Driving Safely

“You tell me where we start, where were going, where were going afterwards”. This was Ryan Gosling’s famous line on Drive, (2011). These words were my exact thought process on combating the leading cause of death on our streets by looking into the future of safe driving. Our biggest achievements as a civilization could not have come without their setbacks, and if the number of road-related deaths isn’t enough to have learned from our shortcomings, nothing will be. Its time to stop beating a dead horse and regurgitating what we already know is causing the mortality and start thinking in more innovative ways that best suit a fast-paced world. By looking at more accessible driver’s ed courses, better technology, more accountability, and incentives for safe driving, we can help bring the risk of driving on American roads back under control.

With so many advertisements and agenda driven campaigns being flashed at us, it’s evident that technology plays into society’s sickness of escapism. Distractions kill the most drivers on an annual basis. It’s now time for the call to action; we must demand better accommodations from big tech companies. At times, iPhones lock during vehicular motion. It’s a short-lived solution, but if we were to forcibly sync a smart phone to a vehicle while it senses motion, without the option of unlocking until the vehicle stops, there would be no need to look at the screen while driving. Bluetooth speaking would be enough. Not all phones are synced to cars easily, but with improved technology, such as 5G and modern cars that have legible, transparent smart screens on their windshields, it could be a thing of the past. Looking into ways to make it easier but safer to call a family member during an emergency and maintain eyes on the road is better than nothing. This way, we can combat a flaw in our dependence of technology by improving our technology to fit our needs.

Another way to reduce the number of deaths could be by making driver’s ed mandatory in every high school campus. Defensive Driving 101 should be available as a prerequisite for graduation because it outlines the basics for safe driving. But let’s not stop there; let’s prioritize time and anger management classes while we’re at it. If we focused less on just handing out tickets and more on self-accountability when anxiousness begins to set in for restless drivers, (such as is done for special needs individuals who suffer panic attacks when over stimulated) it might better target areas of focus that need to be enhanced. Many people struggle from attention deficit while not enough is being done to accommodate their needs in an ever-expanding, impulse-gratifying, society. If our brain and its cognitive abilities were treated like any other muscle, we would be “working out” our issues more mentally and preventing much of the road rage seen. Imagine a world in which mental health is prioritized. We could establish a whole new way of thinking about driving for future generations.

The key issue is lack of awareness. I know I’ve been guilty of this myself after I looked down to my phone to switch a song when traffic was bad and the driver in front of me slammed their breaks. It was a late morning on my way to work in Dallas traffic and all it took was a split second of looking away for me to lose track of the distance between us. Fortunately, mild whiplash was all that we walked away with, but the state of my car left me without transportation, forcing me to quit my job (on my first day of work) that moment. I was new to town, and was still a novice driver, so I didn’t understand how fast things changed on Dallas streets. One look at my car’s hood, and you would’ve guessed that I did not survive after such a crash. Why make it such an extensive commute for people to get to work? I should have known what I was getting myself into when I moved to a large metroplex, but I can’t help but think that the automobile industry is the only one benefitting with these set ups. I propose that we push for better pedestrian-friendly sidewalks for future city layouts. This way, the amount of traffic on the highways wont effect everyone daily. We need more options on how to get to work and better accessibility to jobs, so perhaps getting rid of longer commutes could be a new direction in safer roads. This would also help reduce carbon emissions, which would make it a double win.

My point is that we need to learn to think about the situation from an entirely new perspective. We are entering a new age of demanding social and political reformation, why would we take on the entire burden ourselves, as the 1% holds the wealth of the nation necessary for decreasing the gap of disparity? Automobile deaths do not affect just the middle class, but it is an issue primarily blamed on it. Creating a sense of unity on the streets could help ensure that everyone gets home safer. Establishing a civic duty for all parties involved to abide by the law is of utmost importance in an already divided nation. Managing tax cuts or increasing tax returns at the end of every year for drivers with outstanding records is the future. Lowering gas prices for drivers with license plates that prove they are considerate of others on the road could be monumental. Better incentives could breed a better sense of accomplishment than outrunning the cops ever could. If we punish poor driving habits on a federal level, why not also reward good ones?