responsible for the other 54% of teenage crashes? It is interacting with passengers or objects in your car which causes the most teenage crashes (21%). This includes everything from handling objects, joking, and laughing, to even eye contact. It is healthy and safe to talk to passengers if and only if it doesn’t take away your focus from the road. As most teenagers feel invincible, it may feel trivial to not have fun in a car ride, but be the responsible driver and ask your friends to kindly shut up if they are distracting. If you are reaching for your water bottle across the passenger seat, wait for the next light, as a few minutes without hydration won’t kill you.

While interacting with things or other people is dangerous, it is almost equally as dangerous if you zone out looking at something in or out of your vehicle. In case you haven’t noticed, zoning out is incredibly common in the human race and makes up for 19% of teenage crashes. Driving can either be a very dull or very interesting activity, both situations can cause a zone out. Whenever driving, it is crucial to keep your eyes on the road at all times and not become distracted by anything, whether in or out of your car. Most of the time if feeling drowsy or if it is obvious that you are losing focus, then a quick stop at the nearest safest spot is a good idea. Drink something to wake you up and maybe get out of the car and stretch. Remember that spending 15 minutes to rest is better than not having any minutes left. This is so you don’t end up one of those dead drivers.

The last two major causes of teenage crashes are grooming and singing to music, which both account for 12% of crashes combined. Listen if you need to apply makeup or hair spray, just pull over to a stop and give yourself 5 minutes. Or here is an idea, just do it at home or after you arrive. Why is it so urgent that you must risk your life for it? As for singing, a compromise could be made with oneself. Many people find their dopamine levels spike while listening to your favorite bangers in the car. But do you want your life to end with you listening to What a Time to be Alive? This is the compromise you give yourself, you may listen to music, only as long as 1) promise not to sing or bump your head and 2) keep it down to moderate noise levels. We don’t need other cars feeling your stereo in their bones.

There are dangers that come with operating a 2-ton vehicle. The dangers multiply when adding a pinch of distraction. Then the dangers multiply even more with inexperienced “invincible” teenagers taking the wheel. You don’t want to be remembered as the person “who tragically died on the road while distracted” and depending on who you are, you don’t want to be the person responsible for taking the life of another human being away. Do yourself and others a favor and reduce your chances of crashing by 66% and just pay attention to what you are doing. Do what you can by making the world a safer place.