Distracted Driving And The Dangers Of Ignorance

Driver’s education is a crucial, underappreciated, and underutilized source for our local communities. I think that although getting plenty of driving practice from family members before getting your driver’s license is helpful, having trained and dedicated resources for driving education has a positive impact. This is especially true for marginalized communities who may not have parents with their own cars or time to assist in their children’s driving education. Tens of thousands of lives are lost every year due to driving accidents. Many of these losses are preventable and due to the negligence of drivers. Despite this, I feel that many having an inflated or overly confident state of mind when it comes to driving due to its frequency in their day to day lives.

Growing up, driving accidents were a common occurrence. At one of my town’s local elementary schools, a biker being hit and killed by a speeding driver. My Mom suffered severe injuries due to being T-boned from a distracted driver who ran a red light. I’ve even been in a car accident myself when I was in a fender-bender at my college’s parking lot. Driving is one of the most dangerous activities you can do during your day-to-day life, yet it is less talked about and often met with far less anxiety than other modes of transportation like flying.

Because of its inherent risks and prevalence in the United States’ society and culture, I think driver education is a key piece of the puzzle that can help in reducing the number of driving-related deaths. Driver education is important for new and old drivers alike. Having a clear and standardized base level of knowledge in driving is crucial to improving the safety and startling statistics on driving-related deaths. Not only will this help drivers maintain their knowledge on traffic laws, it can help to prevent negligence as the dangers and consequences can be more readily understood by those who complete this education.

Steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of driving-related deaths include strong education on how alcohol and drugs, particularly marijuana, can impair your response time and overall driving abilities. I’ve personally seen friends who have tried to drive after engaging in drugs and alcohol. They assumed that because they “felt fine,” that their driving wouldn’t be impacted negatively. While I was able to stop them, I worry about what could have happened had I not been there to step in. Drunk driving alone leads to thousands of deaths per year, and often the deaths that result are innocent pedestrians or other drivers on the road. I think many people have a mindset of “not me,” which leads to this dangerous behavior. In addition, many may not realize just how impaired they may be at that moment and how that might impact their driving. Incorporating a simulation in driver’s education that directly shows people how their judgement and reaction time is affected can help aid in this understanding. Having students wear goggles or utilizing virtual reality may help more drivers realize how an impaired state of mind can significantly lower their likelihood of safe driving practices. In addition, having education on what you can do as a bystander and how important it is to stop your loved ones from driving under the influence is an educational piece that can be incorporated as well.

Some of my family members have also engaged in texting and driving. I believe this is becoming more and more common with the significance our phones play in our lives. One helpful step that driver’s education courses can take is having a section dedicated to the dangers of distracted driving and texting. This can help others realize that dangerous driving goes beyond drunk-driving and speeding, and that something as simple as a text can have devastating consequences.

There are many steps that I can take in my own life to be a better and safer driver, and encourage others to be safe on the road. For one, I will continue to step in when others try to engage in objectively unsafe practices like drinking and driving or texting and driving. Stopping others from engaging in these practices not only keeps myself safe, but others on the road as well. I think that oftentimes, having that voice of reason brings a moment of clarity for others. It may even force them to think twice in the future before engaging in dangerous driving behavior, even without me being there. In addition, I think continuing driving education is important for all drivers. For this reason, I will continue to take annual driver safety courses through my car insurance to maintain a sharp mind on this topic.