The Importance of Driving Education and the Dangers Distractions Can Pose

There was no sudden noise to warn us. All we heard was the sound of rubber sliding along the ice of the road. I had been on the road with my sister, my sister’s friend, and her dad. My sister’s friend’s dad was driving as I was too young to get my permit. It was a cold day as the snow had fallen the night before, and the roads were iced over in places. We had approached an intersection and stopped at the red light. When we passed through the intersection, we heard the sound of rubber meeting ice. I had only a moment to look up as I saw a small cargo-truck slide into our right side. We spun around once and stopped in a nearby snowbank. Luckily none of us were injured. Although the car was totaled, it had done its job and protected us.

Driver education is an essential first step to avoiding accidents. Through classes, people are taught to understand the dangers driving entails and how they should respond to these dangers. Classes protect not only the driver but also the pedestrians as well.

In my experience, Constant driving encourages the development of driving instincts. A developed ability to anticipate the possible actions of fellow drivers, some based on visual cues. Frequent movements and actions while driving can become muscle memory for seasoned drivers. Measures such as using your turn signal, knowing when to break, and becoming more attentive overall, can be done subconsciously with enough experience. In the case of my accident, I believe a better education on how to handle icy roads may have helped the cargo-truck driver. When he was breaking for the red light, it appeared as if he pressed too hard, and the inertia his truck had generated caused him to slide as the ice carried him through the intersection into our car.

While classes will significantly improve your driving ability, I believe the best way to avoid an accident is to minimize distractions. Distractions while driving plague all drivers, but the most dangerous is the devices many carrying around. Phones tend to be the most effective distraction for many, with notifications causing them to lose focus at any second. As I am sure many people know, this second of lost focus can be fatal. Because of this, it should be our top priority to limit said distractions and, in turn, produce a safer driving experience for all those on the road. Here are a few ideas of my own that I hope can solve the issue at large. 

The most straightforward answer would be to put your phone away in your pocket or bag to eliminate the possibility of encountering distractions. Another option would be to silence your device not to receive notifications or calls. However, these options may not be viable for busy people whose lives may be more demanding. For this circumstance, I recommend using voice control programs such as Siri or Alexa when sending messages. These programs allow the driver to communicate without using their hands while keeping their eyes on the road. As these programs usually come with every phone or device, access to these hands-free assets is simple and easy. 

Another option includes a headset or earpiece for those who communicate via phone calls or text messages. These options allow the driver to communicate with the receiver without repeatedly activating the voice control program on their device. In addition, full attention can be given to the road during a call since all the driver needs to talk to the receiver without wondering if their message went through. However, in some states, including Rhode Island, where I live, it is illegal for a Limited Provisional License holder to have an earpiece while driving. This law is exempt only when a driver has obtained the Full Operator’s License. Also, as far as my understanding, it is a federal law that it is illegal it has both ears covered while driving. In this event, the driver would not be able to hear the outside noises of the road, such as horns, sirens, and perhaps commands from road authorities.

One last option is having another person handle your phone and its alerts. While I am driving with my sister, she takes any calls or texts I may have. She either sets the phone to speaker mode or reads back when I communicate with someone. This proves to be one of the more effective options as full attention, including sight and hearing, can be fully invested into driving safety. 

Of course, the safest way of limiting the distraction of a phone is to put it entirely away in a pocket or bag. However, if this is not an option, I hope my ideas can serve as proper substitutions that produce safer drivers on the road.