According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,477 lives were claimed in 2015 from distracted driving alone. Additionally, 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents involving texting and driving. Although distracted driving is not a new concept by any means – anything could become a distraction, after all – mobile devices and their high status in society have had their role in exacerbating the issue. Considering all we can do with our phones these days and our dependency on them, it isn’t exactly surprising to learn that distracted driving is getting worse rather than better.
It’s not a topic that is being completely ignored. AT&T launched their “It Can Wait” campaign back in 2010; UK citizens have had recent law changes that make phone usage while driving both expensive and extremely risky to their legal driving status; and just recently, Samsung unveiled their upcoming Android app, called In-Traffic Reply, that does precisely that: the app automatically responds to calls and messages letting people know they’re driving. But will any of these measures make much of a difference in texting and driving? Perhaps, but I’m not hopeful.
Reading about Samsung’s new In-Traffic Reply app made me angry, not because the app exists, but because the app has to exist. It makes me more angry that the people that need to use it more than likely won’t. After all, it’s not as if Samsung is the first company to come out with such a thing. There are plenty of apps out there already that allow drivers to text and make phone calls without ever touching their phone or taking their eyes of the road, yet the epidemic keeps growing. If they don’t use those tools, what’s one more going to do? Most people I know say there’s no excuse for drinking and driving, not even inebriation (and I agree), but many of those same people have a million perfectly conscious reasons as to why using their phone while driving is a-ok. It’s not, and it never will be.
Samsung’s In-Traffic Reply seems like a simple, useful tool, just like “It Can Wait” was a good message to send, and I’m on board for stricter texting and driving laws, but I don’t think any of these will ultimately do much. Raised awareness and time seem like the best solutions for now. It has taken MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) nearly 40 years since its debut to cut drunk driving deaths in half, so it would seem like we have a long road ahead of us yet. With autonomous driving supposedly well on the way, there’s hope that the implementation of such technology could eventually do a lot to solve the issue, but it may also prove to be more harmful in the process of getting there.
Truthfully, there is no silver bullet – or one magical solution - to solve the issue. I speak about my concerns for smartphone usage and driving from time to time because I care, and awareness and a soapbox to stand on are all I have right now. I care about my family, and I care a lot about other people and their well-being because I have more empathy than I know what to do with. From experience, I know that this is a significant issue that is often played down due to our dependency on our smartphones. I value my phone as much as the next person, but I value the lives of myself and others infinitely more. Cars are heavy, fast, and in the wrong situation they’re deadly. When we decide to get behind the wheel, it’s our responsibility to ensure the safety of not only ourselves, but others around us. I may not know you, reader, but know that I care enough about you to know that I don’t ever want to read about you or anybody getting seriously injured or killed due to distracted driving, and I care enough about you to never touch my phone while driving. It’s just not worth the risk.
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