The Car Paralysis Demon

The Car Paralysis Demon

By Angelina Kouy

Why is texting while driving dangerous, you may ask?

To put it simply, humans are incapable of focusing on one task if there are distractions. Texting averts your attention on the road. However, many people argue that looking at a text takes a few seconds, and replying to one doesn’t take much effort. Although in those few seconds that you look away from the road, something unpredictable can happen. Those few seconds that you are on your phone, you could save your life and others by braking or swerving out of the accident. Regardless if your eyes are fixated on your phone, you can lose valuable time to avoid an accident.

However, there is a way to break this habit. It’s obvious, but one of the best ways to practice safe driving is by putting your phone away; keeping your eyes on the road, and your hands on the steering wheel. Nowadays, the demographic year that has a difficult time concentrating are millennials since they heavily rely on their phones. If you think about it, you have already created a habitual habit when you enter a car. It is like second nature to you, you enter your car and you immediately put on your seatbelt and lock your doors. So, if you are able to do that then it is possible for you to put your phone away when driving. The main focus to take away is that it needs to be a routine. If you look at it as a different outlook, it is creating a new healthy habit for you to break away from potentially killing someone or getting into a significant car accident.

Making new habits can be challenging for others. To form a new habit it takes a total of at least 21-27 days. The key is to stay consistent with this plan, burn it into your brain, and have it become second nature. It is imperative to talk to your friends about it to make sure that you hold each other accountable. So, if you know that you are driving and your friend is texting, there’s no need to reply to them; unless it is an emergency, then pull over in a safe location and see what is up. Stick to the habit and do not give in to the temptation; remind yourself of the benefits this has.

Ideally, it is best to completely turn off your phone or let others know that you are driving. For iPhones, we all know what “Do Not Disturb” does; it has new settings too. So, since it is a new feature, it is helpful to implement that. That way there are no distractions when you’re in the car – no notifications, picking out tunes, or browsing through social media…admit if everyone has done it once in their life, no one is perfect. For example, if you are using the GPS to help you get to your destination, install “Do Not Disturb” it will save your life and not put others at risk.

Power comes with responsibility. Depending on the state you live in, you are fined or jailed with the severity. If you are caught texting while driving, you will be fine. However, if you cause a server accident, it can conclude to state jail time. Furthermore, counting on how bad the accident is, you can possibly face up to five years in prison.

“About 400 fatal crashes happen each year as a direct result of texting and driving. That number increases to over 30,000 when you consider distracted driving as a whole, according to the NHTSA.”

Stopping while driving distracted begins with each of us, we are held accountable for our own actions. To make this world a better and safer place, we must obey the laws. Make a commitment, you can’t control other drivers, but you can control yourself. You drive the car, the car does not drive you. However, knowing the risk is not enough! Even though we know it we still choose to ignore it. So, don’t fall victim to that and become part of the statistics. Remember that texting while driving can kill. Keep your hands on the wheel at all times, your eyes on the road. We must force ourselves to control our impulses to use our phone, so STOP TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!