Every time you drive you’re putting your life at risk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2013, 10,076 people died in drunk driving crashes and 290,000 were injured. But driving under the influence isn’t the only risk people face when they’re on the road. Texting and driving has also become a big issue that everyone faces on a daily basis.
On March 10th Mesa College hosted an informative display right outside the LRC building, the display not only included two cars that were part of a car crash, but it also included posters with real crash stories around the San Diego area with pictures of the actual crashes and in some cases; back stories of the victims.
When asked what the school hoped the displays would show students, organizer Polly Rose replied with “Cognitively everybody absolutely knows that you should not drink and drive or text and drive.. they’ll walk in the car thinking that, all of a sudden the phone rings and they pick it up.. you disconnect from your true intentions. We’re trying to address that gap.”
The displays were part of the annual Distracted Driving Event. Students were asked to take a quick survey to describe their current driving behaviors as well as any changes they think they will make. Students also received a free rubber wrist band that they could use to put around their phone before driving off, to avoid any temptation to use it while driving. “It’s one more layer of not answering the phone, it’s just a reminder.. “ said Rose.
When asked about the crash display Jacquelyne Magdaleno, a student at Mesa College, responded with “ When I first saw it I was just in shock.. I’ve never been up close to something like this.”
The poster displays were very informative, not only did they feature real stories from the San Diego area but some even provided the readers with facts. For example, one of the posters provided you with an estimate of how much a DUI would cost in California. This was estimated around $10,532 in just fees and fines. It did not include the additional attorney fees.
Mai Troung, another Mesa College Student explained what she does to avoid any texting temptation while driving “I put my phone in my purse or away from me, I also put it on silence so I don’t get notified of any new messages.”
If those tips or the band don’t work well for you, there are also some apps you can download and use to help avoid urge to look at your phone while driving. These apps include DriveOFF, which will turn off your notifications once it senses that you’re driving above 10 mph to help minimize distractions. Another app you can use is Drive Scribe which is a free app that monitors the driver’s speed, it also blocks notifications while the car is in motion, and it will tell the driver to slow down if they’re driving too fast. Both apps can be used on an Android device. Lastly you can also use Canary, this app is a great option for parents, it will offer you feedback on the child’s behavior while driving. You can set maximum speed limits and the app will notify you if at any point the child goes over them. Canary is both IOS and Android friendly.
Although we may not realize it driving can be very dangerous, in a matter of seconds things can change drastically. What may have been a clear ride home may turn into a huge pile-up. This is why it’s important that all of your attention is focused on the road ahead of you as well as your nearby surroundings. Don’t be another statistic avoid the temptation.
