Distracted driving affects us all

A significant problem that plagues teenagers my age is unsafe driving. Whether it be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or driving recklessly and in the wrong mindset, so many people my age end up getting hurt because of unsafe driving. With the scholarships I am applying to currently, I am seeing several memorial scholarships surrounding the tragedies of high school students getting in these preventable and unfortunate accidents. The best thing I can do to help with this is ensuring that my friends and I follow all the rules of safe driving. Driver’s education is the best and most up to date way to learn the rules of safe driving.

Social media and texting are two of the largest distractions of my generation. I find myself checking my phone all too often when I am sitting and doing homework or when I am reading a book. It is a habit that all teenagers seem to struggle with, and this habit does not stop at home. The unfortunate reality of the situation is that the need to frequently check for texts or notifications can carry into when people are driving on the road. It is imperative that when driving, the focus is on the road instead of on the phone, especially for teenagers who are still learning and gaining experience driving. Many of my friends who drive often keep their phones away from the driver’s seat, so the temptation is not there to glance at the phone. I personally have a wallet case, so I make it a point to close my case and either give it to someone else or put it out of reach so I will not even think about looking at my phone while driving. However, a situation that I do often run into is people changing the songs playing on their phones while driving or while at a red light. While not a text or a phone call, music platforms and apps such as these still are distractions while driving. I have watched people skip songs to find a different one to play or search through the phone for the right playlist when they should have their attention on the road. To help combat this, I often offer to find a different song for them on their phone or skip through the playlist until a desired song comes on, as it both solves the issue at hand and the driver continues to focus on the road rather than her phone. 

Furthermore, several more recent vehicles have screens where the phone can connect to them. In theory, this is a good idea to get people away from looking at their phone screens, but, notifications from your phone being displayed on the vehicle screen is simply another form of distraction. Movement on the screen encourages people to take their eyes away from the road to look at who sent them a text or a direct message, which wastes precious seconds where something bad could happen with focus directed away from driving. To eliminate this distraction, it is best to not connect the phone’s notifications and calls to the vehicle itself. The best way to answer a phone call or check messages is to pull over, and while it may seem like an inconvenience, pulling over is the much-preferred solution to getting in a car accident because attention was diverted away from driving. Without notifications being displayed from social media, calls, and social media on the vehicle display screen, a great number of distractions are immediately eliminated. This allows for all a person’s attention to be focused on safe driving rather than what is happening in a group chat. 

I have seen how phones directly lead to distracted driving through watching people I know struggle with this very problem. I have luckily never been in an accident because of distracted driving, but I have heard several instances about where that has happened. Distracted driving needs to be put to a stop, and I hope to do my part in preventing these very serious accidents by advising my friends on safe driving habits and practicing these habits myself. Opportunities are plentiful to take drivers education classes, whether it is through a private driving school, a company like AAA, or through the local school system. All teens should take advantage of these educational venues, to learn or be reminded of the safe driving rules, the devastating results of distracted driving, and to make the roads safer for everyone.