Auto-Pilot, Outta Here!

Auto-pilot,
Outta Here!

Auto-pilot.
I always drive this fast going home. There are never bikes at this
corner. I can pass this car before my exit, done it a million times.
Auto-pilot can trick our brains into less awareness of the here and
now road conditions. Adults of all ages need lessons to train our
minds to stay fully in control at the wheel.

The
facts: Speeding is a more common cause of crashes than distractions
(according to Texas and Arizona statistics). Surprised? Me, too.
Drivers ed can teach people of the most common causes of
crashes in our state. Using strategies that have drivers rehearse or
plan their actions in crash scenarios is essential because of the
psychological phenomena of response expectancies: the way we
anticipate our response to a situation can influence the way we act
if it occurs. As an occasional bike commuter, I plan that when I’m
driving past bikes using a full lane, I’ll slow down and give them
at least 3 feet of clearance, and I do it. The illusion of control
gives us the tendency to speed down the road and around obstacles.

Learning
from others’ experience is a sign of strength that we all can
practice. I’ve had two people in my life with life-changing
crashes. A co-worker with 2 teenage daughters was in a car crash
where an oncoming car crossed the median of a highway and hit them
head on. All three were reluctant to drive for months afterward, and
her daughters are still nervous when in the driver’s seat. Another
friend was driving his motorized scooter around town, and when a car
didn’t stop at their stop sign, he was hit and broke his leg in 4
places. After hearing their stories, I never felt that illusion of
control again and sold my scooter.

Some
states post the number of traffic deaths on marquees, followed by a
slogan encouraging drivers to value their lives. I support these
signs because they trigger a momentary redirection of focus that
could prompt one driver to put the phone down and another to lower
their speed, both safer practices. To become a better driver, I set
up everything so there are no distractions behind the wheel by
connecting my phone with bluetooth and help friends with their
systems. I talk to friends that if we are late to have a saying we
repeat to remind us arriving alive is most important. We can each
talk to friends or family about unsafe ways of driving we see and set
up a reminder, either analog or digital, to help them snap out of the
comfortable seat and into the driver’s seat.