In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

Written by: Charley Peyton

Sitting at a stop light, waiting for the light to turn green, and lost in thought about countless other things, my family and I were shot forward in an instant, slamming our necks against our headrests. After initial confusion from this rude awakening, we realized that we had been in a car crash. Though we were quick to point blame, we didn’t realize, at the time, the ways that this situation could have been avoided on both sides.

Driving tends to be something that doesn’t require much effort to do as you become older. When learning to drive, the new driver is typically focussed on avoiding mistakes and sharpening techniques. However, once someone starts feeling comfortable with driving, that’s when some avoidable errors can occur. Driving starts feeling like second nature to experienced drivers and these drivers trust themselves, sometimes much too often, to break rules and lose focus. It is important to be educated about the rules of driving as well as the consequences that come with driving irresponsibly to motivate drivers to keep the roads a safe place.

Thankfully in our fender-bender accident, no one involved was hurt. The driver who hit us had glanced down at her phone for a moment, but just in that small moment, damage was done. She shared that this situation definitely taught her a lesson to stay fully attentive while driving. I hope that in the future, drivers won’t have to experience an accident to understand this.

It is a lot easier said than done to stay focussed while driving. Sometimes our minds drift even if we aren’t distracted by a phone or other things. One practical step towards helping others and yourselves stay safe on the road is to make a habit of continuously checking all mirrors while driving. Driving cautious of other drivers and ready to avoid an accident will make the roads safer for all around you. Constantly switching your eyes from left mirror to windshield, windshield to rear view, rear view to right mirror and back, keeps your brain working to avoid zoning out. This also allows us to critically think and anticipate an accident one step before it occurs. In my family’s accident, looking back, our situation could possibly have been avoided on our end if we had been checking our rearview mirror and either honked or moved forward to get the attention of the other driver.

Accidents will continue to occur and once they happen there is nothing you can do to reverse the situation. In the future, however, we can train ourselves to drive with caution and focus to keep ourselves and the people around us safe. Instead of telling ourselves to brake, let’s accelerate towards progress for safety on the roads!