Safety starts with you

Every year in the United States, more than 38,000 people die in car accidents, and 4.4 million are injured enough to require medical attention. These numbers are shocking, and everyone should be made aware, especially younger, inexperienced drivers. Among young drivers there is an infectious idea that driving safely isn’t “cool.” Teenagers refuse to wear their seatbelts, worrying it will make them seem less brave. They buy shirts printed with seatbelt images on them to keep from getting caught, or they wear them as a joke. Some street race with their friends to prove themselves and their “rides.” There is clearly a huge problem and thinking about solving it might seem daunting at first. But if each of us focuses on bettering ourselves, our goal will be that much closer. It’s easy to point at the faults of others, but hard to change those “others.” It’s harder to point at our own faults, but if we all try, the changes will come easier.

Personally, I am not immune to bad driving habits. When I first got my used car, it came with a phone holder that attached to the windshield with a suction cup. It worked great for a while; I would put in my phone, set the GPS while still parked, and then get to my location without having to touch my phone. But after about a year the suction cup lost its strength and started falling off, until finally it wouldn’t stay attached at all. Once that happened, I started driving with my phone in my lap with the GPS pulled up. That meant whenever I needed to check the directions, see where the next turn was, or double check what a street was called, I would need to look down at my lap. Alternatively, I could hold the phone with one hand while driving with the other to see the GPS as I needed. Neither were permanent or safe solutions.

I do realize this was an unsafe practice, but having a small income, I did not want to go out and purchase a new phone holder. But now if I stop and think about, how much does one cost? About $15 on average. Sure, for some that might be an amount that is hard to budget for, but what about the amount you need to pay if you get a ticket? About $100. The amount by which your car insurance will increase per month if you cause an accident? That’s $30. The burden that you would live with if someone got hurt by driving dangerously? Too big to calculate. Thinking through all of this now, it makes perfect sense to purchase a new phone mount as soon as possible. I already have Amazon listings pulled up, since I was referencing the average price moments ago. At this point, it would be ridiculous and irresponsible not to buy one.

Not everyone will use the same approach to develop safe driving habits. I needed to crunch some numbers and think about the horror of someone else getting hurt because of me, and I’ve now isolated the first area I can improve and taken steps to address it. Someone else might be better influenced imagining the impact that getting into an accident would have on their family, their children. But the most meaningful step is identifying the problem and identifying yourself in it. We see statistics and think that the problem is so much larger than ourselves, or that our driving isn’t the most egregious on the road. But if we all look in and make a change, the problem gets that much smaller, because the force fighting against it is that much stronger. Lives are on the line, so we all need to pitch in.