distracted driving

The day has arrived. I got my driver’s license. Freedom at last! Now having my independence, I can run errands, drive to school myself, and drive for community services. Getting around town in a moving vehicle is a risk not many pay attention too. Being a passenger long before in the driver seat, I was unsure how many drivers were allowed in the vehicle at all with all the careless driving, but now having my driver license, I understood the thrill of speeding down the highway. The excitement felt as the wind blows in the driver’s hair. And there is one thing I’d like to keep in mind as I drive through the winding roads. We shouldn’t wait for the accidents to happen to educate people about distracted driving. Rather it should be taught to people before they are granted permission to sit behind the wheel.

A device so small yet so powerful can destroy lives within an instant, the phone. Glancing at the phone while driving is not the only distraction available. Allowing easily distracted humans who don’t do too good of a job multitasking, to speak on the phone while driving, is a deadly problem. Phones should always be banned from being near the driver while driving, even hands free. Drivers should not be allowed to have their phones in eyes view while the car is in motion, or even at a light.

Having seen the harrowing effects on not only the victim, but also the family members of the victims of car accidents, increases the attentiveness on the streets. Entering the room filled with energetic kids was all it took to bring a smile to Sarah’s downcast face. Feeling alone and neglected while her mother was sick in the hospital, Sarah loved attending I-shine, a program to help children with sick family members, where the focus of the night was to make her shine. Being buddies with Sarah, it was hard to find neutral topics to discuss that won’t lead to negative feelings. Watching her delight over every activity made volunteering at I-shine both rewarding and meaningful. Seeing the lasting impression having a family member in and out of the hospital leaves on a person, especially a child, opened by eyes to the danger around us. Illness and disease may be one thing that is not in our control, but we have the ability to keep people upright and out of the hospital corridors by not being one of the many distracted drivers on the road.

Passengers and fellow drivers are not the only ones affected by this great risk. Pedestrians and bikers too, face the danger as they pass before any vehicle. Making eye contact with the driver as I stepped off the curb was not part of my subconscious until a particular incident occurred. One day, as I started pushing a stroller across the street, a car in the middle of the intersection started backing up into the stroller. A fellow pedestrian had to bang on the hood of the car to get the driver’s attention and notice anything was amiss. Ever since then, it takes me great effort to walk in front or behind of a car in any intersection. Making eye contact with the driver before getting into the street has become a practice.

As a pedestrian cautiously steps off the curb, a distracted driver unobtrusively pauses a moment to make sure there are no cars, and almost knocks the poor fellow down. Motorists should also be warned of the importance of awareness and should be careful as they narrowly avoid scratching vehicles and should pay more attention the cars surrounding them. Crossing an intersection without a traffic light, a motorist may think he must only look for cars in the first two lanes. Not noticing the motorcycle, a car swipes the driver’s leg. All drivers must have the alertness of a new student driver who has just gotten behind the wheel. The responsibility that must come with the wheel is not taken as seriously as it should be. Tested about their obligations before they are handed their driver’s license, drivers will put into practice what is often known yet not exercised, the caution that must be by the wheel.

Being a passenger as the driver is driving ‘autopilot’ is not one of the most enjoyable experience. Jolting with every turn and quivering every time the car changes lanes makes me wish I were the one in control of the vehicle and more aware of the other cars on the road. Drivers that have their thoughts on things other than the road ahead of them and the cars surrounding them are a hazard and driving on “autopilot” should not be a practice.

If people were made aware of the danger of distracted driving and put their phones away for the duration of the ride, the death rates due to car accidents would drastically go down. Teaching about the importance of mindfulness while on the road should be done before any accidents occur. Distracted driving is a risk to life that we should not be taking.