Technology is Finally Helping Us Drive Safely

Technology is Finally Helping Us Drive Safely

Dangerous driving habits have become a pandemic amongst teen drivers. Teen drivers already have a lack of experience and the additional distractions are not needed on top of their inexperience. We all need to start taking driving a lot more seriously since it can be deadly. There are plenty of preventative measures that teens can take in order to ensure that they will not be tempted to partake in those dangerous driving habits.

One preventative measure that I have found helpful is to start by making a driving playlist. I like to update that playlist every so often, that way I will not get bored and tired of listening to the same songs on repeat. Once I get into my car, I connect my phone to my car via Bluetooth and start the playlist. Then, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb so that I will not be distracted by notifications as they come in. Most of the time, I will put my phone in the passenger seat, just out of reach, so that I do not have the option to grab it to check the notifications. Once I have arrived to my destination, I can check those notifications, but while I am driving I do not risk checking those notifications since they could end up causing me to wreck. I have found this method to be very helpful in staying alert and reducing the temptation to check my phone while driving.

Apple has a feature on the iPhone that is relatively new called Do Not Disturb While Driving. This feature allows you to stay focused on the road, instead of focusing on your phone. Whenever this feature is activated, text messages will be silenced and a customizable auto-reply will be sent when you receive a text message. If the person who sent you a message is having an emergency, they can send the word “Urgent” so that their notifications will alert the driver that they are in trouble. Siri will read the replies out loud so that you do not have to look at your phone while driving. If you choose to use this feature on your iPhone, I suggest connecting to your cars Bluetooth so that you have a handsfree option of interacting with someone in case they are having an emergency. This way you would be able to be aware of the emergency while staying focused on the road.

There is an app that I have found to be very motivating when it comes to staying safe while driving. That app is called “Safe 2 Save.” This app will monitor how often you get on your phone while driving, and the less you get on your phone, the more points you will be awarded on this app. Those points can later be cashed in for items, like gift cards or small gifts. I love receiving free items so this app has really helped motivate me to stay off of my phone while driving.

All of these precautions are very simple and take less than 5 minutes to complete in order to ensure that you will not be nearly as distracted by your phone while driving. If teens were to start taking some of these precautions, we would be able to decrease the number of accidents that occur among teen drivers due to virtual distractions.