Don’t Be A Dummy, Crash Test Dummy or Otherwise

“DING. Oh, who sent me a text? Let me just check this real quick. Oh, that’s funny, let me just send back a quick LOL. CRASH.” You wake up. You’re in the hospital, with a broken leg. You crashed into the car in front of you because you didn’t realize it was a red light, and why didn’t you realize it was a red light? Oh, that’s right, you were responding to a text while driving, another classic case of distracted driving. “It’s not that serious, right?” Actually, it’s a huge deal because 2,841 people died in 2018 due to distracted driving. 1,730 of them were the drivers, while 605 were passengers, 400 pedestrians, and 77 bicyclists. Now, I understand what you’re thinking, bicyclists are some of the most inconsiderate people on the road, but they’re still people. I think. I mean, have you seen their outfits? They look like something from a sci-fi movie.

Distracted driving accidents aren’t something that is a rare occurrence or that only happen once in a blue moon. They happen a lot and sometimes have deadly consequences. There’s a funeral home close to where I live that has a billboard, “Drive safe, we can wait.” I know it sounds funny, but they are dead serious. Pardon the pun. Distracted driving accidents are getting more and more frequent as this generation, my generation gets behind the wheel of a car with their cellphone in their hand. For some strange reason, the phones seem to be glued to their hands. They have to have their phones in their hands, even while driving! Am I the only teenager who thinks that this is so insanely dumb? But I digress. Not only do people text and drive, but they also take selfies, go on social media, and they even, wait for it, make Tik Toks while driving. I’ll pause for shocked gasps. Are you done? Seriously, you are still gasping? Are you finally done? Ok, good. Let’s continue then. Now I’m just going to say it, some people are dumber than a box of rocks. Is it really that important to check social media while driving down the interstate at 70 miles per hour? No, it’s not, just like it’s not important to take that selfie while cruising down Main Street or to make a Tik Tok about how to practice safe driving while driving. I mean seriously, that’s the textbook definition of counterproductive.

Now, distracted driving isn’t a laughing matter, but it is a very good subject to read about if you have no sense of humor whatsoever. If you do lack a sense of humor, I’m sorry you had to sit through the first few paragraphs and it might be a good idea to quit reading this right here in case some more jokes slip out inadvertently. That’s the dangerous part of reading college scholarship essays and speaking of danger…let’s talk about distracted driving. See what I did there? Let’s get back on task. Distracted driving is something many people don’t take seriously. “It couldn’t happen to me,” is something we all hear all the time. The truth is it could happen to you, it could happen to anyone, even if you are paying attention, and if you aren’t, things just got a whole lot more dangerous for you, and your potential passengers as well. All it takes is a split second for your life, and many others’ lives to change forever. Driving is dangerous enough as it is, but now instead of having to worry about drunk drivers, we have to worry about distracted drivers too. Instead of just worrying about beer and drugs we also have to worry about texting, social media, and Tik Tok, because people are getting more and more reckless. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything we can really do without making shortcuts that benefit the driver. Have a phone automatically shut off if it goes above ten miles an hour, but if you are a passenger you can just hit the yes button when it asks if you’re not the driver, but then the driver can just do that to bypass it, so it does nothing.

Like I just said, there isn’t really anything we can do but make sure drivers understand the consequences of their actions, and make stricter laws. Maybe we show distracted drivers accidents of other distracted drivers, to scare them straight. It worked for me, and I wasn’t even driving yet. During my driver’s education course, in order to get my driver’s permit, I had to watch a video about drunk driving, and it showed me an accident and the dead victim. It scared me so bad that I couldn’t finish the video. I eventually went back and finished it but it still scares me, and I already hate driving as it is. It made me want to be a safer driver. So, maybe if we showed people who are guilty of distracted driving the consequences of their actions, maybe we’ll reduce the number of accidents. Maybe adding even more devastating “life moments” to the driver’s education courses would help wake up more and more drivers to the dangers lurking on the roadways. Even though no one close to me has had a serious catastrophe due to using a phone and driving, seeing the dangers during my driver’s ed course was enough of a warning for me. I am very fortunate that my family knows the dangers of cell phone usage and driving since both of my parents were involved in law enforcement and saw the horrors of it face to face. They taught me the importance of driving safely well before I was even able to start my driver’s education course. However, as anyone who gets in a vehicle can see, where there’s a will, there’s a way. We can only give people the tools to try to help themselves, but if they don’t want to get help and keep using their phones while driving, laws should just have stricter punishment.

Unfortunately, distracted driving has become a very serious issue that too many people suffer from each year. Not only are the victims affected, but the victim’s families, their friends, everyone who knows them, all will be affected and changed by this forever. It’s a serious matter that people don’t take seriously. They are on their phones constantly, even while driving! I mean seriously, how is this a good idea? It’s ridiculous and there should be harsher laws against driving and being on an electronic device at the same time, especially for adults. They’re supposed to know better.

Speaking for myself, I will always remember just how important being an aware and cautious driver is. I wish other drivers would take it as seriously as I do. I know I can lead by example when others are in a vehicle with me, by being a safe driver. I also know I can share the horror stories I have learned from my driver’s ed course and the stories my parents have told me not only to my friends but to my own children one day. I know I may joke, but one thing I will never joke about is the safety of those I love when they get behind the wheel.

In conclusion, don’t be stupid. Keep your phone out of your hands while driving, because dumb people text and drive. You aren’t dumb, are you?