When I was in kindergarten, I experienced firsthand how dangerous being on your phone while driving is. It was a normal day, and we just got out of school. I got on the bus, excited to go home and we got into an accident.  Our bus driver, distracted by her phone, lost focus and got us into an accident. At the moment I didn't know why or how it happened but later, we learned the truth, the driver had been on her phone instead of watching the road. Although the accident was not life threatening, the shock of that moment has stayed with me ever since. 

That early experience has shaped the way I feel about being on your phone behind the wheel. I feel uneasy when I see others do it.  It brings back memories of that day on the bus, when my safety and the safety of my classmates was compromised because of one careless decision. Ever since elementary school we have had presentations about how to keep us safe. When we got to high school every year, we would have a talk about not texting while driving, when we were getting our permit and drivers license they would drill into our head not to text and drive. For some reason those notifications are more important than our lives and other people's lives. We know the dangers of texting and driving but people still do it regardless of the consequences. Checking one text, one post, one notification can turn into a detrimental accident affecting hundreds of people.

The problem is not just about awareness, it's about behavior. People are confident in their ability to multi-task. Saying “one quick glance won't do anything.” Little do they know how in an instant something can change. It is proven that 98% of people cannot multitask. Neuropsychologists explain that our brains can only focus on one task at a time. When we think we’re multitasking, we’re actually switching rapidly between tasks. On Phycology Today they say that "Multitasking slows task completion, reduces accuracy, and increases stress” (Psychology Today). Proving that we can't multitask we just switch between things really fast, and it slows our reaction time down. Which increases the probability of accidents.

To raise awareness to the situation I think we need to focus on technology because if we eliminate that component it will solve some problems. If we create an app that can detect when driving and it shuts your entire phone down while driving. Only allowing you to call 911 and your “In case of emergency” contacts. With this “driving mode” I think it will prevent a lot of accidents involved with texting and driving.

With new technology coming out, it is incredible what is invented but it might not be the best idea. How there are self-driving cars and others with modes that can drive by itself for a short time. For example, my car can drive by itself for about 20 seconds before it requires you to hold the wheel. Which can be effective in some instances, but you cannot program into cars every possible instance of what could happen. Do they have a fast enough response time? And why are we promoting that? I think to keep drivers accountable and safe is to eliminate self-driving modes and to stay alert on the road.

To continue, schools, communities, and more should speak out more often about sharing their stories. Peer to peer connection is powerful and would be more effective than looking at statistics of accidents caused by distracted drivers. Teenagers and young adults should start to speak out more because it will resonate deeper.

Most importantly, I think we need to share our stories and how it affected our lives and help inspire change. It showed me that even children, who rely on adults to protect them, can be endangered by careless decisions. My story is one of the millions, but people just see it as another number, another statistic. In the moment it's a big deal but people continue to put their life at risk and others around them.

My hope is that telling my story will help bring awareness to the situation at hand and that we can start making a difference. If we can all come together, we can make change and start saving lives. By combining awareness, programs, and more we can slowly start preventing more accidents. Don't be afraid to speak out and share your story because by sharing you can save others. Distracted driving is preventable so let's come together, change the world, and prevent it!