Don’t Drive Distracted

Don’t
Drive Distracted

Many
vehicle accidents are caused by distracted driving. The most common
reason for distracted driving is texting. Over 37,000 people were
killed in vehicle accidents in 2016, and over 3,000 of those deaths
were caused by distracted driving. Another 391,000 people were
injured because of distracted driving. Teenagers are the most common
age group to drive distracted. Many of these accidents could have
been prevented if drivers realized the danger of checking their phone
while driving

Inattentive
driving has three main categories: visual (not watching the road),
manual (taking your hands off the wheel), and cognitive (not focusing
on driving). Texting while driving and driving while intoxicated both
combine all three components of distracted driving. The content of
the text can be distracting if it contains news that would distract
the driver from thinking about the road. The action of checking a
text is perhaps the most dangerous action a driver can do. Reading a
text takes about 5 seconds. At 55 mph, a car travels 100 yards in
five seconds. Having your eyes off the road is equivalent to having
your eyes closed. Many people would never drive drunk because they
know how dangerous it is, but people do not realize that the number
of deaths and injuries caused by distracted driving is about a third
of deaths caused by drunk driving. In 2015, distracted driving caused
more injuries than drunk driving did. If people realized the danger
of texting and driving, they would be less tempted to check their
phones.

Many
people often are subject to unsafe drivers, or they themselves drive
distracted. Local teenagers brag about their distracted driving as if
it is something fashionable when in reality it is not. About 94% of
teenager acknowledge that texting while driving is unsafe, but 35% of
teenagers continue to do it. Once teens realize this danger, they
can take measures such as locking their phone in the glove box or
powering it off. Parents could take more responsibility for their
children and not let them drive if they are aware of the risks their
child is taking. Once people are educated on how dangerous distracted
driving is, they will take measures to keep themselves and other
drivers safe. This is an area drivers ed programs could really
step in and make a difference. Most teenagers will not want to hear a
safety lecture from their parents but might take safety more
seriously coming from a professional.

Almost
12% of deaths in vehicle accidents are caused by texting and driving.
In 2016, 3,000 people could have continued their life if drivers had
waited until they reached their destination to check their phone, or
asked another person in the car to check it for them. 3,000 lives
were cut short due to distracted driving. When people realize the
importance of driving with 100% of their attention, these statistics
will decrease less until no one is killed because of distracted
driving.