As a student, it may be hard to resist not going on one’s phone on the road. Many students hear it buzz and think that if they just look at it for a second, everything will be fine.

Each day in the United States, more than nine people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in crashes that have been reported to involve a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC defines distracted driving as visual (taking one’s eyes off the road), manual (removing one’s hands from the wheel) and cognitive (taking your mind off of driving). Thus, cutting out as little as one distraction while driving can be the difference between death and safety.

Distracted driving does not only put the driver at risk, but it also puts the passengers and other drivers on the road at risk. No one wants to end up in jail or laying on their deathbed.

Madi Winfield, from St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas caused an accident on September 16; pulling out of her driveway, she was unaware of an upcoming car driving by. “I was pulling out of my driveway and I wasn’t really paying attention,” Winfield said. “I ran into my house. I hit the very edge.”

Winfield, although not using her phone, made the careless mistake to not look back as she was backing up. Obviously, adding a phone to the mix could create even more extreme consequences.

If someone is trying to get in contact and it is very important, calling would be a much better option because the student’s eyes can remain on the road. However, phone calls can also be a bit of a distraction, so it is better to avoid all cellular devices while on the road.

On Jan. 5, Anna Kreynin, senior, was on her way to Homestead, and got into an accident on Port Washington Road .

“In drivers-ed they always told us that even taking your eyes of the road for one second can cause a bad accident; I never fully believed it until now,” Kreynin said.

A survey of 100 students at Homestead revealed that students’ biggest distractions as drivers are Snapchat and music.

“It is really important to keep your eyes on the road because you never know when a car will suddenly stop or make a turn unless you have your eyes forward on the road,” Kreynin said.