Don’t Tempt Fate, the Text Can Wait

Don’t Tempt Fate, the Text Can Wait

On a crisp, chilly, January morning, as the sun just began to rise, I drove down I-35 towards my high school on this well-trodden path. While I never bother taking in my surroundings during these early morning commutes, something caught my eye on that day: a light-up sign saying: 50 people have died this year due to texting and driving in Ohio. 50 people died simply because someone couldn’t put down their phone. And knowing that teenagers make up a large portion of these cases, I wondered if my friends and I will ever become part of the statistic; I know that some of my friends even text and drive on a regular basis.

In light of this disturbing thought, I spent days educating myself on proper driving precautions and warning signs, after which I can say with certainty that better education can save thousands of lives every year. For one, education that focuses more on the emotional aspects of distracted and drunk driving will influence teenagers, myself included, better than numbers and words on the screen. People naturally assume that misfortune will happen to someone else, thus education needs to break down this mental barrier in order to have a bigger impact. Additionally, drivers ed needs to better address unexpected distractions and problems on the road, like road ragers, deers, and hydroplaning, which the instructor barely mentions. For example, I sure would have appreciated a lesson on how to react and use ABS brakes in order to quickly swerve and avoid cars, deers, etc. A more real-world focused curriculum about accidents and distracted driving would benefit teenagers’ driving far more than reading statistics in a book.

But while these implementations may be far off, we can still take personal precautions for safer driving. For example, my family uses an app called TrueMotion Family Safe Driver which tracks and records the driving performance of an individual or group. This allows my family to hold each other accountable when it comes to driving. Next, I also rely on the Do Not Disturb feature on my phone in order to prevent any temptations while on the road. preventing any messages from alerting as well as notifying the sender that I’m driving. Finally, I also practice safe distancing between cars and make sure to stay as centered in the lane as possible in order to prevent confusion for other drivers and ensure the safety of myself and everyone else on the road. If everyone collectively implemented these measures, the road would be a much safer place for everyone.

No other activity is as simultaneously so mundane, yet so dangerous as driving. Thus, we need to take into consideration the feelings and safety of everyone else on the road regardless of our circumstances. Thousands die every year because of accidents, so it only makes sense to spend a little time to prevent them. Safer driving certainly has saved me from many accidents before, and maybe it even saved the life of someone I’ll never get to meet.