Our task for Year 10 Health was to develop a road safety campaign targeting young drivers. Below is my campaign on Distracted Driving from Mobile Phones.
More information towards my thought process on this campaign are attached in my planning document below.
What I learnt
The biggest things I learnt while completing this task was just how significant a couple seconds of looking at a phone while driving can be. It is one of the main causes of accidents in Australia. It is concerning that when in the car, we are in danger due to the 94% of 18- to 24-year-old who admitted to using a phone while driving as we could end up in a crash because of them. The road can become a dangerous place in a very short time span but there isn’t much awareness of this. Now I know the importance of just not looking at the phone while driving, it’s not worth it.
My advice for young drivers
My one piece of advice I would pass on to young drivers would be to just turn off the phone. This is the simplest solution to reduce our chances of getting distracted on the road. This is because too many crashes and fatalities occur from distractions that we can easily avoid altogether. An extra 2 seconds to turn off the phone before driving could save hundreds more lives, including your own.
My pledge
When I start driving, I pledge to always turn off my phone, no matter the situation. I will also commit to keeping myself and others safe by reminding other drivers to get off their phone by asking them to put it away or offer to read out what they need.
I have chosen these things to commit to because they are simple actions that can go a long way. Turning off the phone is not a difficult action and will reduce my chances of getting distracted. I also have committed towards asking other drivers to stop because I care about my safety and will always do as needed to be protected. There are many other aspects of driving that I pledge to follow but they all equal to become a safe driver for myself, my passengers, and other people on/around the road.
I will stick to these commitments by checking whatever I need to on my phone before driving to reduce the urge to look while driving. If there is a passenger with me, I will ask them to check my phone if necessary. If by myself, I will pull over onto the side of the road or a parking lot before going on my phone. When other people are driving, I will offer to check their phone instead of them or politely ask them to pull over before checking. These simple actions will help myself become a less distracted driver, making me a safer driver.