Keep Your Eyes On the Road

A cell phone and a car, two random inanimate objects people use today for more "convenient purposes". They both allow us to have all the freedom in the world for us to do whatever we want. But what happens when you take the distraction from the usage of a cell phone and try applying it into driving? To say the least, a number of catastrophic possibilities could happen if we decided to take our eyes off the road. You could get pulled over and get a slap on the wrist by paying a fine while adding points to your license in the process, or get involved in a serious accident that could result in getting yourself hurt or killed while potentially doing the same to the person you hit. Either way, even a second of your attention to your phone could cost you your driver's reputation, or your life...and I should know since I myself was a victim of an incident such as this. Your life shouldn't be at risk because you chose to take your eyes off the road to check a text.

This incident happened roughly four years during the summer. I went to go get cakes for my mom and my sister for their birthday party. My friend, my brother and I decided to go get the cakes for my mom and sister from Walmart. I got the cakes as well as a few extra snacks for myself within ten minutes. It was relatively dark outside when we were driving home. Also, it didn't seem like we were going the right direction home. With that in mind, my friend decided he was going to make a u-turn somewhere and go back where we started and go home. Everything was going fine, until there was a mid sized pick-up truck cane at us at about 20 mph with a distracted driver behind the wheel. The lady that was on her phone and ended up running a stop sign while on the phone as my friend was finishing a u-turn. She hit the passenger side of my friend's car. I was in the passenger seat, and my brother was in the seat behind me and luckily, no one was seriously hurt. The most my friend and my brother suffered through was sore bones, and minor injuries. While I on the other hand, suffered a minor concussion, bleeding from the side of my head, and short term memory loss. We were all lucky to have a seatbelt on because if we didn't, things would have turned out way worse and I might not have been able to walk away from that situation.

Your life shouldn't be at risk because you took your eyes off the road to check a text.

Although driving can be relaxing and/ or fun, it can also be equally as dangerous. Getting involved in an accident while not having your seatbelt on is risky enough already. But texting and driving on the other hand, could not only get yourself hurt or killed, but the person you hit with your car as well. If you're going to use your phone while on the road purposefully, make sure you don't make your phone your main focus. Or, if you feel like you are going to use your phone purposefully, be sure to turn it off and keep it away. Because one way or another, life is inevitable, and you'll never know when death will come knocking at the door.