Distracted Driving

Colby Smith

When I took Drivers Education a few years ago, I took it very seriously. I knew the dangers of being behind the wheel, but at the time I was more worried about myself. Now my focus has changed to the other people on the road. Recently I have noticed how bad everyone is at driving. But is it an issue with their driving or just their attention span?

When I am driving, I put all of my attention on the road, for the most part. I listen to music and other people in the car but other than that I am focused. I can’t say the same for most people. Everyday I see countless people that are distracted driving, either on their phone or just not paying attention. I don’t mind saying, it honestly angers me. I drive to work 3-4 days a week and at least once a day I see a bad driver, or someone make an illegal driving error. I wonder if people just forget how to properly drive or if they just don’t care anymore. When I see a bad driver, it makes me angry and sad at the same time. I have seen and heard of fatal accidents caused by unaware and distracted drivers, just like what I see every day.

During my Sophomore year in high school one of my classmates that I had been with since Kindergarten was in a bad car crash. He was in a head on collision while trying to pass a semi-truck. He was rushed to the emergency room along with the elderly woman, who was the other driver. The woman’s husband, the passenger, died on impact. The woman died later that day to her injuries, but my classmate was slowly recovering, or so the hospital staff had told everyone. Less than a week later my classmate, my friend, died due to his injuries and blood loss. Everyone at my school was hurt. However, it didn’t really seem to impact anyone’s driving. You would think that everyone would be more careful, but everyone was still driving like idiots. It was never said that the crash was a result of distracted driving, but I would bet my classmate was texting and driving, just like most people my age.

What is the solution? Should we make using your phone while driving illegal? It already is in most places, but it doesn’t seem to help or stop people from doing it. I have been told since I was little to not be on my phone while I drive. I know that others were told the same, yet people still are on their phones. With technological advancements in vehicles around the ‘Hands-Free’ ability, it gives even less of and excuse to be on your phone. Phones and cars can be paired so that you can make a call or send a text without even looking at your phone. Yet, I still see crashes because of texting and driving, it makes no sense. So back to the solution, because you can’t outlaw phones, that would not work. You can’t make phones and cars smart because the people using them aren’t. So, what is the solution? You have to be careful. That is the only option. You have to be twice as aware as the other people on the road and you should be able to avoid a crash. You can not rely on others doing their part, but you can rely on yourself. You should not have your phone in reach of you or if it is, try not to look at it. Most people are addicted to their phones whether they admit it or not and this can cause major issues when driving. If you can’t spend 5 minutes without being on your phone, how are you supposed to drive anywhere. So put your phone away and focus on driving. If you absolutely have to send a text or make a call, then use hands-free voice activated commands or just pull over and take care of your business before starting to drive again.

Another option would be to have everyone retake their drivers test on a regular basis. People who don’t pass the test, should have to retake drivers education or at least some form of additional class room instruction. That may help syphon out the bad drivers. I actually highly recommend this idea and I would love to see it become a national law. Every 5 years a driver should have to go in and retake their drivers test to renew their license. Would this completely fix the issue? Definitely not, but it may help with to inform people of the road laws and how you should drive.

In the end, you cannot fix everyone else. There are some possible solutions to attempt to fix the driving issues, but there is no guarantee that any of it would work. You will still have people who break the law and don’t follow rules. Just know that if you are being a safe driver, then you are doing your part.