Changing our Actions though ACT

I admit it. Many times, I have been distracted while driving behind the wheel. Just last week I was interviewed for a job. I got the job and was waiting for the time and date they would give me to start. I was driving and suddenly the company called me. I felt like I needed to answer or else I would seem unprofessional and unavailable. So, I picked up the phone. As I was answering the call, I only had one hand on the wheel while my other hand was pressing the speaker button. My car swerved a little to the right because my eyes were on the phone. I knew how wrong it was and felt guilty. Not only was I physically distracted due to my phone and one hand on the wheel, but also mentally distracted due to having to focus on the conversation I was having and the conditions of the road.

I thought about how I could’ve made a safer approach after the call ended. Something safer would have been pulling to the side of the road when it was safe and turning on my emergency lights to warn other cars. My conversation with the company would have been better because I would be 100% putting all my undivided attention to the call with no other distractions.

This has not been the only instance where I have driven with a distraction. Engaging in interesting conversations while driving with friends, changing my music on Apple CarPlay,, watching something going on in the road, and many other examples. Although we claim to be able to multitask, most of us have gotten incredibly lucky not to crash.

Instead of engaging in those distractions, how can I fix my mistakes? I would tell my friends to save the conversation for later. Changing our music on Apple CarPlay is something that all of us have done at least once, but instead we should put our music on queue before we leave to our destination to avoid reaching for the screen. If I see a crash or fight happening, I should mind my own business and focus on the road because my distraction may cause me to rear bump another car.

In my town of San Diego many instances of distracted driving have occurred. Emani Lawrence, a local survivor, shares her personal eye-opening story about being impacted by distracted driving twice in her life. Lawrence lost her grandmother due to a distracted driver in 2008, and once again in 2021 she was hit by a food delivery driver who admitted to being distracted looking at the delivery app. Due to this experience, Lawrence is now pushing the campaign “Don’t Drive Intoxicated. Don’t Drive Intexticated.” alongside the Triple A automobile club. The goal for this partnership and the campaign is to educate others and bring awareness about the issue by saving lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,142 people died in distracted-related crashes in the U.S. in 2020, accounting for 8.1% of all roadway fatalities. We need to do better and educate others.

Let us examine the three components of distracted driving and how to avoid them.

When driving, we should make a change and apply rules to ACT differently and drive safer. We should have in mind three concepts.

Awareness, Cognitivism, and Touch. Let’s change our actions and ACT differently by avoiding distracted driving.

Let’s be aware of our visual distractions and focus our eyes on the road, pull over to read a text message or find an address, and put our phones on “do not disturb.”

Our cognitivism should allow us to stay focused on the road, keep our emotions in check, and avoid distracting conversations with friends.

Let’s avoid touching things by keeping phones out of reach, avoid reaching for items that are far away, and adjust our seats/mirrors before driving.

When accidentally running into these bad habits, think about the people waiting for at home. They are keeping watch at the clock knowing you’ll be here any minute, or they are expecting you to arrive later on. They love you so much and they would hate for you to not make it home safe. Although sometimes we think that sending a “quick” little text will not hurt, that quick second could change your life drastically. Let us do better and change our distracted driving habits. Now, how will you change your bad driving habits?