The Driving Trap: Combatting Distracted Driving

For as long as I can remember, my father has been somewhat of a distracted driver. As a lawyer and father of four, every minute of my dad’s life has to be devoted to something productive to ensure everything gets done. My dad is such a role model for me because of his strength and perseverance to complete everything he takes on. Whether it was answering a phone call with only one hand on the wheel or shooting a quick text to a client, my dad has not been the best at staying completely focused on the road. I remember always telling him “the light is green,” offering to quiz my sister on her study guide instead of him, or offering to type his message for him while he drove. I used to be so frustrated and couldn’t understand why it was so hard to stay off of his phone. Seeing such a strong person make driving mistakes that we learn from a young age to not fall prey to was definitely hard to comprehend.

Going to the dentist has always been an extremely stressful situation for me. However, in January 2022, the journey back from a pretty successful visit made getting my six month checkup an even more daunting experience. While changing lanes, I forgot to turn over my shoulder to check my blind spot. At that moment, I believed simply checking my side view mirror was sufficient enough to confirm I could change lanes safely. In a split second, a car that I hadn’t seen in my rear sped up to being on my left side. Our side view mirrors collided violently. I quickly corrected into my lane and the other driver and I moved to a nearby parking lot to assess the damage to our vehicles. Fortunately, the other driver’s mirror wasn’t damaged at all and she completely understood that I was a new driver that made a simple mistake. However, my vehicle wasn’t as lucky as hers. My left side view mirror was bent down and a big chunk of the plastic chipped off. The police weren’t called and insurance didn’t have to be involved, but most importantly, neither of us were injured in the accident. This was a horrifying experience that really shook me up. Every time I drive to and from the dentist I am reminded of this unfortunate accident. The chip in my mirror serves as another reminder to check my blind spot and make the conscious decision to be a safer and more focused driver.

As a driver of 2 years, I now understand how easy it is to become a distracted driver. There are many factors that contribute to distracted driving such as eating, having the music up too loud, and conversing with passengers. While it isn’t easy to admit, With my busy senior year schedule I had no time for breakfast in the morning, so I resorted to eating in the car. This prevented me from keeping two hands on the wheel. I enjoy listening to music but my old car had an outdated system that caused me to have to use my phone to change the song. These, and many other small decisions, made me realize I had started to compromise my safety and the safety of others on the road. Each little decision added to my distractedness on the road. Over the summer I have made the conscious decision to improve my driving and reduce distractions on the road. For example, I employed better time management skills to ensure I can eat before I leave the house. Additionally, I make sure to program the playlist I want to listen to before I pull out of my driveway. These changes may be small but together, they have made me a safer driver. One habit I’m still working towards breaking is turning to talk to my passenger or looking at something they show me. My friend commented on this habit very recently. Her comment shocked me because I hadn’t realized how significant of a distraction passengers can be.

According to the Center for Disease Control, deaths from distracted driving are decreased by 21% when passenger numbers are reduced. While incredibly shocking, this statistic shows that passengers can be a large factor in distracted driving. I plan to make a conscious effort to reduce conversations with passengers. Reducing conversations will prevent distractions caused by having a friend or family member in the car. Giving future passengers a warning before I leave for our destination is the first step in reducing distractedness. In this warning I would state, “I’ve noticed I tend to be distracted when I have passengers in my vehicle, so please help me keep myself accountable by reducing our conversations until we arrive at our destination.” Most of my passengers are close friends or family members so I trust that they will want what’s best for me. Being a relatively new driver, becoming a safer driver that makes more informed decisions about my driving habits is best for me.

It was very easy to judge when observing my dad’s unsafe driving habits. However, becoming a driver myself made me realize how susceptible we all are to becoming distracted at the wheel. Keeping attention on the road and other cars around you is so important to ensure the safety of yourself, your passengers, and all other drivers and passengers on the road around you. I think promoting a positive change in your community, especially among young people, is begun by breaking my own bad habits. Seeing a fellow young adult break a dangerous habit motivates a young person to do the same. I believe many young people follow trends and things that are popular in the media. Therefore, a social media campaign showing young people the positive effects of reducing distracted driving would be extremely impactful. Making a conscious effort to break bad habits is not always easy, but I believe the effort is worth it and essential to doing my part to reduce preventable accidents.