Name: Natalie Quick
From: Winston, Georgia
Votes: 15
Drivers
need to know just how dangerous it is to drive, period. Drivers are
in control of massive, thousands-of-pounds metal vehicles that could
kill you at the slightest mishap. In fact, statistics show that car
accidents are the
leading
cause of death for those ages 15-24. If people are made aware of this
simple fact, they will likely get behind the wheel with a lot more
caution than an uneducated driver. They will be less inclined to take
unnecessary risks such as using their phone while driving or letting
their attention wander from the road in general. Educating new
drivers on the gravity of their new responsibility could help save
lives.
To
reduce driving deaths related to distracted driving, make it as
difficult as possible for people to drive distracted. Many cars now
have an onboard Bluetooth system designed to answer calls and
navigate for drivers in order to keep their hands off their phones.
This potentially life-saving feature allows drivers to keep their
attention on the road rather than on their technology. Ideally, all
new cars should be made with this feature to minimize phone-related
accidents on the road.
Radios
are likely the second most common driving distractors. It may be
possible to avoid radio-related distraction if cars are made to
prohibit controlling the radio while the car is in motion, as some
already do.
Another
important facet of driving safely is to know yourself and your
personal weaknesses. For some, the radio or cell phone is not a
temptation, but perhaps smoking or navigating or chatting with
passengers causes a distraction instead. It’s imperative that each
driver recognize and address their distractive challenges on a
case-by-case basis for maximum safety.
Though
I have never personally been in a car accident, several of my friends
and family members have. The scariest part of each of their crashes
was that none of them were driving distracted, which raises this
sobering question: if such serious accidents can happen when people
are driving responsibly, how much worse would it be if they were
distracted?
The
biggest step toward safe driving is to put smartphones away entirely,
as phones are easily the number-one driving distractor. If a car
lacks the Bluetooth feature to utilize the phone hands-free, drivers
must make peace with not being able to use it at all. Georgia has
legislated that using a phone while driving is illegal, which should
help eliminate the risk of death by phone-distracted driving.
Personally,
I will protect myself and others by choosing not to multitask while
driving. It may feel pressing at the time to answer that text or
glance over those notes once more or search for a favorite radio
station, but the truth is, whatever I’m doing is not more important
than someone’s life.
If
drivers are educated on the seriousness of getting behind the wheel
of a car, recognize their personal distractors, and take steps to
avoid them, everyone on the roads will be much more likely to arrive
alive.
