How to Prevent Distracted Driving

Alexis
Randolph

March
25, 2020

Scholarship

How
to Prevent
Distracted
Driving

What
is distracted driving? Distracted driving is driving while taking
part in another activity that takes your attention away from
the road.
It
increases the chance of a motor vehicle accident. Whether it’s
sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation
system, changing the radio station, or eating while driving any of
these distractions can endanger the driver and others. This is why
it’s important to teach those who drive about safety. It
would help to
minimize the risk of accidents by educating the public on what
distracted driving is and how it can be avoided.

In
the U.S, approximately 9 people are killed in car accidents per day
while more than 1,000 are injured in crashes that were reported to
have a distracted driver involved.
Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a
distraction. Though one could say that there are three types of
driving distractions;
such as visual distractions that
take
your eyes off the road, manual distractions that take your hands off
the wheel, and
cognitive distractions that take your mind off of driving. There are
many things that can factor into a distraction and endanger our lives
this
is why education is key.

Many
people already know that driving
while intoxicated is dangerous, an idea that is drilled into people
from high school to
driving school. However, I’ve found that most people I’ve asked
about distractions admitted that although they wouldn’t drink and
drive they didn’t think that distractions such as eating, texting,
and even taking their eyes off the road to get something out of there
bags were even dangerous. Texting while driving is especially
dangerous because it combines all three of the different types of
distractions. When you send or read a text message, you take your
eyes off the road for about 5 seconds. That
is long enough for your car to cover the distance of a football
field while driving at 55 mph.

Drivers
under the age of 20 have the highest percentage of
distraction-related fatal crashes. There are many states that are
enacting laws to ban texting while driving.

They
are also using graduated driver licensing systems for teen drivers to
help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and help
prevent it from occurring. But there are still a lot of people who
are unaware of just how dangerous their actions can be. So it is up
to us as people to educate ourselves and others.
If
you see someone driving recklessly let them know how
they
are putting themselves
at risk and
how they may also be endangering others. We can also practice safe
driving on our own time and lead by example.

Work
Cited

Burgess,
Ted, et al. “Which Is More Dangerous: DUI or
Driving While Using a Cell Phone?” Los
Angeles DUI Lawyer Information, 19 Aug. 2016,
www.losangelesduilawyer.org/los-angeles-dui-info/which-is-more-dangerous-dui-or-driving-while-using-a-cell-phone/.

“Distracted
Driving.” Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 16 Sept. 2019,
www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html.