Name: Chibuzor Onyeahialam
From: Houston, Texas
Votes: 2
“When
are you getting your license?” “We are going to be the coolest
when you start driving, no more riding the bus for us.” These were
some of the statements I heard from my friends when I was in the
process of acquiring the laminated piece of plastic that would enable
me to legally operate the mechanical beasts formally known as cars.
There are not enough teenagers that care about the dangers associated
with driving, most of us just care about the aesthetics.
Most
teenagers these days have seen the public service announcements about
avoiding texting and driving but choose to ignore them because it is
not “cool” to get off your phone. Texting while driving is
responsible for 1.6 million car crashes each year. Texting while
driving is 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving
drunk. Yet teenagers will still pull out our mobile devices while
hitting seventy miles an hour on a freeway to record a Snapchat or
Instagram video of them lip-syncing to whatever song is trending at
the time. Although technology has advanced tremendously it also seems
to be one of our biggest downfalls. Another cause of accidents that
can easily be solved is fatigue. Driving while drowsy causes an
average of 83,000 car accidents a year. Teenagers tend to be tired
after school and most stay on their phones until three am in the
morning and must operate a vehicle at 7 am to get to school. Human
beings need about 8 hours of sleep.
In
my junior year of high school, one of my friends was driving home at
night with his dad and aunty. Since it was late, they were all tired,
so while he was driving down the dark narrow road his eyes must have
started shutting themselves. He swerved into a tall streetlight and
everyone in the car died at the hospital. This experience taught me
that driving responsibly does not only include getting off your phone
but also making sure you are getting enough sleep.
Before
you get behind a steering wheel your phone should be on do not
disturb. This will cut off communication from the outside world by
turning off your notifications and keeping you focused on the road.
If you are tired take a quick nap if possible before getting behind
the wheel of a car. Also, try some coffee. Since teenagers are always
driving distracted social media public service announcements would
need to be made to explain the effects of driving unsafely so that we
can help to reduce the fatalities.
Driver
education is the key to staying safe while on the road. I want to
challenge you to adhere to these tips and tell your friends these
safety tips as well. Drivers are not perfect, and accidents can
always happen at no fault of your own but making better choices
before hopping behind a steering wheel will help make the world a
safer place.