Drivers Boot Camp

“Do what I say, and you might make it home alive!” This phrase and others like it are often used by commanding officers in the military while they are training their soldiers. During their training soldiers are put through physical, mental, and emotional strain to see if they are fit enough to go to war. They are also taught how to use and care for their equipment. Yet after all that training, and even with following orders to the letter, soldiers still die. A commander must accept that they cannot save all their men. This fact is something we must also accept in an even deadlier topic. Driving. But why is driving so dangerous? What can we do as a society to make it safer? And what can we do individually to do the same?

Why is driving so dangerous?

According to studies, the top five causes of fatal car accidents are: 1. Driving while intoxicated. 2. Speeding. 3. Weather-related conditions. 4. Reckless driving. And 5. Distracted driving. Notice, four of these things are people centric, while only one is not. We, the drivers, are the ones who make driving safe or deadly. Also take note that these are the causes of fatal car accidents, mistakes will be made. Hardly anyone goes out with the intent to get into a car wreck, especially not a fatal one. We must remember that no matter how careful we are, there is never a guarantee that we will survive.

What can we do to make it safer?

However, we can limit how many deaths take place. We already have a form of driving “boot camp,” otherwise known as Drivers Ed. And if we address the primary causes of car accidents, we can further cut down on these unnecessary deaths. For now, we will focus on just the top three causes.

Education

The first step to any safe system is clear communication of the rules. Just like in military boot camp, we are taught about our equipment and how to use it. As well as some simple things we can do to care for our vehicles. Drivers Ed also helps to sift through potential drivers to block out anyone who is “unfit” to drive (i.e., unable to understand the rules of the road, or unable to properly drive the equipment). However, I believe the two largest parts of Drivers Ed are instilling a fear of the road and teaching driving safe practices. We do not need to scare people away from driving, but people do need to be aware of the dangers of what their actions may cause.

Driving while intoxicated

One action that is heavily focused on is driving while intoxicated, and rightfully so as it is the cause of 10,000 – 13,000 deaths a year. Sadly, education cannot do too much to stop this. Warning people of the dangers of driving while intoxicated is great, but it will not necessarily stop people from doing it. DUI’s are a choice. Well-meaning people may not plan to do it, but once impaired they may then choose to drive. This is where some technology could be of use. If a person has a history of DUIs then a special breathalyzer could be installed to the car so that only a sober person can operate the car. This idea may not stop the issue, but it could limit a few people. Otherwise, the most we can do is keep an eye out for others and encourage drunk or tipsy people to get a ride from someone else. But that does not address the issue of driving under the influence of drugs or medication.

Speeding

Speeding can be deliberate or just a mistake. For those who do it deliberately, it is not from a lack of teaching or understanding, but because they are putting their own enjoyment or some other thing above their safety and the safety of those around them. For those who just made a mistake, it could be they missed the speed limit sign, or they just had not looked at their speedometer in a moment and simply did not know they had a lead foot. If Drivers Ed were enough to scare people into following the speed limit, it would not be a concern. So, we may want to look at other ways of helping people to not speed. One way would be an id tag embedded within the road that tells a sensor built into a car what the speed limit is. The car can then provide a readout telling the driver what the speed limit is at all times. Eliminating the risk of them simply missing the sign. These speed limit tags would be placed at each main intersection and after a given number of feet (every half mile or so). As for the deliberate speeders, we could cut down on the max speed of vehicles. After all, why do I drive a car that has a speedometer maxing out at 150mph when the highest speed limit in the US is 85mph? If we limit the speed capacity of vehicles, it will help to limit those speed demons.

Weather-related conditions

Weather-related conditions are unpredictable. No form of technology we have can deal with the weather perfectly. As such, teaching bad weather driving skills is the biggest thing that can be done. One thing that should be emphasized in classes is that they need to slow down during bad weather, regardless of how confident a person feels. Drivers Ed already (in my experience) covers some basic bad weather driving skills, but if we are to bring this death count down, we may want to consider making this a larger priority. It should also be taught in all regions, not just in the regions where it is immediately applicable.

What can I do to make driving safer?

Personally, I do not have a lot of experience with car accidents. I’ve once been the victim of a hit and run after someone effectively tried to perform a pit maneuver on the car I was in. but thankfully my driver was able to get control of the vehicle almost immediately and we were able to pull over safely. As it was a hit and run, I do not know why they hit our car. It could have been due to them being distracted or simply being reckless, but because my driver was experienced and attentive no one got hurt. Had he not had both hands on the wheel, and not had known how to avoid a spin out, we could have ended up in a large pile up with several people dead. Those two details saved lives. My driver followed what he was taught in his Drivers Ed class.

So how can we, as individuals, keep the roads safe? We can do the basics. We can use our turn signals, check our blind spots, keep both hands on the wheel, check our speed, make sure our vehicles are in good repair, and slow down in rough weather. Driving is dangerous primarily because of people, but it can also be safe because of people. Listen to your commander, then you can make it home.