The answer lies in the unquestioned

Driving has occupied a significant fraction of an individual’s life. Unfortunately, it is also a significant threat to one’s life. In 2023 alone, approximately 1.19 million people died as a result of being involved in road accidents. This is particularly alarming as there are literally 3200 fatalities occurring every single day! The reason for nearly all of these deaths can come down to the mental state of an individual.

The whole world might seem all mechanical and emotionally cold from the long shot. In reality, we normally don’t realize how much human emotions play a role in the functioning of the world. The same applies to driving. It mostly reflects the mental state of an individual. Hence, in other words, it’s a matter of mental health rather than disobeying the traffic rules. The world needs to take cognizance of the same in order to significantly reduce the amount of vehicle accidents. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to involve the topic of human psychology as part of driver’s education along with the traffic rules.

Most of the time accidents occur not due to the absence of knowledge (of traffic rules), it occurs due to inadvertence. It occurs due to the lack of focus or due to the influence of strong emotions such as anger or exasperation while driving. Hence, the knowledge of traffic rules is not sufficient, a driver must also pay due attention to his own emotions. This can be possible only if the driver is taught about how the human mind works. Doing so will enable him or her to acknowledge their own emotions, find out the root cause of the same and prevent it from interfering in a malicious way in their lives.

We need to pay greater heed to the mental health of individuals. Before we educate people about the traffic rules and all other sort of external factors, we must educate them to look deep within themselves and to handle all sort of emotionally excruciating situations. This would not only help them become better drivers, this would also help them to develop greater resilience in order to thrive in difficult situations and become successful in their lives.

Fortunately, I have never been involved in a vehicle accident. Nevertheless, I have been told in detail of experiences of individuals who have been a victim of such accidents. It would be better to refer them as victims of emotions rather than victims of road accidents. For instance, my mom had been involved in a road accident (which fortunately did not cause any injuries to her) around a year ago. Although, she was absolutely fine physically, the car was sabotaged quite badly just like her mental state before the accident. She had to face quite a lot of financial struggles. But when this was accompanied by several other personal predicaments, she just failed to keep herself calm. This caused her to drive quite recklessly although she was a lawyer and did know literally all the traffic rules of the region. It was not ignorance but inadvertence that had culminated in the accident.

Today, I am deeply grateful to God for saving my mom from all sort of injuries and dangers, but not every child or spouse or parent can feel the same due to the perilous nature of accidents which could have been easily avoided but ended up bringing in devastating outcomes. My mom is far from an irresponsible driver. Her emotions were the root cause of all the trouble and it is the same for nearly all the hundreds of thousands of people who find themselves being a victim of such an incident.

There are several steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths caused by driving. These include stricter enforcement of traffic laws, such as speed limits, seatbelt usage, and drunk driving penalties. Additionally, promoting awareness campaigns about the dangers of texting while driving and the importance of defensive driving can help reduce accidents. Improving infrastructure, such as adding better lighting, clearer signage, and safer pedestrian crossings, can also contribute to reducing accidents. Besides, advancements in vehicle safety technology, including automatic braking systems and lane departure warnings, can play a significant role in preventing fatal accidents. All these were the conventional suggestions put forth by the masses to address this issue. Although I do completely agree with them, I don’t believe they are sufficient. My viewpoint is really simple – the cars don’t run by themselves, they are run by human beings and human beings are emotional beings whose actions are mostly triggered by emotions. Hence, it is their psychology that is to be addressed first before anything else. Driving schools must incorporate psychology lessons for their students. They must teach the students to manage their emotions because it is impossible to perpetually maintain a calm and focused mindset. They must not only make the students cautious about their emotions, they must also address the root cause of each type of emotion and the preventive measures for the same such as meditation, regular exercise, etc.

To become a better and safer driver, I plan to always follow traffic laws and avoid distractions such as using my phone while driving. I will also make it a priority to regularly service my vehicle to ensure that it is in good working condition. Additionally, I will encourage friends and family members to adopt safe driving habits by leading by example and discussing the importance of responsible driving. Promoting awareness about the dangers of reckless driving among my peers can contribute to making the roads safer for everyone. But most importantly, I will make sure that I acknowledge my own thoughts, accept them and let them pass without causing the emotions from it to interfere in my life. Additionally, I will also ensure that the mental health of other drivers is not affected negatively by me. TOGETHER WE MUST ENSURE THAT MORE THAN GOOD DRIVERS THERE SHOULD BE HAPPY DRIVERS TO BRING IN GOOD OUTCOMES NOT ONLY IN DRIVING BUT IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WORLD!