Does our State do Enough to Prevent Distracted Driving?

Driving is one of the things every person has to do in their daily lives. Concurrently, it's one of the most dangerous risk taking things that a human has to do. According to The Zebra, “Nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured daily in accidents in which at least one driver was distracted.” People get distracted by taking their eyes of the road, taking their hands off the wheel, or taking their mind of driving. Most people drive distracted in some type of ways, and they are the only ones who can stop this.

More than 330,000 people each year die from a car crash that has texting and driving involved (TeenSafe.com). This is a major problem that needs to be solved. There are people who drive and use their cellphone, and put themselves at risk and others. There are also people who don't text and drive, and always take caution. Their day could be ruined by someone who chooses to use their cell phone while they drive.

According to Todd Palumbo, “ The average speed in the U.S. is 55 mph (88.5 km/h), which means taking your eyes off the road for five seconds is equivalent to driving with your eyes closed for the entire length of a football field. Imagine what could happen in that short amount of time. Any person could swerve into someone else, hit a tree, or a person could be crossing the road. All because someone decides to take their eyes off the road. Three years from now, almost one million people will get into an accident due to cell phones.

Some people believe that they feel a high degree of pressure to respond to work related messages while driving. They need to understand that no matter how pressured you feel to answer, it can wait. If it is that big of an emergency, then they could pull over and park the vehicle then respond. According to TheZebra.com, “ Parents with young children were more likely to be distracted while driving (87%) than were adults with no small children (74%).” That to me is one of the scariest statistics. Parents are willing to put their own selves and their small child at risk. The baby has no say, it has such a long life ahead of them. Parents and people in general need to realize that life can change in a split of a second if they take their eyes off the road.

Many people believe that talking on the phone while driving is much safer than texting. It may seem like it's safe because they can still keep their eyes on the road, but in reality two major distractors are going on. When most people talk on the phone, they hold their phone in their hand, and they only have one hand on the wheel. This could cause them to swerve and crash and injure themselves or others. Also, they are not only taking their hands off the wheel but they are taking their minds off the road. When a person is on the phone, they are focusing and listening to the person on the phone, and not their surroundings. Even if a person uses the speaker in their vehicle to talk on the phone, they still aren't one hundred percent focused.

Another big issue is eating and drinking while driving. According to Jamie Locher and Owen Mortiz, “A new study shows a staggering 80% of all car accidents and 65% of near misses are caused by distracted drivers more focused on their burgers than the road.” Many of these people who eat and drive are coming straight from the drive through. Hundreds and hundreds of people going through some type of fast food drive through to grab a quick thing to eat. Many people don't know how distracting it really is. Their hands are off the wheel, and they are focusing on eating. A person could drop their food or spill their drink on a bump in the road, and begin to clean it up in a panic. Many people do not see this as a distraction, but it is one that can be easily eliminated.

Driving under the influence is one of the last major distractions. According to The Issue, “Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes—that's one person every 48 minutes”. People who choose to drink and drive could make so many better choices than to risk their own lives and others. When a person is drunk, they most likely get drowsy, their attention isn't in focus fully, and their coordination is off. Many people believe that just because they only had a few drinks, that they are fine. About 20% of nighttime and weekend drivers test positive for drugs, with 12.6% of those drivers testing positive for THC, according to the NHTSA study. Driving high is not any better than driving drunk as some people think. Teenagers and adults need to realize that just one drink or drug can affect a person's ability to drive.

Distracted driving is a very serious problem that more and more people are starting to realize. There have been many solutions proposed and attempted, but nothing will truly demolish this problem but people themselves. One of the biggest distractions, texting and driving, has tried to be solved in many ways. There is an app called “OnMyWay”, that will pay a person five cents for every mile they drive without going on their phone. If a person tries to text or call while they are driving, they don't get any money. If a person tries to call or text them while they are driving, the app sends an automatic message saying “ I'm driving with OnMyWay and getting paid cash for every mile I don't drive and text. I will text you back when I get to where I am going” At first this seemed like a very good idea, but many people will use this for a short amount of time before deleting it. This app may stop people from texting and driving, but it does not eliminate many of the other distractions.

Eating and driving is one of the distractions that no person is going to solve but the person who does is their selfs. Everyday a person drives and passes a fast food place and gets the urge to stop. People love fast food because of the drive throughs and that its food that they can get quickly to eat on the go. Most people who get their food, don't wait until they are home to eat it because they are distracted by the good smell in their car. Nothing is going to stop a person from eating and driving. People who do need to realize that a cheeseburger is not worth their life or anyone else's. The solution is to go into that restaurant and sit down to eat, or wait until their parked at their destination no matter how hungry one can be.

People who drive under the influence are at a much higher risk for a fatal crash. Many people will drink and think that they are okay to drive, but don't realize that just one drink can affect them. Not one person can say that their are “experienced enough” to drink and drive. There are so many things that a person could do to avoid driving under the influence. They could call a friend to pick them up, or call a taxi to get a ride to the place they need to be. They need to find another option other than driving themselves. Only a person's own actions can stop bad things from happening.

In conclusion, nothing in this world will be able to stop people from distracted driving. A person will do so as they please, until one day something serious happens. As a society, we can try our hardest to open up people's eyes before a fatal crash happens. Not one person is experienced enough, and never will a person be. Those who drive distracted need to open their hearts and realize that a text, a phone call, a burger, and driving drunk is not worth human life.

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