“Driven”

Driven

Cops, stoplights, roundabouts, yield signs, speed limits: all things which have prevented countless people across the world from falling victim to devastating, life-altering, even fatal car accidents. Sadly, however, these various tools and factors cannot prevent the unpredictable and irrational behavior of humans—whose actions are largely determined by momentary emotion and inadequate assumptions. People assert their own schedules over speed limits. Yield signs are blown through without discretion. Drivers take risks in roundabouts. Traffic lights cannot prevent the choices made by unpredictable drivers. And cops are simply unable to put a stop to all irrational behavior on the road.

For many, the ability to maintain focus while driving is subpar. We as humans are easily distracted. Our eye is caught by a sleek new corvette passing to our left, our phone lets out an unusually loud buzz in the cupholder, or our thoughts are at the destination to which we are driving instead of the road there. It’s not until we experience the repercussions of these actions/distractions that we fully understand the need for attentive awareness when in the driver’s seat—for not only our sake but also those caught in the crosshairs.

Driver’s ed is essential in preventing such accidents. Educating oneself on the rules of the road is not a learning experience which should be taken lightly. In fact, it’s much like educating oneself on how to properly lift weights before attempting to do so at the gym or being taught how to correctly and cautiously handle a firearm before going to the shooting range. While the rules and precautions seem simple and sometimes even excessive, they are what keep weight lifters from sudden traumatic muscle tears and prevent those at the shooting range from hurting themselves or others accidentally because of a regulation which they didn’t know of or didn’t pay enough attention to. Similarly, driver’s education prevents drivers from making one wrong or risky choice which could cost them or other innocent people their lives. Knowing how to navigate intersections safely, read street signs, maintain acute awareness, prevent distraction, and even understand the maintenance of one’s car are just a few ways which make a large difference in keeping those behind the wheel safe and smart.

So what can be done to prevent the thousands of deaths which occur per year due to driving? For starters, driver’s need to educate themselves on all of the aspects of driving listed above. Know the technical features of driving and the rules of the road.

Second, people need to put their emotions behind them when in the driver’s seat. Anger and impatience lead to irrational and irresponsible decision-making. The ability to regulate one’s emotions as a driver is a characteristic which people’s lives literally depend upon.

Third, people need to realize (and fast) that the hypothetical situations they learn and hear about are just as likely to happen to them as the people on the news. Just like the rest of us, those a victim of fatal or life-altering car wrecks were most likely guilty of believing such incidents would only happen to other people. Like everyone else, they got up, ate breakfast, got ready for school/work, grabbed their keys, put on their favorite tunes, and pulled out of their driveway without any clue that the simple decision to attempt changing lanes and switching songs at the same time would put them in a wheelchair for life. Careless and unaware drivers’ lives can be changed in seconds because of one small decision they make or fail to make.

Fourth, be a humble driver. Only the grace of God saves those who believe they “own the road” from crashing into other drivers every day because they refuse to use signals, stay in one lane for more than five seconds, or put down their phone.

I feel so strongly about safe driving because one, I have seen the devastation which car wrecks cause, and two, I love my family and my friends, and care greatly about the lives of the strangers I drive alongside every day. I have been rear-ended. My friend suffered needing stitches in her forehead due to an accident in the school parking lot. My brother and dad witnessed a fatal wreck. My Aunt nearly lost her life after being hit by a driver who was unaware she was crossing the road. On the other hand, my best friend is a newly licensed driver, and my dad is often distracted by work related calls and texts when traveling long distances to meetings by car. I never want to endure the consequences of problematic driving, and equally as much hope to never see a family member or friend be guilty or a victim of such driving and the repercussions which inevitably follow. As a driver myself who has never, fortunately, been a victim of a life-altering car wreck, I need to remind myself that just because it does not seem like a likely event does not mean it is impossible. Over time, a lack of exposure to the consequences of my distracted driving has made me an even more unaware driver. Scrolling to find the right playlist, glancing half-heartedly over my shoulder when making lane changes, and exceeding speed limits for the sake of my own convenience are areas of my driving which I must improve. The Lord says in Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I believe that what the Lord says here is true. He has plans for me, and for everyone here on Earth who is willing to follow Him. But each year the 36,000 people who lose their lives due to dangerous, unaware drivers also lose their opportunities to accomplish these plans and live lives which are prosperous and full of the true joy and hope which God has offered to us. Being a truly good driver means considering the lives of those around you to be as valuable as your own—and as dependent on your driving as yours is.

Be educated. Be aware. Be safe.