About Walker Williams
A Senior at Huntsville High School. Walker will be attending Auburn University to pursue a degree in Computer Engineering. He enjoys volunteering in his community and taking classes to learn all that he can about cybersecurity, engineering, and computers. He is also in the marching band and plays on the varsity soccer team.
Mother: Suzette Mikell Williams, a Reading Interventionist.
Distracted Driving Essay
I have personally experienced the negative effects of distracted driving. I was in the fifth grade when we were in a terrible accident due to someone turning in front of us. My mom, older brother and myself were headed home from the Galaxy of Lights and it had just started to rain. We were discussing what we were going to have for dinner, and the next thing I knew, my Mom shouted, “oh no,” and we hit the car that had turned directly in front of us at the intersection. The light was green and the lady was not paying attention because she was posting on Snapchat. Once the air bags deflated, my brother got me out of the car and we sat on the curb in the pouring rain waiting for help to arrive. My brother had a busted ear drum and facial burns from the air bag and my Mom was okay. I was too traumatized to speak so I just sat by my brother, cried and got soaking wet. The accident caused more undue stress for my family not only financially but emotionally. My dad had just passed away suddenly a few months earlier and now we were dealing with more problems. Our car was totaled so we had to borrow my grandmother’s car until all of the insurance or lack thereof could be figured out. The person who hit us did not have car insurance. This accident could have been easily avoided if the person had not been distracted by their phone.
Distracted driving comes in many forms including texting, talking on your phone, eating, drinking, playing with your radio or GPS system. Screaming children, crying babies or laughing with friends can be a distraction, anything that causes us to take our eyes off of the road can be considered a distraction. Texting has become the most common form of distraction so “speak to text” was invented but even this can be considered a distraction. When you are not focused one hundred percent on driving, accidents can occur. Driving requires our full attention and most of the time we are just driving on autopilot.
We live in a world of instant gratification and our phones only add to this problem. If we hear a notification on our phone, we want to check it immediately. Many features have been added to our phones such as the “Do not disturb mode” but this doesn’t do us any good if we don’t use it. My family has a safe driving app which lowers our premium price if we do not use our phone, speed or brake too quickly. This has encouraged me to not use my phone while driving and to drive responsibly. Car insurance is very expensive for teenage boys.
I have grown up in a world of multi-tasking in my everyday life. I can be playing a game on my computer, watching a show on my phone and looking at Youtube on my laptop. I do my homework or study on my computer while scrolling on my phone so it comes as no surprise why young people are such distracted drivers. Research shows that distracted driving is a leading cause of crashes among teenagers. Approximately thirty nine percent of high schoolers have reported texting or emailing while driving.
Statistics show that fifty eight percent of moderate-to-severe teen crashes are caused by distraction, often involving passenger interaction or smartphone use. Teens are the most likely age group to drive distracted. In 2019, drivers aged fifteen to twenty were more distracted than the drivers aged twenty one and over. In 2025, drivers aged eighteen to thirty four were most likely to die in distraction-affected crashes.
The education of the harmful effects of distracted driving for young people begins at home with good driving behavior being modeled at all times. When we learn to drive, if we are not allowed to use our phones and they are placed in the console or glovebox this becomes a habit. If we see our parents not answer the phone when it rings or check a notification they are modeling good behavior. Driving instructors and teachers need to educate young people about the multi-sensory component of distracted driving. Teens need to learn these components including visual (eyes off the road), manual (hands off the wheel), cognitive (mind off driving) and auditory (ears off the road) can all lead to distracted driving.
As I was doing research for this essay, I found some interesting information. Alabama’s “Hands-Free” law prohibits drivers under eighteen from using any handheld wireless communication device, including texting or talking, while driving. If this is the law why isn’t it being enforced? I have never heard of any teenager being stopped for using a cell phone while driving. If teens were held accountable and penalized for breaking this law then more teens would abide by the law. As of June 15, 2023 it is illegal for anyone to hold a cell phone while driving in Alabama. Enforcement of these laws could help lessen the number of deaths in Alabama by distracted drivers. In 2023, 3,275 deaths and 324,819 injuries occurred involving distracted drivers. These statistics need to be broadcast via social media so teens and adults will be made aware of them. Pamphlets should be handed out when you get your learners permit and again when you get your drivers license stating the dangers of distracted driving and the state statistics. YouTube videos, Instagram posts and Tik Tok could all be used to make more people aware of the laws and the dangers of distracted driving.
One death is one too many when it comes to distracted driving. It would seem like it is just common sense to not drink and drive, or text and drive but obviously it is not. The problem is only going to get worse with more affordable phones, more vehicles on the roads and more people driving. We need to all promote safe driving by modeling good phone etiquette which includes no texting or phone conversations while driving. We should speak up when we see our friends or family texting and driving. We should plan ahead and set our GPS before we begin our trip. We should all activate our “do not disturb mode” and install apps that don’t allow phone use while driving. If we all do our part to promote phone free driving, it will become a popular habit just like wearing a seatbelt.
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