My Habits and My Path Forward

Teenagers are not naturally forward-thinking, myself included. We live in a society of “now, now, now.” We want what we want when we want it. Unfortunately, this natural human flaw is often manifested in the use of social media, and any usage of a cellular device, while driving, myself included in this too. It has taken years for efficient preventative texting and driving campaigns to circle the nation, mainly through news outlets and road signage. Focusing on the fact that humans don’t think about long-term consequences as much as they desire to follow their present feelings, public awareness campaigns are difficult for an issue like social media use while driving sheerly due to the fact that people don’t remember the statistics of wrecks caused by cell phone usage when they see a social media notification pop up on their phone. I can say this with almost 100% confidence as I have never once remembered the statistics when a notification or text message popped up on my phone while I was driving. Being with friends and family in my car while I am driving is not uncommon for me, but I generally do not find myself distracted with others in the car as I truly enjoy the company. However, it does not take but a small vibration of a little device on my center console to jolt my attention off the road and into the social media or texting world. I am not proud of this common occurrence, much less encouraging it, but instead, I am choosing to be honest as I know that no change can occur with confession, no awareness without recognition. Therefore, I confess and recognize that I drive distracted when my phone becomes a danger and attention thief. To be honest, the answer to my issue is quite simple. I already keep my phone on do not disturb while driving, so instead of looking at it while I am at a stoplight and continuing to finish the text message or check my social media feed after the light turns green, I need to choose not to. It is a simple choice but one that a thousand excuses come up for in my mind and in the minds of millions of teenagers when we hear “distracted driving.” The habit of using my phone while driving is a privilege I have that, devastatingly, thousands of others do not have due to fatal wrecks caused by distracted driving. It is in the startling and unfortunate wake of these fatalities that I must choose to push forward in my determination to end my distracted driving because it is not just my life I endanger, it is the lives of those in the car with me that I love equally as its all of the lives on the roads around me that I endanger every time my eyes move from the road and to my phone.