Distraction, Danger, and Driver’s Ed

During my first time out on the road, I was scared enough to hesitate even pressing the gas pedal. Everything was flying past me at what seemed to be the speed of light. The red and green lights changed before I could comprehend whether to slow down or speed up. I knew that driving was going to have a steep learning curve like I had never experienced before. A single mistake on the road can lead to life-changing consequences for more than just the driver. That’s why programs like driver’s education matter: they teach the basics of safe driving and help new drivers understand the real dangers before they get too comfortable behind the wheel.

One of my biggest distractions while driving was other cars on the road. I was swiveling my head like an owl, looking at all the other vehicles, trying to figure out what they were doing and where they were going. I realized that I needed to focus more on the space in front of me instead of the speed of the person zooming by. Instead of watching someone cut through traffic, I needed to be making sure I wasn’t cutting into anyone else. Being aware of my surroundings means focusing more on what’s ahead and less on what everyone else is doing. Drivers looking around is a good thing, however it can quickly become dangerous when done too frequently. This is taught in driver ed courses, and is encouraged when first learning how to operate a vehicle. The community of parents teaching their kids how to drive could also come together to discuss good lessons to their children in the car, and would help with preparing drivers with how to operate their car safely on the road.

A more difficult distraction to overcome is skipping music on my radio. I know using my phone is bad; however, having an aftermarket radio that allows the same operations as my phone is just as bad. If I don’t like the current song playing, my first thought is to change it. If I don’t like the one after, I change that one too. Eventually, I end up skipping fifty songs, while only glancing up at the road a dozen times, which is not nearly as many times as I should. However, instead of glancing up randomly and being absorbed in my music, instead of two-ton chunks of metal driving next to me at highway speeds, the fix is not to skip any of the songs you have. An effective way to stop skipping is to create a playlist that you listen to exclusively while driving. Or, queue up some of your favorite tunes before you start driving. Making it a point to help yourself preemptively significantly reduces how much time you spend skipping or scrolling to the next song you want to listen to. This effectively will help keep teens paying more attention to the road in front of them, which helps keep them safe and others around them.

Lastly, singing while driving is a huge distraction for me. Whether I’m singing one of the songs I just skipped to, or a song I had queued up from my solution, I sing a lot. I sing loudly, long, and lovingly with a passion no one could match. However, when I delve deeply into my songs, I tend to lose focus on the road ahead, which puts me in a dangerous position. Now, I am barreling down the road with limited hearing, and focused on hitting the high notes instead of braking for the car pulling out right in front of me. This fix is the most difficult one. Singing is fun, and it livens up long trips or commutes, so cutting it out is difficult. However, the change has to happen. The resolution is singing in my head, or I’m turning down my music and singing at a calm, inner level. While in a car, the last thing I would want is for something meaningful to get ignored because I’m blasting my favorite rock song.

I’ve learned that distractions come in all shapes and sizes. But driver’s education and my personal experience have helped me see how easy it is to lose focus and how important it is to get it back. To help prevent accidents and promote safer habits, teens can speak up when their friends drive distracted. By holding their friends accountable, teens will be encouraged to put their phones down and focus more on the road. Schools can update driver’s ed courses, making it more likely for parents and students to enroll. Doing these suggestions will reduce the likelihood of teen drivers not only putting themselves in danger, but also other people on the road.