Our Minds are Already Full so don’t make it fuller

Mindful Driving Always

Am I still in the speed limit? Check. Ooh a sharp turn is coming up. I should slow down. And the GPS is telling me to turn right soon. I gotta pay attention to that. Am I still in the speed limit? Yep.

When driving, there are so many thoughts running through my head, so much to pay attention to. Even after a year of driving, my eyes are still darting every which way making sure everything is in check. With it already so stressful, I wonder how people can text or dance in their seats at the same time. When I was little, I thought such multi-tasking was impressive, making getting to 16 seem so attractive. Wouldn’t it be so cool? But just like cigarettes aren’t as cool as you think, driving with so many distractions can be dangerous. Sadly, I had to learn about the thousands of deaths from distracted driving to realize that it wasn’t all fun and games. I learned from watching movies where characters looked at each other too long while driving and got into an accident. I learned when in my friend’s car, when we were talking with eye contact for too long and almost crashed into the car in front of us. I learned when a classmate was not able to stop in time and avoid that accident that I closely avoided. Instead of learning it the hard, scary way and even going through an accident yourself to make this realization, teens should learn in a comfortable space with teachers and classes.

However, not only is formal education important in a car with a trained adult, but so is learning in the car with parents. I know that the red octagon sign at turns means stop because I’ve grown up in a car where we stop at this sign. It’s common sense. But some grow up with their parents in the driver’s seat on calls or with parents that let their eyes drift off the road. In order to teach upcoming generations to drive safely, parents need to drive attentively as well and lead by example. They could maybe even take driving courses to refresh themselves on rules and ways of driving safely. Parents and children should keep each other in account while driving.

This should not start the first day of driver’s education at the age of 15 but rather since the first day a child steps into a car. Teens should not only learn the laws of the road and the ways of their vehicle but should also be able to deal with distractions from the very beginning of their lives. This is especially important in today’s day and age with so many available distractions: their phone, their friends, music, and more. Teens should learn from the get-go to prioritize their safety over answering a text and adding even more thoughts to their already full mind.

Though I learned late, I know I won’t continue my generation’s mistakes onto my children’s. In fact, I’ll start right now by reminding a friend driving to keep her eyes on the road or tell my sister to drive safe before she drives to work—but make sure not to answer me in the car! I’ll teach others to know how to deal with so many thoughts racing through their minds, moving eyes quickly, always staying alert, and always keeping mirrors in the right position.

Another worrying thought to address that runs through my head while driving is “That car behind me is getting pretty close. Am I going to slow? Should I be going faster??” I worry that maybe this person is late to work. I don’t want to hold anyone back by being five below the speed limit. But I have come to learn that I need to prioritize my safety over a stranger’s comfort. Whenever this thought arises, I remind myself of the story I read about while learning driving rules: a boy was driving with a car behind him clearly wanting him to go faster. However, aware that the road was icy, he kept at his speed and ignored the driver behind him. This strength of heart saved him from a deadly accident and impressed me. This story has thankfully stuck with me to this day and makes me remember to drive at a reasonable speed limit and forget about the person behind me.

This is a problem I unexpectedly faced yet was just as important for me to learn as learning the railroad sign. Therefore, a learning experience with meaningful, impactful stories are much more effective than memorizing facts from a book. When I first learned from the lawbook, I studied hard and did well on the test to get my permit, but many of those facts did not stick with me. It was not until I took an actual course with interactive lessons, quizzes, and stories did these important lessons stick. Stories feel more personal and relatable than straight facts resulting in stronger learning and, therefore, better driving. They can be much more specific and therefore more memorable than bulleted list and apply to each person in different ways as another may have a different problem than I do in, say, remembering to brake slowly or keeping their road rage in check.

Lastly, drivers should be rewarded for their good driving. When I first started learning to drive, all I noticed were my mom’s white knuckles and my dad’s criticisms. It’s as important for your mistakes and bad turns to be recognized as it is for your good turns to be recognized. This will make new drivers strive not to just be an average driver but an exceptional one. They will then be more motivated and excited to get in the driver’s seat and drive safely.

These are only a few of the most important issues with driver education and driving, some of which are not given enough attention. There are so many problems with driving, a practice most everyone does in their lives every single day, so it is essential to address them so that lives can be saved.