Put My Uncle Out of Business

Cael Grotenhuis DmvEdu.org Essay

Gone in an instant. A young life taken too soon. Parents mourning. Communities grieving. I didn’t have to be like this. The call can wait, the text can wait, the snapchat notification can be ignored for another twenty minutes. The cute girl doing the WAP dance on TikTok can be viewed another time. Texting and social media use while driving is a pervasive problem, especially amongst teenage drivers. Teens feel they are invincible, they can read that latest text and keep their eyes glued to the road at the same time. WRONG! A car is a two-ton missile driving down the road, it’s a recipe for disaster.

According to the National Safety Council, distracted driving kills eight people every day, and injures 1000 more. 1.6 million crashes each year are related to distracted driving and nearly 1 in 4 traffic accidents are due to distracted driving. My aunt and uncle own an auto body shop and I hear from them all the time that cell phones have been the best thing to happen to their business since deer. I’d love to put my aunt and uncle out of business!

What is the solution? It’s complicated, the solution needs to be multi-layered. In my essay, I will attempt to outline a strategic plan to help reduce unnecessary deaths and accidents due to distracted driving.

First, it’s education. In my opinion, it cannot be rammed down our throats like the “Just Say No” campaign, students need to feel the power of tragedy without it happening. Last winter, I was asked to participate in a program called Impact 4 Life. This program would bring a realistic experience to the students of Slinger High School. It involved creating a mock crash scene, mock fatalities, mock injuries, and even included medical helicopters, ambulances, and a funeral. I was asked to be a part of the program because I was deemed influential to my peers.

The program lasts an entire school day. The “grim reaper” enters a classroom and reads an obituary, written by parents, then pulls the student out of the room. Eight students are taken from the school. Each one represents a person killed by inattentive driving. In the afternoon, students assemble at the mock accident scene and watch as first responders work furiously to pull bodies from the wreckage. It’s powerful, it’s moving, it’s humbling. Students are pulled out and placed in ambulances and helicopters. Tears can be seen streaming down the faces of students, parents, and teachers. I was eager to be a part of this program because I have witnessed the impact it can make.

Second, technology can help. According to statistics, there are over 2.5 million apps available on Android and nearly 2 million on Apple. There are safe driving apps available and some that even pay users money to keep their phone locked while driving. Getting these apps installed and used is important. Maybe the devices could come pre-loaded with these apps. One app, DriveSmart, blocks all other apps from being used while driving and sends text message replies back to let senders know that the person is driving and cannot respond. Insurance companies could use similar apps to reward safe driving by giving cash back rebates on insurance to users who use the app successfully. Large corporations could team up and give rewards for good driving. Coca-Cola, for example, could offer coupons for free drinks for a certain number of miles of safe driving. As cars get smarter and smarter, it makes us feel safer but, at the same time, we rely too much on the safety of the car and less on our attention to the road. It’s a slippery slope!

Finally, legislation can be enacted to curb inattentive driving. According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), many states have made efforts to reduce cell phone use while driving. Twenty-five states have banned handheld use of phones while driving. Thirty-six states ban ANY use of cell phones by drivers 18 and younger. The consequences for using phones illegally vary greatly by state. Determining appropriate consequences can be difficult. Kids make mistakes and we don’t want to be too harsh with laws but at the same time, we want there to be impactful consequences that force people to make better decisions.

Ultimately, we need to rely on each other. We need to stop being so dependent on our phones. If you know your friends are traveling, don’t text them. It takes a village to raise a child. Adults need to set the example, we need to be partners on the path to the elimination of distracted driving. Let’s work together to put my aunt and uncle out of business!