When your loved ones leave the house and start their car to head to their next destination, do you ever feel a sense of worry that they may not make it all the way? Accidents do happen… However, many of the vehicle accidents that happen in the world today could be prevented by just simply paying attention to the road. While driving there are many distractions such as cell phones, fatigue, food (eating), drunk driving and the list goes on. Today, distracted driving accidents are under-reported as there are many more collisions than what they broadcast on the news. Research shows that 10% of fatal crashes and 15% of crashes involving an injury are from driving distracted. Whether it is you or the next person, most drivers are guilty of entertaining that distraction. In 2013, it was documented that 3,154 were killed in distracted driving related accidents (“Ending Distracted Driving Is Everyone’s responsibility.”). Those statistics speak for themselves, but that leads to the question, are you a distracted driver? There are three main types of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive (“Distracted Driving, Motor Vehicle Safety”).
The first type of distracted driving is visual. As the name implies, visual distracted driving is taking your eyes off of the road. Perhaps the biggest cause of visual distracted driving is texting. Texting is so bad because it actually involves all three types of distracted driving. But, taking your eyes off the road is a big problem. Statistics show that during the day, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones while they are behind the wheel (“U text. U drive. U pay.”). On any given day, an individual can drive down the road and witness people on their phones behind the wheel. Usually, when distracted driving awareness, (such as commercials, billboards, posters) is promoted it involves staying off of your phone, no calls, texts and so on… they say “it can wait”, and rightfully so as cell phone use alone is accounted for 27% of car crashes in 2015 (“Learn the Facts About Distracted Driving”). The problem has become so widespread that the department of motor vehicles is starting to take action. They have now come up with new texting and mobile phone restrictions for commercial motor vehicles. In fact, it is illegal for a CMV driver to text while driving. “The FMCSA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) have published rules specifically prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers and drivers who transport hazardous materials from texting or using hand-held mobile phones.” (“Texting and Driving- Distracted Driving”) There are states that have also taken action in the attempt to eliminate distracted driving. There are states that are “hands free” states. In fact, when we visited my sister who was going to school in North Carolina, the employee at the rental car counter informed us that North Carolina was a hand free state. As a result, not only could you not text while driving, you could not have the phone to your ear and engage in a phone conversation. As of June 2017, “14 states and the District of Columbia have banned drivers from hand-held phone use.” (“Distracted Driving, Motor Vehicle Safety”) It is clear that everyone is aware of the growing problem of texting and driving. Research has shown that when an individual reads or send a texts and takes their eyes of the road for 5 seconds, at 55 miles per hour, it is the same as driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. Many people and organizations are putting hours and hours into trying to lower and eliminate the accidents that are related to texting and driving. In that study, they have come up with some astounding findings. One finding is that “94% of teenagers understand the consequences of texting and driving, but 35% of them admitted that they do it anyway”. Teen drivers have the idea that they are invincible. Therefore, they feel like it will never happen to them. After looking at all the research, it is estimated that teen drivers have a 400% higher chance of being in a car wreck as a result of texting (“Texting and Driving-Distracted Driving”). In order to improve the results of texting and driving, people have to start being responsible drivers and become more aware of their actions behind the wheel. There are ways that drivers can use a mobile phone and be more cautious. One way that a driver can be more responsible is to use an earpiece. A driver can also use voice-activated or one button touch features. With laws being changed, drivers need to be aware of where they are and what the laws are in that area. Penalties can range anywhere from $2750 to $11,000 dollars and possibility of losing your license (“Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration”). We can only hope that with more awareness, people will begin to put down their phones and keep their eyes on the road. We may be able to persuade drivers to do this by raising more awareness to the matter. By raising more awareness people will understand the danger they put everyone in while driving distracted.
The second type of distracted driving is manual. This type of distracted driving involves taking your hands off the wheel. There can be many reasons that a driver takes their hands off the wheel, but the results can be just as catastrophic as taking your eyes off the road. Usually if a driver takes his hands off the wheel it is because they are trying to do something else while driving. Some examples of manual distracted driving is eating or drinking, adjusting your child’s seat belt, smoking, searching through a purse or wallet, and turning knobs. One major reason is eating in the car. Many people are so busy now-a-days they are eating on the run. As a result, they are trying to drive and eat. “A study by Exxon Mobil of 1,000 drivers discovered that 70% of drivers eat while driving and 83% drink beverages when they are on the road” . From this research, they concluded that eating and drinking increases the likelihood of a wreck by 80%. Another study done by Lynx in 2014 found that “a driver who is eating or drinking is 3.6 times more likely to be in an automobile crash” (“Decide to Drive”). There are many ways that an individual can keep from being manually distracted. One way a driver can be responsible is to pull over when a distraction occurs and take care of the issue while parked. Many times, we do not use our passengers to help. If there are other people in the car, ask for help in getting things. A driver also needs to make all adjustments before putting the car into drive and know where dials and knobs are on the car.
The third type of distracted driving is cognitive. Cognitive distracted driving involves taking your mind off of driving. This can be anything from just thinking of different things to impaired cognitive mental state as the result of drugs or alcohol. Some examples of cognitive driving distractions are talking to another passenger, thinking about something upsetting, or even daydreaming. One example of cognitive distracted driving that resulted in the death of a young boy happened in Grand Rapids Michigan. “A 20 year old woman ran a red light while talking on a cell phone” (“Decide to Drive”). Although many people would assume that the driver was looking down if she was on the phone, many witnesses said that the lady was looking straight ahead and never hit the breaks. She was not texting, she was just talking. It was clear that she just was not paying attention. She sped passed four cars before she slammed into the side of the other car that killed a 12 year old boy. Many people say that hands free is the way to go. However, as seen in this story it was not the fact that she had a phone in her hand, it was the fact that she was cognitively distracted. It was a tragic event that could have been prevented if the driver would have been focusing on the road. There are many times that drivers can also experience road rage, this would be an example as well. A Carnegie Mellan University study produced MRI pictures of the brain while participants drove in a simulator. It was proven that in fact our brain cannot multitask. The study found “decreased activity in the area of the brain that processes visual information, the occipital lobe” (“On the Road”). So, even though many people believe they can do multiple things at a time, research has shown otherwise.
However, the one that usually stands out in people’s mind is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For decades, drunk driving was the number one reason for accidents and deaths related to automobile wrecks. It has recently been surpassed by texting and driving; however, that does not mean that is not a major contributor to deaths and injury related to wrecks. Research shows that since 1982 drunk driving accidents involving fatalities has decreased by 51% (“Drunk Driving Fatalities”). Although the decrease in number of death by drunk driving is huge there is still work to be done as we are not ever totally safe from this type of accident. When an individual consumes alcohol, it reduces the functions in the brain. This can cause the driver to become distracted and disoriented. Alcohol is a depressant and as a result, it slows down an individual’s motor skills. As a result, they are no longer in control. “In 2016, there were 10,497 people killed in alcohol related crashes” (Decide to Drive) .Very recently on March 1, 2018, there was a fatal accident in Clear Lake, Texas at four in the morning, a wife and new born baby of three months were out on the road when a SUV slammed into the back of them. It was determined that the accident was the result of two girls who were under the influence of alcohol. It was also discovered that the girls were underage. The two girls reportedly were so drunk that they were not even aware that they had hit another car. They left with minor injuries and later a lifetime of guilt (ABC Houston News). With this situation there is not really a positive outcome. One of the many negative things that stood out was, they should not have been driving. Since the 1980’s laws have become tougher. “A first time offense can cost the driver upwards of $10,000 in fines and legal fees” (Decide to Drive) . Drunk driving accidents contribute to a cost of about $44 billion per year. Being convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can impact your life in many different ways. Many employers will terminate and employee if they are convicted of drinking and driving. Having a DWI/DUI charge can also prevent an individual from getting a job. Many times it is hard to find insurance with a DWI/DUI record and if an individual can find car insurance, the rates will be much higher than if the driver had a clean record. Drinking and driving can cause many financial setbacks and there is even the possibility of incarceration. Besides the financial burdens it can cause, it can cause many emotional issues for people affected by drinking and driving.
Solutions: Distracted driving can be prevented by simply raising awareness of the amount of death in a year that it causes. Maybe making more ads, or propaganda to let people know the seriousness of the matter. “One Text or Call Could Wreck it all” and “It Can Wait” are common, popular sayings that have stuck to drivers mind when they get behind the wheel and begin to their next destination; keeping them aware in the long run will (in an ideal world) help people on the road to remain as safe and unharmed as possible. Adding to that, another way to raise awareness is making the statistics known to any driver possible, perhaps adding extra questions to driving tests so that the government is sure people know the severity of this ordeal. For example, “How many people under the age of 20 die per year? ”(Oliver). This will open peoples eyes in seeing how common fatality due to distracted driving is, will especially be useful because a lot of young teens get their license right when they turn sixteen. The younger that people understand the matter, the more lives that will be spared in the future.
When my mother was in high school, there was a park that teenagers would hang out at and visit. One evening, they were all standing around and two impaired teenagers began drag racing. The two cars hit each other and went into the crowd of students. One innocent young man was killed by the car and a few others injured. She said that not only was the family affected of the boy that died, but the driver’s life had never been the same. As we have seen distracted driving can take on many forms, and cognitive impairment is a major cause of accidents.
Camus and Absurdity:
Albert Camus was a very intelligent man which is why he would think of the topic of driving distracted as the realist that he is. “The evil that is in the world will almost always come of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding” (Albert Camus Quotes”). This quote leads that he would say driving distracted doesn't only put your life as risk but also, putting the lives of others at risk in which no one should be able to take away from them. The biggest concern is people truly understanding the concept of fatalities while driving. Because, the matter can be drilled into societies mind all day but if the don’t buy into the mindset of no distracted driving then they may do more harm than good. But at the same time he would say that people will do as they please. You simply cannot force someone to do something if it is not desired by them.
It is widely known that distracted driving has become an ever increasing problem in the United States. It is time that people begin taking responsibility for their lives and the lives of others. The three types of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive can all lead to serious injury and death. We can only hope that with the increase in awareness, we can reduce the number of injuries and fatalities as a result of distracted driving. Finally, people who are distracted drivers are basically selfish people. By driving distracted, you are saying that what you have to do is more important than the life of someone else. Unfortunately, many people think that they are good enough to handle multiple things at a time. But as we have seen, that is simply not the case. Therefore, it is important that we as drivers become more aware of our actions and hopefully we can reduce the injuries and deaths as a result of selfish behavior.
Work Cited
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