Introducing Just Drive, a Plan to Combat Distracted Driving
By: Kaitlin Ryan 7/15/2019
I’ll never forget my first (and hopefully only) car accident. A friend and I were making a left-hand turn into our high school parking lot when a woman on a cell phone ran a stop light, t-boning Sydney’s blue cube sedan, and completely crushing my side of the car. Miraculously, no one was hurt, but we were all shaken up… and Sydney’s beloved car was totaled. About two hours, pages of police reports, and lots of tears later, Sydney and I both decided we would never text and drive. I am proud to say I am not a distracted driver, but it took a car accident to prove to me the dangers of taking my eyes off the wheel. In 2017, 3,166 people in the United States did not have this opportunity for change, because their lives were lost to distracted driving. (https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving)
It is sad, frustrating, and quite frankly terrifying that, according to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), it is estimated there are 660,000 drivers on the road right now using cell phones and other electronic devices. On average, sending a text while driving takes a driver’s eyes off the road for about 5 seconds—think about the kind of damage a 3,000 pound hunk of metal could do moving at high speeds if a driver lost control in that amount of time! (https://ankinlaw.com/dangers-of-distracted-driving/)
Strides are certainly being made by both government and private campaigns to end texting and driving, but there are other ways that drivers distract themselves and risk the safety of everyone else on the road. Anything that takes your attention away from the road is distracted driving—from communicating on the phone, fiddling with the radio, inputting an address in the gps, putting on makeup, or even eating. It is time that we as a society prioritize safety over convenience. It is time that we as a society prioritize well-being over immediate gratification. It is time we as a society decide to ban distracted driving and agree that when we are behind the wheel, we should just drive—hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Therefore, I propose a Distracted Driving Community Plan, made up of ways that individuals in a community can make an impact on this issue. First, we need to talk to our teens, the population most likely to use a cell phone while driving. According to the Research Institute at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in 2015, 42 percent of high school students who drove in the past 30 days reported sending a text or email while driving. This is an outrageous number of inexperienced drivers taking unnecessary risks on the road. We must cultivate the mentality that the driver’s seat in a car is only meant for driving, unless the car is in park. (https://www.teendriversource.org/teen-crash-risks-prevention/distracted-driving/cell-phones). By starting the conversation early, either at school, at driving school/driving lessons, or at home, we can encourage students to change their behavior or even prevent them from forming the habit of driving distracted. They need to know that safety is our utmost priority, and they need to hear it from adults they trust and respect. Student Pledges should be encouraged, and if possible, incentives for safe driving provided.
Next, we can start the conversation among adults by encouraging families to go over the provided Distracted Driving Family Plans, or even encourage them to create their own. Families who travel together should agree upon a system for communicating/navigating while on the go. Adults in particular should be more patient with their own communication, with their loved ones, (both older and younger) but also with their bosses or employees alike, so that people do not feel pressured to respond to emails or voicemail while on the road. While social change is often most effective in organic ways like through community organizing, I hope distracted driving is eventually outlawed, like the ways in which texting while driving or talking on the phone is outlawed in school zones in certain communities. This way, the behavior is penalized, and people are less likely to risk a ticket in addition to risking the lives of people around them.
My own family has had several conversations
about distracted driving since my accident with Sydney, especially as my two
teenage siblings have grown up. My parents were very clear with us when we
began driving that we are to never drive distracted, and they insist we find a
parking spot in order to make calls or prepare for a drive. They have set a
wonderful example for us by never driving distracted and always obeying traffic
laws, and I think that also has made it very natural for us to avoid the
behavior. My family has committed to Just Drive and keep our hands on the wheel
and eyes on the road while our vehicles are in motion; I hope yours does the
same!
Just Drive, a Distracted Driving Community Plan
- Ask for local high schools to address distracted driving in Health, homeroom or advisory class; encourage students to sign a “Just Drive” pledge
- Ask for families in the community to discuss Just Drive, Distracted Driving Family Plan with loved ones
- Encourage local driving schools/driver’s license programs to teach safe driving skills by warning about all the types of distracted driving—anything besides hands on the wheel and eyes on the road
- Encourage local, state, and federal lawmakers to establish Distracted Driving laws
Just Drive Pledge
- I recognize the risks of driving while distracted.
- I am responsible for my vehicle, my behavior, and my mistakes while driving.
- I will find a safe place to put my car in park to use my phone, eat, put on makeup, input an address on the gps, or do anything else that requires my attending–instead of doing so while driving.
- When I see others drive while distracted, I will ask them to stop and tell them about the dangers of driving distracted.
When in the driver’s seat, I pledge to Just Drive, with hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Signed ____________________________________ Date _____________
Just Drive, Distracted Driving Family Plan
- Our family has discussed the risks we take when we drive distracted.
- We recognize that we are responsible for our vehicle, our behavior, and our mistakes while driving. They affect other people.
- We will find a safe place to put our car in park to do anything else that requires our attention–or we will designate a copilot to do these tasks!
- When we see others driving distracted, we will ask them to stop and tell them about the dangers of driving distracted.
- We will all be patient when driving and pulling over to do necessary tasks that we cannot do while driving. We will hold each other accountable for doing so.
Our driver will Just Drive, keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Signed ____________________________________ Date _____________
KMR at NU Law 