Drivers – Beware!

It is very important for all drivers to be educated about the dangers of distracted driving and their consequences. Distracted driving causes many fatalities on the roads, and it is the main cause of deaths among teens. Not being fully engaged when getting behind the wheel puts yourself and others in danger. Being knowledgeable on the topic can help promote safer driving habits, and, in turn, causes less wrecks on the road. Some things that can help lower rates of crashes caused by distracted driving include eliminating the use of technology while behind the wheel. In most distracted driving wrecks, a phone is involved. Keeping your phone on “do not disturb” and putting the phone down will benefit yourself and others on the road. Blasting loud music while driving is also a very common reason for wrecks. Listening to loud music can be a distraction while driving because it may cause you to not hear another car’s horn, or it can take your mind off the road entirely. Further, driving while in an emotional state is not safe at all. Emotional can mean when you are excited or in a state of sadness. Either way it can cause your mind to wander behind the wheel, and this is how crashes can occur. It is very important to make sure you are in the right headspace when thinking about driving.

 

A huge experience that changed my life was a car accident. The accident occurred when I was sixteen years old, and only about a week after I had gotten my driver’s license!  I really had not even gotten the chance to experience the whole driving thing before this monstrosity of an event happened. It all occurred when I was sitting at a red light at an intersection with a car in front of me, so off the bat you can tell it could not have been my fault! Well, as I was sitting at the light, I got hit in the back by a school bus.  No, it was not one of the big yellow buses!  It was a smaller private school bus. It still did some major damage though! 

 

The wreck was a complete shock to me, because if I am being honest… I thought if I was ever going to get in an accident, then it would be my fault. Gladly, this one was not on me. The car I was driving was completely totaled, and I also ended up hitting the car in front of me because of the force of impact. Although their car did not have nearly as much damage as mine. It was not even comparable. They still seemed to be more upset than I was about my situation!

 

After everything cooled down and I went home, I took a second to reflect on everything. I realized that things can really change in the blink of an eye, and I should really pay attention to what I have. Things can always get worse, and I always must remember ~ my worst day is better than someone’s best day. Taking things for granted is the last thing I should be doing. I should be happy that I even had a car to wreck. That is a luxury that a lot of people do not have, and that is something I need to keep in mind. 

I can even become a safer driver myself. I have a bad habit of listening to music very loud in the car. Oftentimes, I will notice how loud it is then turn it down, but then I just feel like the music is not loud enough for my listening pleasure. And the music will get turned up again! I know I do not need to have a concert every time I am in the car, but it is very enjoyable. I have been trying to change up this habit because it is so dangerous, and I am making improvements. I have quite a few friends that could also drive a lot safer. I notice that a few of them will be on their phone while driving, whether that is texting, looking at directions to a location or talking to someone else on the phone.

Either way it is very important to stop those bad habits because it puts them and others on the road at risk. I know it may be difficult to disconnect from our phones every now and then, but there are some circumstances where it is vital that we put the phones down. Behind the wheel is the most important time, being on a phone can take away complete focus off the road. This is when the worst situations can occur.