To Be or Not to Be… Distracted: Driver Education and Safety

Most everyone has heard at some point or another that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in the United States. However, if I were to ask you how many people are killed each year, or even each day, in these “accidents,” would you know the answer? If you’re like most people, you probably don’t. Here’s what I learned: each day nearly 3,700 people- pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, drivers, and passengers- are killed in crashes. This amounts to around 1.35 million traffic related deaths a year (Road Traffic Injuries and Deaths- A Global Problem, CDC). A huge portion of these accidents are due simply to human error- and where there is error, there is room for improvement.

Driver education is a large part of reducing those fatal errors. Educated people are able to make better, safer decisions, and thus reduce the number of traffic deaths. People who know the rules of the road are in a contract with each other to follow those rules. If someone doesn’t know the rules, they are unable to be part of the contract. Their rules are not the same as everyone else’s. This is where problems occur. If everyone is taught the same things and told the same guidelines the roads will be safer and traffic deaths will be reduced. Everyone will know the rules they are to follow and will be able to act accordingly.

However, even if everyone knows the rules, that doesn’t mean they will choose to follow them. As discussed above, education is important in reducing the number or traffic related deaths, and should be the first step. However, providing ample education doesn’t carry the guarantee that people will apply what they learn. I propose adding a short section to drivers ed that includes stories of people who have lost friends or family due to people breaking or ignoring the rules. Additionally, stories from the people who broke the rules and ended up killing or injuring others as a result should also be included. If people know and understand the consequences of violating their contract, they will be less inclined to do so. Additionally, teaching people the basic facts about driving related accidents may provide further motivation to drive safely. Seeing just how many people are killed or injured by other people’s choices will surely come as a shock, and will hopefully serve to open everyone’s eyes. Greater compassion and understanding on the roads is what will save lives- and that starts with a better driving education and a willingness to share our stories.

Perhaps one of the most important things a person can do to avoid putting themselves and others at risk is to drive distraction-free. A distraction is anything that takes a driver’s focus away from the road. This can be eating, turning up the music, texting or calling someone, etc. To put things into perspective, consider this: it takes about five seconds to read or reply to a text. In those five seconds, a driver’s eyes are not on the road. Going 55 miles per hour, that driver has covered about 100 yards, or a whole football field- all while staring at their phone instead of the road (Distracted Driving, NHTSA). Pretty crazy right? It’s not hard to imagine what might happen in the span of that one football field. A driver could miss the person or cyclist crossing the street in front of them, might drift off the road and get sucked into a nearby snowbank, or could sideswipe the car going past them- any number of things! In 2020 alone, 3,142 were killed due to distracted driving (Distracted Driving, NHTSA). Clearly, drivers are not paying enough attention to the roads and it’s endangering everyone around them.

Distracted driving is a big problem. But! Good news! It has a pretty simple solution- get rid of the things that are distracting. Unfortunately, many people allow themselves to be distracted simply out of convenience. Is it easier to pick up fast food and eat it on the way home instead of running to the store to pick up groceries and cook a meal? Absolutely. Is it easier to text someone with a few clicks of a button than to call them and have to turn down the music, or worse yet, wait until you get home? 100%. Distracted driving comes across as an easier, quicker way to get things done. What it really does is put everyone at serious risk of being involved in an accident. To avoid distractions, consider putting phones on do-not-disturb, or wait until you reach a stop sign to reply to a message. If it really is an emergency, pull over and send out a quick text, then get back on the road. Similarly, wait until a stop sign or red light to turn up your tunes. Better yet, have a passenger do it for you. Finally, pick up your fast food but wait till you get home to dig in. If you’re absolutely starving (can’t blame you there!), pull into a nearby parking lot, or even the parking lot of the restaurant, and stop and eat.

I have been driving on my own for two years, and although I have been fortunate to never be in an accident, I know plenty of other students at school, including friends, who have gotten into wrecks. I have seen distracted driving, people not following the rules of the road, or people who are just genuinely bad drivers. I’ve seen people text while driving, go over the speed limit, and take some pretty risky chances. For instance, I’ve seen plenty of people pulling out in front of an oncoming car, passing on a hill, or following close behind another vehicle. I know sometimes you don’t always see another car and there’s nothing you can do but hope for the best, but most of the time behaviors like this are a result of impatience and arrogance. In either case, they put all involved at risk.

I remember one time in particular I rode with another girl to the middle school for a game. It was a pretty short distance from the high school, definitely somewhere I could have walked instead. The girl I rode over with was driving way too fast for the road we were on, which had gentle curves and small hills. She also took turns recklessly and whipped her car into the parking lot. I was sitting there, white knuckled on the seat, and remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to die!” As overdramatic as that may sound, riding shotgun when the person behind the wheel is not making responsible choices is very stressful. Another time, a group of friends and I were driving home after getting dinner out and were coming up to a traffic light. The light was green, but there were a lot of cars and things were a bit confusing. All of the sudden one of my friends screamed and pointed out a car heading straight for us. It didn’t look like they were slowing down, and we were in the middle of the intersection so there wasn’t much we could do. Thankfully, nothing happened. I think I remember the person finally stopping, but it was still really scary! It put into perspective for me how terrifying it would be to be in a real accident, and made me more determined to keep myself and others safe while I’m driving.

After observing others drive, and being behind the wheel for a few years now myself, I believe the best way I can be a better, safer driver is to limit my distractions and ensure I follow all traffic laws. In my life specifically, this may look like waiting to adjust my music or heat/AC until I reach a stop sign and pulling over to snack or send a text in an emergency. As a passenger, I can help others by reminding them of the right driving behaviors and by not being a distraction. For instance, no yelling, jumping around, etc. I can also adjust the music, change other settings, or send a text for the driver if they need it. Lastly, I can avoid calling and/or texting people whom I know are driving. If everyone does their part to drive knowledgeably and distraction free, I believe the road can be a much safer place.