How a Stickie Note Can Save A Life

In the last few months of my senior year of high school, the devastating effects one wrong decision can have when backed by a vehicle’s power reminded me of my promise to drive safely. I remember riding in the passenger seat and conversing with my family when I glanced at my city’s highway to see a semi-truck suspended in the air dangling off the overpass. My heart instantly sank. Over the concrete wall, the front cab was balanced, and the driver’s door was hanging open. Directly below the door, the traffic sign on the street was bent. I felt sick as I imagined all the possible ways the sign ended up distorted. It was a shocking reminder of how powerful and dangerous cars can be when we are not in control.

A week later, my friendly DFW suburb town reported another semi-truck accident. The 18-wheeler had flown through the highway’s concrete overpass wall, and its metal side screeched to a stop on the street below, bursting into flames. In both of these accidents, the drivers died on impact, their lives forever lost by some careless error. The effects of dangerous drivers were never so unignorable as it was then. Whenever I was a passenger, I couldn’t help but count the number of eyes looking down at their phones while driving. I regularly looked at +5 random drivers before finding one facing the road. It felt like the safety of others was no longer the top priority of my fellow citizens, and every time I got in the car, it felt like a risk.

Although I was already a conscientious driver, I realized I could still do more to prevent myself or anyone I love from ending up like the semi-truck drivers. Living in a world where phones intoxicate drivers has made me realize I would benefit from a defensive driving program and from fixing my bad habits. I found that multitasking on the road was my most dangerous habit, and I tended to eat behind the wheel because of my busy schedule. To avoid this, I planned time to eat between my activities so that I could eat before traveling. But this was only one of many instances in which I tended to be distracted. I used to start moving toward my destination only to pull out the GPS when needed. Realizing this en route caused me to set up my GPS while driving, which divided my attention just as much as texting. Since this was only a habit because I forgot to turn on the GPS, placing a sticky note reminder above the gear shift ensured that I was ready before starting.

Additionally, phone calls and text notification noises were distracting while I was driving. While I had broken my habit of reading texts or answering phone calls while driving, the notifications still drew my attention away from the road for a few minutes as I wondered who the texter or caller was. Whenever this occurred, I tended to pay less attention to details on the road, and my reaction time would become sluggish. Muting my phone was the best option. However, I kept forgetting. I needed to be more mindful and found that putting a sticky note reminder on my dashboard reminded me to turn off my phone while in transit, ensuring that I was a responsible driver.

When I saw more heads facing away from the highway than alert, it felt hopeless to change my driving habits when everyone around me seemed careless. I knew I had to encourage others to eliminate unsafe driving habits from our streets, or nothing would change. Whenever I am a passenger, I don’t stay silent when I see the eyes of my friends and family go down and the phone goes up. I offer to take care of whatever is urgent on their phone and remind them that accidents are real, frequent, and life-altering. I discuss how stickie note reminders in their car can help them cement safe driving habits. The impacts a simple stickie notes can have are monumental. Texers can quickly break their addiction if they see a message reminding them to mute their phone every time they get in the car. When they write down the habit and see it every time they drive, they are practically guaranteed to remember. To maximize the impact of stickie notes, I recommend changing the colors and fonts of the notes to prevent the eyes from ignoring them once they become a common sight. If they remember to drive safely, they are more likely to save a life.

Driving education is just as powerful a tool as stickie notes, but our nation needs to utilize it more. A few program alterations could quickly increase the number of citizens using this tool. Currently, most citizens go through a driving education program as teens, probably thinking about all the delicious coffees they could consume once they finish their course and get their license. After citizens earn their right to drive, most never revisit driving education or defensive driving again. If more citizens reviewed safe driving and defensive practices every few years, traveling on our streets would be astoundingly safe. Imagine cities requiring a bite-sized lesson for every red light violation to give drivers a reality check. The results could be so dramatic that pedestrians might feel safe enough to cross an intersection. Even drivers not receiving traffic violations could be called to action through highway billboards advertising defensive driving programs next to the annual road fatality boards. In our coupon-crazed world, incentives such as car registration discounts for citizens who complete a few hours of defensive training would likely double the number of people utilizing defensive driving methods.

Every time I pass a highway sign announcing the number of people who have died in a car accident that year, a chill runs down my spine. Recently added to this number was one of my mom’s coworkers because a distracted driver running a red light hit her. Although I only met them once, imagining anyone’s life cut short by one careless mistake still hurts. Even if I cannot prevent the actions of others from affecting me and the people I love, I have a responsibility to myself and everyone else on the road to choose to drive distraction-free and to encourage others to do the same. Therefore, I have pledged to travel distraction-free to prevent myself from being the cause of car accidents by permanently fixing my poor habits. Driving education has the possibility of revolutionizing the way we travel in the U.S. if we use it. We all have goals and dreams we hope to reach; let’s not let mistakes that a stickie note reminder could fix be the reason they go unfulfilled.