Friday Night Lights

The Barnwell Warhorses running back Tyler Smith catches the ball at the 10 yard line. He takes off running and no one from the other team is in sight. You can hear the announcer yelling into the loud speaker that he is at the 20, the 30, the 40 yard line! The crowd goes wild as he avoids the tackles from the opposing team members. He is now at the 50 yard line. The fans are on their feet, screaming and cheering as the announcer yells, “HE’S GOING ALL THE WAY!” And as Tyler runs into the end zone the referee throws up both hands for a Warhorse Touchdown! The cheerful noise from the stands are deafening and that “100 yard touchdown” will be forever remembered!

Football is a sport that brings people together with feelings of belonging, loyalty, and passion. Friday Night Lights are a BIG deal in our SMALL town. The football field at the WW Carter Stadium in Barnwell, South Carolina is a place where memories are made every Friday night and has been for many years. It is 100 yards of blood, sweat, tears, cheering, bragging rights, and making friendships that will last a lifetime!

However, did you know that 100 yards (the length of that same football field where so many memories are made) is also the amount of time that it takes for a driver going 55 mph to take their eyes off the road to read and respond to a quick text? Would you ever get in your car going 55 mph and close your eyes for 5 seconds? Well if you use your phone while driving to find and play music, look up a contact to call a friend, or read and send a quick text that is essentially what you are doing.

Our lives as teenagers is full of distractions. Trying to juggle friends, school, homework, jobs, sports, and family causes everyone to be tired, overwhelmed and distracted. Add driving around a 2 ton car on a road with hundreds of other drivers going 55 mph to the mix can immensely add to the dangers of driving distracted.

According to resources, teen drivers are 4 times more likely to get into car accidents than adults and one out of every 4 accidents in the US is caused by texting and driving. And while it is true that cell phones and driving do not mix well for any age group, it is most dangerous for teen drivers because they are inexperienced. Teens have enough to pay attention to while on the road so these few tips will go a long way in helping them stay safe and focused on the road.

Tip # 1 – Use a hands free device such as a speaker phone or voice commands. The Driving Focus or Siri, to name a few, can help you stay focused on the road. These can read messages to you and you can reply by using only your voice. They also provide an automated message to others that you are driving but you can still receive “urgent” messages depending how you set your notifications up.

Tip # 2 – Use a “Driver Mode” or “Airplane Mode” to limit use while driving.

Tip # 3 – Use a “Do Not Disturb While Driving Mode” that locks the phone screen, blocks incoming texts, sends automatic text responses, and limits incoming calls.

Tip # 4 – Use apps and settings aimed at reducing cellphone distractions while driving. Drivemode Dash, OnMyWay, and Safe 2 Save are all apps that can be downloaded to send out autoreplies while driving. The Safe 2 Save app uses an incentive program to encourage drivers not to text while driving by earning 2 points for every minute of save driving. You can redeem those points at your favorite, local participating businesses.

Tip # 4 – Enroll in a “Driving Distracted” simulation class. These simulations use Virtual Reality and computers to simulate “real-life” situations such as using the radio, driving intoxicated, using your cell phone, and the consequences that emerge from driving distracted. A popular scenario goes as follows:

You pick up your best friend who needs a ride to school. Distractions are everywhere. You are aware of kids walking on the sidewalk pushing each other and playing close to the road. You see big, yellow school buses making frequent stops and picking up kids. Your pride yourself on being safe and cautious. But now your stomach growls and you are thirsty! You grab your muffin that your mom packed for you and drink some of your coffee before it gets cold. Your mom sends you a picture of the cutest prom dress that just got restocked at the local boutique and you grab your phone to show your best friend. What you didn’t see was the school bus in front of you stopped and you forcefully crash into the back of that bus filled with innocent, primary school aged children on their way to school.

These simulation classes take you on a journey through injuries from the children, to your passenger and possibly to yourself. It also takes you through the court system, costs of the injuries, insurance costs and any criminal charges should any of your actions have caused severe harm or worse…death. They are eye openers to those who attend.

Most teens are considered “phone addicts”. Adults use them periodically when needed. They tend to use them at stoplights, waiting in fast food lines, and when bored at home. However teens were born with this technology in hand. Teens driving while using cell phones are our generation’s drunk driving. We are conditioned to having these devices next to us throughout the day. We become dependent on them in every aspect of our lives and it is just plain difficult to put them down-even while driving. Teens and adults alike need to make sure they are doing all they can to make driving a safe and pleasurable experience. We cannot continue to drive BLIND and that is what we are doing when driving and using our cell phones.

And always remember that football fields such are for championship games, homecoming kings and queens, and memories to last a lifetime…not for looking at your phone and driving so distracted that it could take away YOUR lifetime.