The Key to Road Safety : Preparation

Everyone likes to tell me they fear flying when they discover I am pursuing an aviation career. My favorite response to this confession is, “Weird, you know you’re far more likely to get into a car crash than a plane crash? You are also far more likely to die from a car accident too!” This response is often met with judgment and occasionally dispute. As cynical as I may sound, I spoke nothing short of statistical facts. According to my calculations using the numbers from the National Safety Council in their article Odds of Dying, you are around 2,000 times more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash.  This makes me wonder why the same people who drive daily fear flying. After conversing with these individuals, I have found a common theme: They all fear the lack of control flying presents. The irony in their reasoning led to me writing this essay to explore how numerous drivers relinquish their control to chance.

Living in Canada, the roads often feel like slips and slides. Every year, the first snow of the season litters the streets with crashed cars. According to research by Daniel Eisenberg and Kenneth E. Warner, the first snow day is statistically more dangerous than every other snow day in the year. My best friend, whom I drive to and from school with every day, started an album in her photo apps to document all the crashes we encountered during our commute. In that winter, the album collected over three dozen photos. What’s concerning about this number isn’t merely the sheer amount of crashes but the timeline and nature of these crashes. We continuously witnessed under-prepared drivers end up in the ditch after recklessly driving with summer tires for 5 months. I must admit, every time I spotted a crashed car in summer tires, I went on frustrated rants to my passengers. Eventually, my best friend called me out, “Why are you so worked up over somebody else’s tires?”. The answer is that I care about human life. I worry about possible children in the backseat of the sedan that just got rear-ended, the parents traveling to support their children’s endeavors, and the partners waiting to be picked up by their lovers after a long trip. It is this care that makes me hate preventable accidents. Reflecting on this, I have realized that some people do not truly care whether their actions can hurt or end someone’s life. It is honestly shocking that, for some, doing what’s easy or convenient is more important than thinking about how it might affect others. But, especially when driving, this way of thinking is unjustifiable. A quick decision or a small mistake on the road can demolish a family or worse. It is an invaluable reminder for drivers to think not only of themselves but also about the lives and safety of others on the road. Thus, a driver’s education is integral for the safety of all those who use the road. When drivers are given relevant instruction on better preparing for various road conditions and the dangers of going without, they feel motivated to make those preparations. The majority of the time, it is not that drivers are unwilling to take responsibility for their own safety, but that they do not understand how to. Young drivers should especially take the time to complete drivers education so that they can not only avoid high-risk situations but also handle themselves better in such scenarios because they’ve had expert training on exactly what to do.

Preparation is the most defense against accidents and the most effective way to ensure your safety on the road. Zig Ziglar’s famous quote, “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.” We can not expect some idealistic outcome and ignore the necessary precautions to counteract factors that may compromise our safety on the road. Drivers need to educate themselves on road safety and stop avoiding ‘intimidating’ or ‘pessimistic’ probabilities for comfortability. Instead, confronting those possibilities and developing the right plans to handle them will prevent catastrophic accidents. Check to see if you have snow brushes in the car to brush snow off the car and especially headlights; clean mirrors regularly to ensure you have full visibility. Check weather and road conditions reports to avoid getting caught in heavy storms. Change into winter tires to avoid slippage. These are all easy tasks that are within the driver’s control. When these preparations are not made, drivers will find themselves in peril as they lose control of the roads.

Last week, I visited Costco to change my tires into winter tires in preparation for the snow. The handling of the car, especially during sharp turns, didn’t feel quite right, so I checked the tire pressures to see if one had 40 psi while others had 30 psi. I assumed that was the issue and decided I could fix it when free; this poor lapse of judgment nearly cost me my life. Two days later, while driving on the highway, a big white pickup truck started honking furiously and chasing my car down. Once stopped, a kind, gentle man stepped out, and with a freaked expression, he told me the wheels were wiggling and were about to fall off. They had failed to attach my tires properly after replacing them. And because of my laziness and failure to inspect my car for the integrity of the tires/wheels and lack of preparation, that wheel could have fallen off to cause crashes for all those behind me on that busy highway. My car itself could have taken out others had I lost a wheel and control over the car. Because of my experience as a witness of the scare I had from this incident, I have placed newfound importance on preparation before ever hitting the road.  

All in all, regularly conducting necessary checks, making necessary maintenance or changes to the vehicle, and equipping oneself with all the tools to handle hazardous roads are the most effective ways to prevent and avert crises. The reason why traveling by plane is so much safer than traveling by car isn’t that cars are inherently dangerous. It is because planes undergo rigorous inspections before every takeoff and after every landing to guarantee that pilots can be in complete control at all times. Suppose we can implement a similar habit (with less rigor) to our everyday routine every time we drive. In that case, we can productively reduce countless mishaps on the road and boost safety.