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One look, one moment, one mistake is all it takes to destroy a life or the life of an innocent bystander. In fact, over 390,000 lives are affected in the U.S yearly from a distracted driver. Texting and driving can lead to a long list of broken dreams and broken hearts and every accident resulting from distracted driving is completely preventable. I will never forget a man in my community who was biking on an elevated path with a fence between the cars and bikers. While he was enjoying his ride on a beautiful Sunday morning assuming his complete safety, a woman distracted by her phone flew up the embankment through the chain link fence and killed this innocent father of two. Lives were ruined, families were devastated and our community was broken. Can anyone feel safe from people who turn their phones into lethal weapons? Teenagers are at the greatest risk of being involved in these types of driving accidents and I believe it is this group who needs to be targeted in order for change to occur. It is our job as a society to provide education to our children and although campaigns have been made about texting and driving, more education needs to be done on a more regular basis in our schools.
My generation doesn’t want to miss a moment. We want to be in the know all the time and the best way to do that is through our devices. As a result, we’re always on a device and can’t bare to put them down. Why are we behaving as if we are addicted to a device? It’s difficult for a teen to separate needed and unneeded technology while driving. For example the need for GPS versus answering texts or looking at twitter often blends together as our “normal” and “necessary” behavior. I recognize the struggles I face as a driver, as well as a passenger. There are dangerous implications that can affect anyone caught in the line of fire of these devices. As I sit next to a driver, I often find myself getting ready to brace or grab the wheel when the driver becomes distracted by their device. In addition, other cars on the road can be even more worrisome. There are multiple situations I find myself on the road in which I fear I am left helpless.
I am inspired by an organization called End Distracted Driving, created by parents whose daughter passed away in 2009 by a distracted driver. They now dedicate their lives to educating and ending distracted driving by raising awareness through presentations and having a website to give resources about this epidemic. I think about this girl who was just my age and had her whole life ahead of her. From there I imagine this type of situation happening within my family and it sickens me. I could never imagine being apart of this type of accident let alone be the reason for ruining lives.
This type of program has proven effective in illustrating a decrease in the number of distracted student driving episodes, lessens the likelihood of going on phones, and reduces the likelihood of being a passenger while someone is distracted. I believe this type of tool would be even more effective if done regularly in order to maintain the impact on the students behavior. By implementing messages as part of our school curriculum or hearing a story each and every day about a life who was ruined by a distracted driver would be a constant reminder of the devastating impacts of texting and driving.
In addition, other opportunities for education must occur both in our homes and through social media. Teenagers should have an open and safe forum to communicate with others about struggles they face within social situations. As peer pressure becomes more prevalent in today’s society, it is more likely a teeneager will make poor or risky decisions, overriding common sense and thought out decisions. There are a multitude of opportunities to send messages to teenagers through social media outlets by utilizing educated mentors to guide conversations. Keeping the lines of communication with teenagers before, during, and after they are faced with difficult situations will help to ensure the safety of them and their friends. Technology has created a wealth of opportunities as well as major problems. It can also be the conduit for positive change if we utilize it properly and work together in channeling problems into solutions.
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