Distracted driving is one of the top causes of car crashes, especially among younger people. Why do you think it is so hard for people to stop distracted driving? What do you think would be the best solution to this problem? Every year, distracted driving claims thousands of lives across the country. According to the NHTSA, in the year 2018 alone, almost 3,000 lives were lost directly as a result of distracted driving. These incidents have profound impacts on those involved, and many have lost loved ones as a result of this. Those affected aren’t simply vehicle operators, but injuries and deaths attributed to distracted driving are commonly seen in passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and anybody else who unfortunately happens to be in the way.
In order to understand the steps towards a solution to this issue, and to initiate the mitigation of crashes and traffic incidents related to distracted driving, we must first understand the root of the problem itself. Distracted driving can be classified as simply any activity that will take a driver’s attention off of the road. This can range from adjusting the radio, manipulating the air conditioning, or any number of things. However texting is the distraction that has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. In this day and age, technology is ever present and we are connected 24/7. Our cellphones have undoubtedly become an integral part of our daily lives whether we like them or not, and frequently our reliance on them extends into the car.
We commonly use our phones for navigation while driving, but often we’re doing non-essential things like scrolling on social media and texting while we should be focused on the road. Part of the reason that we see such a balloon with the statistics regarding car crashes involving young people is because of the reliance that the new generation has on cell phones. The average teenager in America is on a screen for 7 hours a day according to a national survey performed by Common Sense Media that has been tracking statistics relating to cell phone usage in children ages 8-18.
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Teenagers especially have intricate social connections and access to technology is what allows this to happen. However, the allure and pull of things like social media are commonly distractions on the road for beginner drivers, who not only lack experience but also are increasingly distracted for this exact reason. This feeling of connectedness that teenagers feel and the instant gratification that they can receive by interacting with their phone in some capacity makes cell phone usage a tantalizing prospect whether they are driving or not. To solve this problem we can take advantage of a number of ways to deter usage while driving. A potential solution can be to develop software that can be installed on the phone that makes use of the accelerometer to determine when someone is in a car.
When rapid motion is detected, the phone will still be able to do things like call emergency services, but the user won’t be able to log onto it. This can be disabled beforehand in case somebody is a passenger or on some form of public transportation. Though it’s virtually impossible to eradicate distracted driving completely, we can take steps towards making it less of a problem. Deterring people from doing things on their phone while driving can make a big difference, and by reducing distracted driving accidents we can manage to save countless precious lives.
Works Cited
- [email protected]. “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” NHTSA, 6 Mar. 2020, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving.
- Kamenetz, Anya. “It’s A Smartphone Life: More Than Half Of U.S. Children Now Have One.” NPR, NPR, 31 Oct. 2019, www.npr.org/2019/10/31/774838891/its-a-smartphone-life-more-than-half-of-u-s-children -now-have-one.
