The Untouchable Mindset

“Watch out, man! What are you doing!?” Those were the words I exclaimed when my friend (who was driving) turned into the wrong lane and nearly got us both into a terrible accident. Luckily, my friend swerved out of the way, and we barely missed being hit. That friend had been driving longer than I have, and yet they made a mistake that nearly ended up in the hospital, or worse. To this day, he rejects any claim that he isn’t a good driver- and refuses to take another driving course. I would like to label his thoughts and feelings as the “untouchable mindset.”

Ego creates a mindset that lands many teenagers and young adults in driving-related hospital visits. My friend’s continued refusal and denial to accept he needs further practice may just be a death sentence for him and those he continues to drive around. This frustrating reality isn’t just a personal experience- I have seen this mindset in young minds everywhere that I have driven. Teens or young adults who speed, take rash turns, drive offensively rather than defensively, or simply do not pay attention to others on the road. I believe that the mindset of “it won’t happen to me” permeates the young adult body, and reality won’t truly hit anybody until it is too late.

My best example would be that of a Senior during my last year of high school, who drunkenly crashed his car into a tree, killing him. The school I attended, surprisingly, didn’t give a lecture about the importance of designated driving or refrain from drinking and driving. Despite the tragedy of this incident, it must be noted that the senior chose to drive despite being intoxicated. It can be argued they weren’t in the proper state of mind, but again, the idea of the “untouchable mindset” played an important part in his untimely demise.

That is why I believe it is crucial to make it very clear to teens that accidents can, and may, happen to not only them, but people they hold dear. I have always been aware of this fact, and am a very careful driver as a result of it. My friends often complain about how “slow” I drive, but I know how important road safety is, and their complaints demonstrate how they simply don’t understand the complexities of the road. Their ego affects them to the point that they complain about my carefulness on the road. This mindset among our youth desperately needs to change, and fast.

According to 2022 data from the NHTSA, over 2,000 teenage driving fatalities are recorded each year. Many factors play an important role in this, but I would argue that many of the factors boil down to the “untouchable mindset.” Drinking, failure to be completely observant, texting, or even simple accidents happen because the driver simply didn’t think about the consequences. Not once did they stop themselves and consider the cons to their decisions (and if they did, they didn’t stop the negative behavior.) The thought that they would be fine, nothing would happen to them, and yet something did, with over 2,000 different cases per year.

I could have been one of those cases if my friend hadn’t swerved. To this day, that moment stays a reminder of why road safety is important- and why I continue to drive safely despite some opposition from my peers. It frustrates me to no end that people my age cannot dispel their ego while driving. Anything can happen to anybody- even you, and that fact alone should be a deterrent from negative driving behaviors. But, somehow, this ego remains, and teenagers continue to cut their lives short through reckless driving behaviors every single day.

But I am in charge of myself, and I take pride in my defensive driving. I always use my turn signals, slow around corners, check my mirrors, and I never text while driving. I don’t drive impaired, I don’t speed, and I always make sure I am parked properly between the lines. Yes, taking the extra precautions adds some extra stress and weight to my driving. But the consequences of not taking the extra time to be safe completely outweigh any “benefits” from being unsafe on the road. I am not untouchable, I am human, and I make mistakes. I drive safely because I know the consequences, and I will continue to encourage others to do the same, no matter what they think. Driving is a skill, and to master it is to be safe- no matter what it looks like to you or others.