Stop Distracted Driving

Driving is and was a daunting task for me, one which I took very seriously while learning and still do as a licensed driver. My peers, however, are much more cavalier about driving in general. They see driving as freedom, not as a responsibility. They see driving as a right, not as a privilege. To that end they often drive distracted with phones in their hands, loud music playing and several friends in the car. This unfortunately often results in poor decision making, fender benders, parking lot crashes and even more serious accidents resulting in injuries and totaled vehicles. I have witnessed this behavior and have even seen adults engage in texting and distracted driving while claiming to be responsible. Reducing distracted driving requires a multifaceted approach including mandatory driver’s education should be mandatory and include exposure to dangers, information about the penalties, and technological innovations by phone and car companies can also aid in the reduction of dangerous driving habits.

As part of driver’s education for all drivers there should be mandatory education regarding the dangers of distracted driving. Currently in Pennsylvania, Driver’s Education is optional and MAY give a driver a discount on their insurance. Many learners do not take the course and many do not take the course seriously. If the course were mandatory to obtain a license and score at an appropriate level it would be taken more seriously. The education should include videos and interviews with people who have lost loved ones or who have been seriously injured or have seriously injured others as a result of distracted driving. Teens are impacted by true stories and real life events that they can connect to, this exposure would be meaningful and would make a driver think twice before picking up that phone. Learning the consequences on a person in addition to legally is impactful.I have witnessed too many moments where a driver was paying more attention to their phone than the road and while the consequences were minimal in those situations I know that they are and can be more catastrophic.

New drivers thinking only about their freedom, think little of consequences. The legal consequences of causing an accident while driving distracted by social media and texting should be severe – such as losing your license for a period of time and drivers should be made very aware of this. DUI laws are part of the permit test and people know the consequences of breaking those laws but teens are more likely to engage in these distracted driving behaviors. Distracted driving is an epidemic in causing accidents as much as alcohol and other drugs can be. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as reported by Forbes.com, “in 2020, 396 people in total were killed as a direct result of accidents caused by texting and driving. That amounts to more than one death per day.” That is a terrifying statistic and should be emphasized to all drivers. Perhaps needing to retest on laws related to driving would help with awareness regarding laws, consequences and statistics related to distracted driving. Legal consequences and technology together could help curb these tragedies.

Technology innovations have been both positive and negative as new technologies can create new distractions. Cellular phones have a lot of technology and are capable of going into driving mode for certain apps and functions. Phone developers should be able to lock out all social media and send automatic “I’m driving” responses to texts for all drivers. The technology exists and needs to be more widely employed and mandatory. While responsibility for one’s actions while driving is paramount these safety features could reduce the risks associated with distracted driving. We live at a time of instant gratification, so even voice text and reading software is helpful – although not everyone has a new car with the latest technology available to them. Car companies have also added a lot of safety features and perhaps dash cams can be utilized to report on unsafe behavior and curb it with alerts sent to car owners (parents) and even law enforcement to curb behaviors before they become life ending.

In the end, teens and adults need to view driving as a privilege and a responsibility. The addition of mandatory education on both real life scenarios using real people, education about the penalties if you end up causing an issue and the employment of existing technology will help curb distracted driving. Teens often feel invincible, and if no one is watching make more destructive decisions. If the dash cam is watching and they are exposed to other teens who were indeed not invincible it will help make the reality of their decisions more tangible.