Distracted Driving Essay

Distracted Driving

Imagine this, you wake up for work on a Monday and you realize you are almost late. You rush yourself as fast as you can to get dressed, brush your teeth, and grab a small greek yogurt you had stored in the refrigerator. Grabbing the keys to your car is the last thing before heading out the door, and so you quickly start the vehicle once you are in. Down the road you grab your phone that is connected to the auxiliary cord to play that daily morning wake up song, but did you know in that meantime you just took your eyes off the road for about maybe 3 seconds? That does not sound like a whole lot of time, but by doing so, you are putting your life in huge jeopardy. Life is too short to risk it that way. What are the
chances that you could have crashed, missed a stoplight/stop sign, or even go over the speed limit and gamble someone’s life and possibly even yours? Everyone should stay safe behind the wheel, so being distracted in any possible way while driving is dangerous.

“Driver distraction is a national problem.
Talking on a cell phone or texting causes drivers to lose their focus, often with deadly consequences. Driving is not a time to multitask, especially if the driver is a teenager. Nearly 28 percent of all vehicle crashes can be tied to talking on a cell phone or texting..” (Jackson). About ⅓ of the car crashes in the United States are caused by either texting or talking on the phone, which in other words is described as multitasking. Having one hand on the wheel while driving is already risky itself. Ever seen someone also controlling the wheel with only their knee? In most cases, whether they want to text with both hands instead of one, society decides to drive with that particular body part. You rarely see this happen though due to those who have more of the experience handling the wheel, yes pretty impressive, but totally dangerous no matter what. How about conversing with the passenger while driving and looking at whoever is in that seat when doing so? This is one of the many common distractions that is used, but you would think that people are always “keeping their eyes on the road.” Technology is growing dramatically by the minute in which you do not realize what is really going on around the world, you are so fascinated by the small GPS screen that is used to direct you to the address you punched in, but yet another distraction. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) estimates that “driver distraction plays a role
in 25 to 30 percent of the roughly 1.2 million car crashes in the United States each year [source:Stutts]. The greater number of devices in your car, from cell phones to GPS navigators to onboard entertainment systems, the greater the distraction possibilities.” NETS also realized that when drivers “mute the device they increase their distraction level -- without the voice commands, drivers spent more time looking at the screen than the road.” [source: Smart Motorist]. Such distractions like all these makes it almost impossible to drive without doing something extra because who does not want to change the station to a better one or simply take a sip of some coffee in the morning, but versus reality, it is either up to the safety of resisting your eyes on other things or choosing to wind up in a negative position, which would not be a pretty picture.

Imagine the distraction of both the driver and the passenger if they both have their eyes off the road, either the driver and/or the passenger could seriously be injured in a car crash as the outcome. Forbes website says that back “ in 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010. For drivers 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes, 21% of the distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cellphones.” (Disalvo). The generation of today is most likely to be found using some time of electronical device, mainly anywhere and anytime. By that alone, why not use it while driving since the teens of right now are also starting to learn to drive at that age. They are new to the danger that can possibly occur, yes, you learn as you go, but should not result and find the answer through an injury caused by a collision with another vehicle. The parents of any teenager should inform warnings and facts about the many dangers that are caused while being distracted behind the wheel; this can build a much stronger generation, physically and mentally in their lives with such valuable teachings.
As stated before, everyone should stay safe while driving, just because the available seat beat that is within the vehicle is strapped around the human body does not mean the complete safety for a person.
Life is a great chance to live, and to risk it by being on any cellular device, GPS, or even tuning the radio to a favorite station while driving, is not a way to end your life if so. Driving is a worthy key to transport easily to a designated area and is not a time to be disturbed by other things rather than focusing on the road: yes, any stoplights or stop signs count as well. In any case, the passenger is just as important as the driver. There should be more laws to prohibit the distractions caused while driving. If whom reading this does not agree about more safety laws, then prevent a crash by simply turning off any cell phone, GPS device, and even the radio before driving a vehicle to be more assure of not only the driver’s safety but also the others who tag along. Society should realize that being distracted for only the fewest seconds on the road can wind up to be the depending of one’s
life.