Distracted Driving

Ashley Jackson

Driver education is very important in reducing the number of deaths in driving. In the state of Georgia for teen drivers to obtain their driver’s license, they must take a 30-hour course called Joshua’s Law. According to Alan Brown the founder of Joshua’s Law, he states that Joshua’s Law saves 22,000 lives per year times 10 years = 220,000 young lives since it was passed. Joshua’s law includes informative lessons on taking care of your car and shows students the consequences of distracted driving. These classes can be very eye-opening in reducing distracted driving and helping reduce the number of deaths in driving.

If people can become less distracted while driving there would be a significant drop in car accidents. One simple step to reduce distracted driving is putting down the phone. A simple function on many smartphones today is the Do Not Disturb. This button will turn all notifications off, and you can even set it up to connect to the Bluetooth of your car to turn it on automatically. Additionally, you can set it up to automatically send messages to people trying to contact you that you are driving. If there was an emergency and people needed to contact you, after the second call from the same contact the Do Not Disturb would disable, allowing you to answer calls. This function allows for distraction-free driving because you do not hear any notification bell or rings going off tempting you to look. Turing this simple function can reduce the number of deaths related to driving because people are less inclined to be distracted while driving.

When I was 15 years old I was involved in a drunk driving accident. The driver of the other car decided that they were sober enough to drive. They were not and began to drive irresponsibly. As my family passed through the intersection, so did the other driver. We were T-boned and spun around in the intersection. My family and I walked out of the accident with only a few scratches and bruises, but very shaken up. Our car was totaled and we were taken to the hospital immediately to make sure we did not have any internal bleeding. It was later we found out that the driver was a drunk driver. I think back and imagine how different our night could have been had he been going faster, or had he not even got in the driver seat that night. Getting into a car is a huge responsibility that people take for granted. If others around him would have stopped him, things could have ended differently.

To reduce driver accidents drivers need to be over all more aware. Doing simple steps like putting your phone on do not disturb, learning about the consequences of irresponsible driving, and keeping your friends in check can significantly reduce driver accidents. Most accidents are avoidable, and with the right education all accidents can be avoidable. Doing your part to stop irresponsible driving will help lead others to do the same.