Miles in the Drivers Seat

In my friend group, I am the designated driver.

My buddies have no problem with it (likely because gas is so expensive) and they assume it is because I simply love to drive. It is a safe assumption. I also trust myself the most behind the wheel. You see, I have easily spent the most time on the road, being the oldest. I know how to signal through a roundabout, how to conduct a perfect safety stop, and when it is appropriate to use warning lights. When I took Drivers Ed, I got a 96% on my final test- one of the highest in the class. My phone is always in the hands of my passenger, who controls the music. I am an intentionally careful driver and have almost never found myself distracted. Almost.

Except I eat when I drive.

It’s a nasty habit- the kind of thing that gets crumbs in my seats and renders the center console sticky. I know I am not supposed to do it, but my routine is busy, and drive-thrus are convenient. I watched my parents do it on road trips and assumed it was normal. I watch truck drivers stop in gas stations for a greasy sack of burger on the regular. For a while, I thought nothing of it. But that all changed when I put my first car in a ditch over a Chick-Fil-A Cool Wrap.

That’s right. My dream car. It was a 2000 VW Bug, manual, bright yellow. But when you put a small ride like that up against a deep hole in the ground, it tends to lose.

For a while after that, I was the safest driver. As in, I never even touched the road. It took me years to save up for my next car, and for 8 months, I avoided fast food like the plague. But we humans tend to resort back to our old ways. And before you knew it, I was back to my coffee stops- back to eating and steering like an idiot. This essay prompted me to reconsider my habits, for which I am thankful. Other people must also consider eating a distractor as well. To invoke societal change, I propose the following ideas.

1. A “no eating in the car” rule. I know. Very obvious. Except today, I wrote that message on a little sticky note and placed it on the passenger side dash. I thought of sticking it on my back windshield, like a “Baby on Board” sign. And if someone were to produce a sticker like that, I can’t imagine how many cars would be saved. How many lives would be saved.

2. A “tastes even better on a table!” message on fast food packaging. To encourage sit down experience, while discouraging the habit of eating behind the wheel. Besides, I honestly do think food tastes better when you carve out time to sit down and really enjoy it.

3. Advertising. Everyone knows that texting while driving is illegal. Those commercials have been thrown on our screens ever since we were kids. Eating while driving, however, is hardly ever a publicized danger. Show a teenager texting behind the wheel, and another one who is simply chowing down. Show them getting into a fender bender and not knowing, really, who is at fault. These actions are comparable, because these actions are lethal.

It is evident that driving is among the most dangerous things one can do on a routine basis. In the United States, operating a vehicle has become more devastating than combat, a notable figure unbeknownst to the general population. With slight adjustments to our environment, I am certain distractions such as eating would be successfully mitigated for a safer experience on the road. A car, much like a gun, is only safe if the user knows how to properly manage it. Drivers Ed serves as the first step in teaching future generations how to properly conduct themselves next to other users on the road. Applying the lessons, however, takes an entirely different sort of discipline- one that may be alleviated with actions such as the ones proposed above. As our economy continues to rapidly innovate, so too should our strides in creating a safer driving environment for our people within the United States.

As a student attending the College of Business, I am now rich with ideas to pitch in my future entrepreneurship classes. Thank you for the opportunity to think on this level, and your consideration for this scholarship. These preventative actions against distracted driving will educate communities, promote safer behaviors on the road, and ultimately save lives.

It could even save yellow VW bugs.