The Need for Driver Safety, from Kanye to You

On October 23rd, 2002, the young hip-hop producer Kanye West was out for a late-night studio session for his affiliates at Roc-a-Fella Records. At 3 AM, he began to drive home in his Lexus, but because of the late hour and the hard work he put in at the studio, he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car in West Hollywood. This crash was near-fatal; he had to have his jaw wired shut for 6 weeks, and this could have easily ended his career if not his life.

Kanye isn’t alone in getting into car accidents. Every day, countless people get into wrecks; many of whom aren’t so lucky, and either lose their life or cause someone else to lose theirs. The first step to mitigating this risk is ensuring that all drivers receive a proper education. I can remember back to when I was first trying to get my license. I never did formal driver’s ed, but I had to intensely study the rules of the road just to get my permit, and I didn’t even pass the exam on my first attempt. After that, I needed to get hands-on experience (hands on the steering wheel that is), where I got to experience the road firsthand with an experienced driver like my mom telling me what to do. As a former check pilot who trained countless people on how to fly, she can admit that it was even more nerve wracking to give me the steering wheel than any pilot she trained. I can attest that if it wasn’t for that time learning about driving rules and experiencing them in a controlled environment, I would not be as safe of a driver as I am today. And why should we just let someone run loose with a multi-ton slab of fast-moving metal without the proper training on how to operate it? It can be complicated, especially for a beginner, and ensuring that people receive the proper training can ensure that they have some competence before they’re free to go on their own.

Not only does ensuring proper driver education reduce both fatal and non-fatal crashes, fighting against both distracted and impaired driving go a long way in reducing these risks. Driving drunk has long been one of the most potent risk factors in causing crashes. Drinking impairs your motor skills, which makes you less responsive to all of the potential dangers on the road. If you’re in this state, it’s best if you can go home with a sober friend or call an Uber. A more recent risk factor is texting while driving. Texting takes both your eyes and your mind off of the road, so when you feel a need to respond to that text, you are letting everything you need to pay attention to on the road fly right by you. While it’s best to avoid sending messages entirely, if you for some reason have to send one, most modern cars let you do it with your voice, which is much safer than taking your eyes off of the road and typing. Another risk factor, which is what got Kanye in trouble during his accident, is driving while tired. I applaud anyone who can fall asleep at the wheel and not lose focus on the road. I think the key is to be aware of your energy; if it’s late and you just used up all of your energy, in a Roc-a-Fella studio session for example, it’s best to stay off of the road. Kanye could’ve either called a friend to take him home, or he could have taken a nap in the studio and drove home in the morning. Either way, it would make it where he wouldn’t be at the wheel tired. Fighting against distractions and impairments like these are some of the best ways to ensure safer driving for all involved.

A couple of months ago, I was in a bit of a hurry and distracted when I nicked my car on a concrete pillar while pulling into a parking space. While the damage was only cosmetic; my car still functions normally and no one was hurt, it was a sign that I need to be more careful while driving. I fell into a trap of not taking driving as seriously as I should have, and it served as a wake-up call. I don’t ever want to end up in a situation like Kanye did, or worse. Because of this, the best step that I can take in becoming a better driver is paying more attention. If I realized I was about to hit the pillar, I would’ve done more to readjust myself before pulling in. I could also always stop a bit sooner or turn less aggressively, which all adds up to a safer driving experience. The best thing I can do for others is when they’re doing something behind the wheel that goes against what I have mentioned in this essay, I should speak up and try to get them to drive more responsibly. If they don’t see the problem, I should work to make it visible.

Kanye’s story had a good ending, fortunately. While he was already a successful producer, he had aspirations to become a rapper in his own right, and his incident behind the wheel gave him the motivation to record his first solo single, before they even reopened his jaw. On “Through the Wire”, he raps about how fortunate he is that his accident didn’t end up as bad as it could have, proclaiming “Thank God I ain’t too cool for the safe belt!”. This spirit following his accident jump started his career and brought him to the heights that you see today. Of course, a lot could have gone differently that day, and like so many others, his story could have been cut short. Ensuring proper driver education and reducing distractions and impairments behind the wheel both go a long way in ensuring that driving is made safer for everybody. It’ll take a bit of effort from all of us, but it’s worth every life it saves.