My hands gripped my seat, my whole body tense, I sat attentively, helplessly, staring forward, not daring to look down to my phone for even a moment. In the driver’s seat, nails clicked against a phone screen, a whoosh of a sent text message sounded every now and then. Slowly the car drifted left, encroaching the next lane, narrowly missing the car beside us. Then, she looked up for a glance, corrected its course with a flick to the right, and directed her eyes back down. This cycle continued for the next 20 minutes. I was too afraid to say something, too afraid to take my eyes off the road for fear of a near-accident. No experience with another driver has come close to instilling the fear I felt in those moments. I was a prisoner whose fate lay in the hands of a driver with no hands on the wheel, no eyes on the road, and only their foot on the gas. 

Following this experience, I vowed to never actively use my phone while driving on the roads. Being the passenger in that situation showed me the value in unimpaired driving. As the driver, you are in control of what may happen. Choosing to distract yourself can lead to dangerous situations where you’re left with too little time to react properly, ending tragically in some cases. And in the end, it can end up causing harm to more people than just yourself. Impairment caused by our cellphones has become a prevalent issue today. As I’ve driven more and more, I encounter different drivers, always noticing how some people are on their phones, swerving in and out of their lanes and nearly colliding with my own car. Knowing this, I have to remain diligent while driving. There’s no reason for me to take my own eyes off the road if others are. After all, I am in control of my own vehicle, and if I’m focused, I am less of a risk to those around me and more prepared to avoid any accidents.

However, I think it’s important to understand why people resort to using their phone while driving—they’re bored. Boredom leads us to find something stimulating, which we can often find on our phone. We constantly look for excitement, but many people drive for most of their lives leading to it becoming a hassle. They treat driving more as a chore than a privilege. By viewing driving like this, people tend to take it less seriously, leading to less risk aversion. That lack of caution leads to the inability to properly avoid accidents. Understanding this allows driver education to be better tailored to addressing the problem. Driver education has to be adjusted according to the age of the student. Each generation views things differently and faces their own problems. For example, teenagers may be willing to exhibit more risky behavior, which might require the emphasis on the risks and possible results of taking those risks. This age range, growing up with phones, will be more likely to find phones as a strong distraction in the car. Perhaps stories of real people might make an impact on people and drive the message home. Using real stories allows people to form some emotional connection. That emotional connection would then cause people to imagine themselves in a similar situation. Grounding education in reality exemplifies the scope and impact of such events on society. Although this may seem harsh, it’s important for people to understand the severity of consequences and the need to take something so dangerous, like driving, more seriously. The goal is not to make people fear driving. It’s to ingrain the idea that safety is the responsibility of those in the driver’s seat. People need that crucial understanding behind why minimizing risk is so important. 

My ability to influence others to drive safely starts with my own choices as a driver. I can simply start by practicing safe driving with and without others in the vehicle. This might reach people like my younger brother or friends, after all, I would not want them feeling unsafe as a passenger. Additionally, I can also drive safely and within the boundaries of my lane. By just being a diligent driver myself, I am able to avoid any harm I might cause to impaired drivers or others. But, these are not the only ways to influence others. Sometimes I find it helpful to sit down and talk to people. Bringing up discussion on driving habits and how to avoid driving impaired would promote safer driving. Maybe instead of using the phone while driving, we can promote ideas of listening to music or podcasts to keep ourselves stimulated. Anything that doesn’t divert our most crucial sense–our vision–-away from the road ahead.