Distracted Driving Could Cost Teens Their Lives in Southern Idaho

We have all had moments behind the wheel where our full attention isn't on the road. It can be your children in the back are crying or fighting, your mind is elsewhere, you are looking where to turn, or perhaps you are making the dreaded mistake of looking at your phone. Everyone does it, but that doesn't make it acceptable. Drivers should be focused on the road when behind the wheel and constantly driving defensively since you can't trust other drivers. When it comes to distracted driving in Idaho, there are more distractions than ever before, and when teens get behind the wheel, they often cave to these distractions.

Teens Distracted Driving in Idaho

Far too often when teens in Idaho are getting behind the wheel, they are focused on their phone, not wanting to miss anything, Facetiming a friend, texting, or talking to someone. By doing so, they think they are multitasking, but instead, they are taking their attention off of the road. One 'ding' on the phone, and they have to answer, no matter how fast they are driving, no matter how busy traffic is, and no matter where they are located or what they are doing. This mindset is putting all of them at risk behind the wheel, as well as all other drivers on the road at the same time. By making their phone a priority, they have decided that other drivers are not as important when they are on the road. 

Distracted Drivers Lead to Wrecks in Idaho

Scroll through the news over the last month or two, and you will notice how many accidents there have been in the Magic Valley and around the Gem State. Many of these wrecks have sadly been fatal and could have easily been avoided had drivers been paying attention to the road. Yes, there are other factors in some of these accidents, but one common theme in many of them is distracted driving. Recently, someone I know was in an accident, fracturing her knee because the other driver was distracted. Luckily, the person I know will make a full recovery, but the accident could have easily been avoided, had the other driver been looking at the road. That driver was a teen. 

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Make sure to put your phones away when getting behind the wheel, and if you need it for directions, turn the volume up so you can hear them, instead of having to take your eyes off the road and look at them. If you have a driving teenager in the home, make sure to sit them down and go over the importance of driving, because it only takes one second for their life to end because of a phone call, text, or trying to look at something on social media.