Paper Example on Distracted Driving: Teens Increasingly Involved in Accidents and Fatalities

Section 1

The increasing number of teens involved near accidents, accidents, and fatal accidents due to distracted driving. Even though over time the number of teen accidents both non-fatal and fatal has declined due to the invention of cell phones, GPS devices, other electronic devices along with eating, grooming and whatever else takes your eyes off the road and mind off driving they are once again on the rise as distracted driving (Beltz, 2020). There is no educational program for teen drivers for educating them on what distracted driving involves and the risks associated with driving distracted. Although in Idaho, laws and legislation are defining reckless and inattentive driving, there are no current laws or legislation to address distracted driving and what it means to drive distracted.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

I know this is a large project and that I may not be able to fully incorporate into the schools in such a short time frame, but my goal is to have a completed written proposal along with a PowerPoint presentation to provide to the schools for review and consideration to implement into their curriculum for the school year beginning the fall of 2020.

How might I provide knowledge and training to teen drivers and the community to educate them on what distracted driving entails to lower near accidents, accidents, and fatal accidents? Thus, getting new teen drivers to take The Drive Safe 365 Challenge. How might I raise funding for media ads, challenge coins, and incorporate The Drive Safe Challenge into the driver's training programs in Boise County?

Section 2: Justification

The Drive Safe 365 Challenge is a program to increase awareness of the risks associated with distracted driving. The program will educate teens on what distracted driving means and what types of distracted driving there are. It aims to educate teens on how these risks increase the chances of being involved in a near-miss accident, accident or fatal accident. The goal of this project is to raise awareness, reduce accidents, and provide education to the students, parents, and the public through an education program, the media, along with brochures and flyers describing what it means to drive distracted.

The "Drive Safe 365 Challenge" program will benefit student, parents, law enforcement and the communities within Boise County. Reducing distractions among teen drivers is the first step in building healthy driving habits, lowering traffic violations, and reducing all types of accidents among teen drivers. The benefits this program will provide are so vast beginning with reducing non-fatal and fatal accidents, lowering traffic violations, and raising awareness for new teen drivers, educate parents and the community, and it will bring awareness to just how dangerous the effect of distracted driving is among teens and young adults. When I look at the problem of distracted driving, and the positive impact of providing an educational program to address what it means to drive distracted is so essential. The program will provide education on distracted driving through multiple resources, including in-class education and media ads.

Whenever there is a severe injury or fatal accident involving a teenager or young adult, it affects not only the family, but the aftermath also affects other students, teachers, law enforcement, and the community (Idaho, 2019). Living in a small community, the odds of knowing a person involved in an ancient is highly possible. Teen accidents place additional stress on the dispatcher answering the 911 call, the officer responding to the call, fire and EMS personnel, and the coroner. The stress increases if those responding have children, making it a more personal, or reality of those involved being related (Riel & Martin, 2017). The Drive Safe 365 Challenge will reduce distracted driving issues, lowering accidents, and the amount of those anytime of the day or night knock on the door or phone calls to families informing them their teenager has been in an injury or fatal accident.

Being the elected Coroner for Boise County, this project has a sizeable post-graduate goal for me. The project will work not just to reduce traffic violations among teens and young adults but to also reduce the number of non-fatal and fatal accidents associated with these drivers.

Section 3: Analyzing the Problem

Distracted driving is the leading cause of accidents among teenagers. According to data from 2015, teenage drivers have the highest rate of crashes with drivers ages 16 to 17 have a rate nearly double of drivers 18 to 19 and approximately 4.5 of drivers 30 to 59. In 2015 teens 16 to 19 accounted for 2333 fatalities and 233,845 injuries due to car accidents. In 2017 there were 2763 deaths related to motor vehicle accidents second only to 2877 suicide deaths (Tefft, 2017). Distracted driving accounted for 10% of fatal crashes and 15% of injury accidents in 2015, the most recent data I could find.

The problem with distracted driving is caused not only by our society and bad examples set by parents, it also continues to exist mainly in part to the acceptance of individual rights to allowing the use of cell phones, eating and drinking along with other activities while driving (EndDD, 2019). Our young drivers are under-educated on the risks of distracted driving, and we as parents are often their worst examples of driving distracted.

Although distracted driving of one type or another has existed over the years and has been an issue in Idaho and the rest of the United States for years the development of cell phones introduced in 1984, the first PDA's produced 1995 were the beginning of the current problems. With an increased use of smartphones and installed/non-installed DVD devices along with the continued advances in what manufactures deem as advancements in driving ease such GPS navigation systems, hands-free phone access, and ease of control radio systems along with the ever-increasing number of drivers young and old alike reducing distracted driving is a definite risk that needs solving (CDC, 2019).

There is a current bill that was introduced into the Idaho legislative session to make distracted driving an infraction for the first offence allowing officers to cite individuals they feel are driving distracted. The Idaho House Transportation and Defense Committee voted unanimously to hold a hearing on the bill which if passed, would include distractions such as cell phones, eating, and grooming (Associated Press, 2020; Blake, 2020).

Section 4: Project Timeline

Project Overview

The date the project will start. I will start working on my project on March 2, 2020. Before starting, I will ensure that all the resources are available.

The total number of hours dedicated to the project. The project will comprise of seven modules, with each module requiring eleven hours (7 modules x 11 hours = 77 hours).

5 Modules plus Spring Break x 12 Hours = 72 hours

1 Module x 10 Hours = 10 hours

1 Module x 5 Hours = 5 hours

Total Hours = 87 hours

Definition of work week, as far as schedule will allow. My work week consists of three 12-hour shifts and one 4-hour shift or two 12-hour shifts and two 8-hour shifts as a 911 Dispatcher. I am also on call 24/7/365 as the elected County Coroner. As a volunteer EMT for the East Boise County Ambulance, I attend meetings monthly and am required to do 24 hours every month. Along with this, I am enrolled in three other courses, along with my capstone courses.

How I intend to communicate with your instructor if problems arise or if I have questions. My plans for communication with the instructor about issues or problems that may arise will be either by email or phone.

The other party that I will be discussing the project with and how often (within the workplace or community). I may also request in-person meetings if I need face-to-face assistance. I will also reach out to the driver's education instructors of the local schools, Sheriff's Office, Idaho Transportation Department, and the community. I will reach out to these entities as I come up with questions or ideas for my project as needed.

Project Timeline

• List of Modules, 1-7, of the semester I will take the Capstone.
• Week One: March 9 - 15
• Week Two: March 16 - 22
• Spring Break: March 23 - 29
• Week Three March: 30 - April 5
• Week Four April: 6 - 12
• Week Five April: 13 - 19
• Week Six April: 20 - 26
• Week Seven April: 27 - May 1

Module Date Ranges (Monday-Sunday)

Working weekends most of my days I will be working on the actual project and research will be Tuesdays through Thursday although I will have three to four hours during the evenings of the days I work for additional time if needed to work on my project and other coursework as required.

The hours I will spend each week on the project (11 hours) and how I will work ahead and during which modules if I have work commitments.

Week One

Hours 12 Since I work weekends this allows me free time during the week. If something arises during this allotted time, I will be able to shift some hours to the week of spring break. I will use this first week for research and to open up communication with the stockholders of the project. Provide the first draft of research items to be used.

Week Two

Hours 12 I will use this time to meet with the stockholder and possibly reach out to the legislature to follow up on where the distracted driving bill is at. It may be possible it has already passed the house and senate already I will need to check. Provide two drafts to include any new information on the distracted driving bill. It will consist of notes on meetings with stockholders.

Spring Break

Hours 10 I will continue to work with the stockholders putting together a timeline for completion and implantation, this will entail outlining what information should be in the actual Drive Safe 365 Challenge Program and working with the stockholders to determine any areas requiring more research.

Week Three Hours 12

I will use this time to research different areas for grants and other resources to help in funding the program. Will start the awareness campaign with the local media and possibly doing some social media awareness as well. Provide a draft of flyers for the campaign and possible local press and social media. Include information if any available for grants or fundraisers for the project.

Week Four Hours 12

During this week, I will start putting together a presentation to the stockholders, the school resource officer, and driver's training teacher, giving an overview of the Drive Safe 365 Challenge. Asking for input from them for revisions of what should be included. Provide a draft of proposed project outline and PowerPoint.

Week Five Hours 12

I will use this week for compiling some presentation for the Drive Safe 365 Challenge, possibly a PowerPoint or look into developing flyers for students and families along with possible other ideas for public awareness. Submit final draft presentation for Review.

Week Six Hours 12

I will use this to complete the project and have it ready to implement into the schools. I will have the final proposal along with a PowerPoint presentation for the local schools. I also have both the proposal and PowerPoint completed and turn in for approval so I may present it to the driver's training class in week seven.

Week Seven Hours 5

Drive Safe 365 Challenge presented to the driver's training teacher for an implement to their class curriculum for the school year beginning fall of 2020,

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is an urgent need for attention to this issue of distracted driving among juvenile drivers. The numbers reveal a disturbing increase in mishaps, near-misses, and fatalities, underscoring the demand for thorough and focused interventions. The Drive Safe 365 Challenge offers a comprehensive strategy to address this urgent issue, together with its educational program and media campaign.