2016 Winner of AAA South Jersey scholarship contest

Putting a stop to Texting and Driving

By Paul Crozier

Texting and driving is a deadly combination that kills thousands of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians every year. Teenagers, in particular, are at a greater risk than other drivers not only because of their overconfidence in their ability to engage in this multitask, but also because of their lack of driving experience. This serious issue must be addressed through effective interventions, in order to eliminate the utilizations, in order to eliminate the utilization of electronic devices while a driver is at the wheel. In order to reduce this challenging problem of teenage texting, three actions should be implemented: extension of drivers’ education, documentation of increased accountability, and establishment of severe consequences.

First, in order to address this texting problem, teenage drivers must be presented with more explicit education regarding texting and driving. Clearly, curriculum in drivers’ education classes needs to be more comprehensive, involving students, actively processing current, published information. Actual news reports as well as data of statistics reflecting the correlation between texting, accidents, and even deaths should be discussed. A police officer visiting high school classes, presenting truce accounts from students’ home towns would be a very powerful way to communicate the seriousness of texting while driving. Also beneficial to drivers’ education could be the participation of parents, with their attendance at an evening information night. The value of such a program is the assurance that parents and their teenage drivers are receiving the same information about texting. Additionally, driving schools should review the urgency of driving safely by not texting. Important to note is that written driving tests should include specific questions about texting and driving laws. Teenage drivers need to automatically recall vital information about texting, and its detrimental consequences. By extending and developing education about texting and driving, teenagers will be able to gain a clearer understanding of how texting negatively and seriously impacts driving.

Secondly, increased documented accountability is necessary for the purpose of improving teenage driving habits (and reducing the amount of texting while driving). A significant follow-up step that follows an extensive education program is the practice of documents accountability for what is learned about driving dangerously. Simply put, after parents attend an evening drivers’ education class with their teenager (at the driver’s high school), immediate action must take place involving a written contract between the parent and driver. This contract should be visibly located in the driver’s house so that it is referenced and reviewed regularly. Another option is of encouraging students to connect with an accountable driver partner (a peer). Both partners sign a contract which serves to reinforce responsibility of the driver. The driver would respect the promise of answering to this accountability partner about texting and driving habits. Additionally, accountability can be applied through phone companies, with the addition of an app on the driver’s phone which prompts safe driving. The app would lock the texting capability if the phone moves 10 mph (in an automobile). This could prove its effectiveness because it involves the driver’s engagement in responding to the prompts of the app. Simply stated, the purpose of learning driver’s education directly depends on the accountability to the presentation of this vital knowledge.

Thirdly, the establishment of severe consequences can emphasize the seriousness and severity of texting and driving. Law enforcement officers need to become more proactive with the process of giving tickets to offenders of the texting and driving law. For example, the first ticket, in addition to incurring a $200 fine, should include mandatory enrollment in a driving safety course. An additional ticket (also including a $200 fine), should consist of a license suspension for three months, and the doubling of the driver’s insurance cost.

Another effective change that could control texting relates to high school parking lots. A student who is caught texting while exiting or entering a parking lot would lose the privilege of parking at the school, with the removal of the offender’s parking permit. Additionally, parents could participate in accountability by enforcing harsh consequences, including the revoking of driving, if they catch their teenage driver in this offense of texting while driving. In short, the problem of texting and driving needs to be addressed with the implementation of strict and consistent consequences.

Conclusively, texting and teenage driving is a serious issue affecting the lives of many innocent victims . . . passengers, pedestrians and other motorists on our roads. Effective response to this includes active participation by teachers, law enforcement, insurance companies, parents and most importantly, teenage drivers themselves. With implementations of extended education, increased accountability and severe consistent consequences, the practice of teenage driving and texting can be positively minimized, creating a safer driving environment.

Paul Crozier earns $5,000 prize for his winning essay