I love you, drive safe

“I love you, drive safe” are words I constantly find myself repeating to my friends and loved ones. The world has risen out of the pandemic and people have gained back the freedom to hit the road again, but more than ever it seems drivers are impatient, aggressive and thinking about everything but driving. Getting behind the wheel is an action so embedded in the daily lives of millions of Americans that we have forgotten the risk involved in simply just going to the grocery store: the chance to be involved in a fatal car accident. Every year, thousands of people of all experience levels lose their lives to preventable fatal car crashes due to distracted driving, driving under the influence, and speeding. It is crucial that parents, friends, teachers, community members and public safety departments help provide accessible education to all drivers on the ways they can keep themselves safe and begin creating a culture of more responsible driving habits.

The outside world is constantly demanding our attention while we drive. The biggest thing that comes to mind is phones. Sometimes we grab the phone without even thinking about it or we are aware and believe we can “multitask” or just change that song real quick. These are the split seconds of negligence that can lead to someone’s final car ride. Beginning the conversation early in the driving process around staying attentive will increase the likelihood of forming a habit to leave the phone alone. Teachers, parents and other members of the community all play a part in informing new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and what attention is required to drive safely. Other things like loud music and pets in the car can contribute to distraction and should be included in the discussion around distracted driving. In this situation, leading by example may be more powerful in changing the behavior. More experienced driver’s need to be setting the example in order to create a culture that’s against distracted driving. Friends and family should also be educated on how their behaviors in the car can lead to lapses in the driver’s attention that cause serious accidents. Driver’s that have been on the road for some time may have developed the mentality of this dangerous “multitasking”. It is so important that public safety departments take an active role in reminding this group of drivers the dangers of when your focus isn’t on the road. I remind myself to put down the phone and do a few simple steps to prevent an accident caused by distractions. First, put on a playlist or album that I know I won’t need to change, switch my phone to silent and put it face down away from me until I arrive at my destination. Teaching driver’s techniques like these to discourage distracted driving is another good step towards reducing fatalities on the road.

Another enormous cause for life ending car wrecks is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. These types of deaths are so tragic and yet so preventable. Many people justify driving intoxicated by their successful experiences before or that they aren’t driving far. Before situations like this happen, drivers need early education on the ways drugs and alcohol impair the brain. More education on substances other than alcohol and marijuana that can cause impaired driving like over the counter sleep medicines, some antidepressants and allergy medicines must be provided. It should go a step further and include information on how one may feel invincible and have lowered reasoning leading to bad decisions. Recognizing the feelings and warning signs that you’re too intoxicated to drive safely will help lower the amount of people that pass away from accidents of this nature. Friends and family must also be educated on how to step in to stop driving high or drunk before it happens. This could look like education on ways to approach situations where one may need to persuade someone under the influence to not drive. When we don’t have others around to watch out for our well being we can ask ourselves one simple, mindful question to determine if we should drive or not: “Would I drive the person I care most about in the world in the state I am in?” If there is any doubt at the slightest, we should always choose to play it safe and call a trusted friend, family member or rideshare. In my own life I have promised myself to never drive under the influence and do my best to dissuade my friends and family from doing the same. If I can, I always offer a ride or call someone who can get them home safely.

Claiming the lives of thousands every year yet so common it may be your driving style: speeding. Being from Texas and making drives up to Oklahoma for school on country roads, speeding seems almost the cultural norm among drivers. Everyone is constantly rushing to get through the next light or dangerously passing a car going 20 miles over the speed limit. The first step to reducing this behavior is before we even begin driving. We can start by taking a moment to breathe a few deep breaths to find the calm in our minds and bodies before we even put our hands on the wheel. Some may be unaware of what causes them to speed such as mental states of anxiety and increased stress levels. More conversation around the mental reasons we drive faster can help people recognize their triggers and work on making a plan to mindfully slow down. Drivers can start by making a space in their car that feels safe and comfortable with smells, music, and adjusting their seat. Also explaining why speed limits are set where they are will help people see the reason to drive within them and reduce the deaths caused by speeding. I will never forget one day my mom was driving my friends and I down to San Marcos when we hit some pretty bad traffic. To the right lay a gold flipped car, one larger white sheet and a smaller white one in the grass just beyond it. A police officer came up to our window and just said “Remember this: speed kills” and informed us two lives had been lost as a mom and her baby lay under those sheets. It still haunts me to think about how such innocent lives were lost to another preventable accident. You always think something like that could never happen to you because you “know what you’re doing” and that only happens to “reckless” drivers. I always think “it could be me or someone I know” and try to encourage my family and friends to drive the speed limit. I remind them that the ride is so much more enjoyable and safer when you slow down. When I catch myself speeding I always reflect and ask myself “Why?”. It’s a great way to be mindful and determine what situations trigger excessive speeding.

When our communities have access to driving safety education resources, it saves lives. We can start small by making changes in ourselves and over time we become positive examples of safe driving, helping to create a culture of responsible behavior on the road. Together we can educate drivers and prevent deaths caused by distracted driving, driving under the influence, and speeding. Educating ourselves is to have love for ourselves, love for thy neighbor and help everyone drive safer. So, say “I love you, drive safe” with the way you chose to drive.