Do Not Text And Drive

In
today’s age, technology is at an all-time high, it is depended upon
every day. With over 4 decades on the market, mobile phones have
become the most used electronic device in the world. Nowadays, a lot
of people do not even like to have phone conversations…they can
deliver their entire thought through a simple text message. Texting
has become a large part of our lives today, and sometimes we even let
it become part of our driving. Strongtieinsurance.com says distracted
driving is the most common cause of road accidents in the United
States each year, resulting in more crashes every year than speeding,
drunk driving, and other major accident causes. What may seem like a
harmless act is really putting not only your life in danger, but
those around you also. Texting while driving effects those 18-24 the
most because they are most likely to do it.

Distracted
driving is a problem in today’s society and people should be aware
of the dangers it brings. The average amount of car accidents that
occur in the United States is six million. Of those six million, 33%
(1,980,000) are a result of distracted drivers. In 2019, being
distracted was reported as a factor in nearly 1 in 5 crashes in which
someone was injured. Many young adults like myself have that “It
won’t happen to me” mentality. This is a tendency to think that
negative events are less likely to happen to oneself. The truth is
The AAA Foundation says drivers ages 16-19 are approximately 4.5
times more likely to get into an accident than drivers ages 30-39. I
believe laws being passed to prevent people from using their phones
will have a limited effect. There are more important laws to be
passed. For this reason, it is important to make the public aware of
both the risks and methods to prevent this public health crisis.

I
propose a Community Day event to help people understand the
seriousness of distracted driving. There would also be various
workshops to make those in the community aware of the risks of any
distractions while driving. Lastly, there would be a video with a
scenario for the community to watch. The scenario would be a bad
accident at the hands of a distracted driver trying to do too many
things at once. The community would watch as emergency workers work
to free the entrapped people and apply first aid. It would be like
the “Every 15 Minutes” program. The only difference is that
the driver would be fiddling with their phone. The simulation would
highlight risk factors such as avoiding multitasking while driving,
and limiting the number of people in a car, especially as a youth in
high school. The goal is to make someone think twice before fidgeting
with something while driving.

Ultimately,
the person behind the wheel must make the choice to not multitask
while driving. After having seen the scenario, the goal is to make
someone think twice before picking up their phone. Is sending a text
that important? Distracted driving is an epidemic that can be
controlled. After all, one would not pull out their phone while
driving with their parents or taking a driving test, so why would
they do so when they are driving in the real world with real life
consequences that can end up costing an arm and a leg?