A Preventable Weapon

            Of all the people I have known who are no longer in this world, the majority have been killed by the same weapon. It was not a gun, or a knife, or a bomb. In fact, it was something that most of us use every day. Something that most people couldn’t imagine living without.

            First thing first, I know that people are going to take offense to the fact that I’m referring to the automobile as a weapon. And of course, I understand that it’s not always a weapon. But neither is a gun, or a knife, or a bomb. But every object has the ability to become a weapon when it is used to harm a victim, whether it is intentional or accidental. For example: if you use a knife to cut a carrot, it is a tool. If you use that same knife to stab another person, it is then a weapon. Why not look at the automobile in the same way?

            In 2014, according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 32,675 automobile related deaths in the United States alone. That it is a number already much too large, which makes the following numbers even more frightening. In 2015, the death toll saw a significant rise for the first time in three decades, to 35,092, and in the first six months of 2016, highway deaths jumped another 10.4 percent. With constant enhancements in safety technology (seatbelts, airbags, park assist, etc.), it is unfathomable to believe that these numbers should be going anywhere but down. So, why the increase? The answer is simple: DRIVERS ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ROAD!!!

            Anybody who has gotten arrested for DUI/DWI will tell you about the huge monetary penalties they received (among other punishments), yet if someone is caught talking or texting or looking at their phone, in most states, it’s merely a few hundred dollar fine, at most. And I know what you’re thinking: isn’t drinking and driving far worse than texting and driving? Well, a 2014 study by the Transport Research Laboratory concluded that texting while driving was significantly more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. And now, with the ever growing popularity of Smartphone games and applications, the problem is only getting worse.

            So, what’s the solution? We could make the penalties stiffer, perhaps equivalent to those of DWI/DUI. But will that really solve the problem or simply bring in more revenue for the government? I believe the best thing we can do is to take personal responsibility to curb the problem ourselves. First thing first, shut your phone off while you’re driving. It’s really not that big of a deal. Humans drove automobiles for almost a hundred years without mobile phones. Second, say something! If you’re riding with someone who’s on their phone, tell them to knock it off, and be adamant about it. And third, if you see another driver on their phone, in the lane next to you, for example, roll down your window and yell at them. I bet they get off.

            I hate the fact that I even have to write this essay, and I know in the future, when we have self-driving cars, this will be a problem of the past. But the future isn’t here yet, and right now I’m sick of seeing friends buried and families heartbroken over something that is almost 100% preventable. Please, for the love of your own friends and family, put the phones down and pay attention to the road. It’s really not that much to ask.