Worth The Risk

Driving is one of the most multitasking activities someone can do. You have to pay attention to the road, look out for other cars, you have to watch your speed, be ready to break, watch lights, watch for different road signs telling you what to do, and so much more. While at the same time most of us are trying to get the right song to play off of Spotify, or having to change radio stations because all they are playing are commercials. Not to mention constantly fixing temperature controls because it gets too hot and then too cold. Maybe even carrying on a casual conversation with the passenger next to us or a not-so-casual argument with the people in the back. The bottom line is when you’re driving you’re already occupied with a million different things. So what is the point of adding one more meaningless distraction that can wait till the car is off and shifted to park?

Technology today is so advanced that most cars have Bluetooth and hand-free driving features to help you stay more focused on the road. Yet even with all the bells and whistles that cars have, most people still can’t resist seeing the most recent text, Instagram notification, or snap chat they receive. I understand that it can be difficult to set up and sync your phone with your car, but not being lazy, having some patience, or even asking for help really isn’t that hard to do. When you look at what is to be gained by taking advantage of your car’s safety features, I think it is a lot easier than it sounds.

Let’s say you are driving around a piece of metal that is only really capable of getting you from point A to point B. This car’s air conditioning is rolling the windows down and is having a good day when the one radio station that is still working decides to come in. Nothing wrong with that, you might just have to take a different approach to hands-free driving that doesn’t include fancy Bluetooth. The easiest thing to do is to simply flip a switch to silence your phone that way you do not hear the constant ringing. Another thing you can do is throw your phone to the passenger seat or into the glove box if your willpower is not the strongest. Out of sight out of mind, and out of reach when you are driving.

In reality, we all know that most teenagers underage drink. The problem is many of these teenagers make the active decision to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. I think it is safe to say most people assume they will be fine and all good to drive so long as they feel sober enough to do so. This should never be the mindset of an individual when they are not only putting themselves at risk but anyone who might be a passenger in the car or another driver on the road.

The number of available opportunities that don’t include an intoxicated person driving is plentiful. For example, there are diving services such as Uber and Lift that are just a few taps on your phone away, you could always call a friend, a sibling, or even the most unfavored…….a parent to come to pick you up. While you might not want to get caught underage drinking by your mother or father I almost guarantee it’s better than getting pulled over or getting in a life-threatening accident, because in those two situations there is a lot more at stake in the consequences.

Your actions have an effect on the people around you, that includes your friends, family, and even strangers. Imagine having to deal with a tragedy because the ping notification on a phone was too tempting to resist, or you thought you were capable of driving the five minutes back to your house after a night of drinking. The urge to look at the new text can be hard to withstand. Especially when most people these days are attached to their phones like it’s an extra organ they could not live without. Not to mention the fact that as teenagers we think we are invincible and can do whatever we want. When you weigh the potential consequences with what is to be gained by looking at a simple text or just making a simple phone call to get a ride, I think it is easy to decide the worth between the two.