How Irresponsible Driving Affects Us All, and What We Can Do To Stop It

How Irresponsible Driving Affects Us All, and What We Can Do To Stop It

For many Americans, the idea of irresponsible driving is inexplicable tied to drunk driving. If there’s a crash, the idea of substance abuse being involved is not far off, and for that reason many believe they will never be the victim or perpetrator of vehicular accidents or deaths. This is a dangerous and misguided idea, and present within a majority of drivers on the road. The idea that, “That’ll never be me” is a major factor in how many drivers ultimately forget small yet crucial parts of driving, such as checking their rear for pedestrians or cars, or even turning on their blinkers when they turn. In fact, from what I have personally seen and heard, many of those who are involved within car crashes or deaths do not realize their mistake until it was too late, and made everyone suffer the consequences.

But by everyone, what do I mean? Why should we care about irresponsible drivers, the threat can’t be that bad can it? It most assuredly is, and is more widespread and deadly in a single year than the Afghan and Iraq wars combined. And those directly involved in irresponsible driving, driver and victim both, are not the end to the effects of irresponsible driving. It goes rather than that, enveloping the community as a whole. The trauma of the accidents can incapacitate workers or heads of families for a while, hurting families and forcing them to pick up the pace to keep up. It can also emotionally harm the victims of the irresponsible driver, with more susceptible individuals prone to post-traumatic disorders as reported by the National Institutes of Health (Source:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1678958/). These effects are chronic, and may be debilitating at their worst, all because one person did not want to check their left side when pulling out of a grocery store. This can start the cycle again, with other drivers being irresponsible due to added stress or negative experiences, starting the cycle again. And while impaired driving is certainly a high-risk for vehicular accidents, there are still about 70% of all traffic related deaths caused by those not under the influence (Source:https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fmotorvehiclesafety%2Fimpaired_driving%2Fimpaired-drv_factsheet.html) This is not a discriminatory issue, as bad drivers appear anywhere, either due to lack of education or with lack of responsibility. The stereotypes of elderly, Asians, and women being bad drivers may not directly impact how these people drive, but the way they are educated or retain said education, that is what truly makes irresponsible drivers.

So how can we remedy the problem of driver’s education? There can be three main focuses in education. Repetition, arrangement, and reception. Much like learning to ride a bike, learning how to drive a car safely and responsibly can be hard at first, but once a persona has the swing of things, it becomes almost second nature. To improve how we educate drivers, we must make a repetition out of the rules for driving. Having only one test is fine, but having others to ensure we fully understand the breadth and responsibility needed to steer a 2 ton mass of metal over 30 miles per hour at the very least. Ideally, 3 would seem to be a magic number, not too many so as to suppress any monotony and lack of access, whilst also ensuring that more repetition is added onto the process, further cementing the ideas and regulations within the mind of future drivers. Of course, there will be multiple attempts allotted for each, as the point is to teach and test, not to provide arbitrary barriers. There could also be the idea of annual or biannual, or a mandatory review test every set of years, but again this may not be necessary as many may have already memorized all that there is needed to know, and may clog up the process of obtaining a license by adding more onto the bureaucratic process, arguably deterring others from getting educated. Although many will initially protest the added tests, they will find the added sense of accomplishment, safety, and knowledge on the road will prove to be well worth the risk! After all, practice makes perfect, so a bit more would not hurt all that much to the process. For arrangement, it must be ensured that all the steps to driving safely are easy to follow and easy to remember. What do I do to turn on the highway? What should I do if I started to go when the traffic light turned red? When should I turn on my blinkers? Common questions such as these should be able to be recalled quickly and easily to ensure that they can be applied to real life scenarios. This does not need much changing from the current system, just a few tweaks to the curriculum to be more memorable, get the facts and laws drilled into the heads of the students. Finally, reception must be kept in mind. These changes are promising in improving the education of drivers, but they will have no effect if they are not received well. Instances of miscommunication and bad reception must be kept to a minimum, so ensuring the ideas presented are fully understood.

While education is great, we must also take responsibility while on the road, behind the wheel or not. Some who are involved in accidents can also be the ones to prevent them with simple and straightforward ideas to keep in mind. For example, always ensure there is a sober driver when going out, have someone as the designated driver to make sure that at least one person is capable of driving safely. Smaller steps can be done daily to help, such as reminding the driver of green lights and red lights. It may sound annoying or too small to count, but I can assure it has worked and has prevented my family from being the victims of errant drivers. In the worst case scenario, you are admonished for being a bit too safe, but in the best case you may have saved the life of not only those in the vehicle, but also those in the other as well. Not only that, but you can aid the driver by being their eyes where they can’t see. Look at the right when they look left, look in front when they look behind, and so forth and so on. That extra security will not only stop any accidents with pedestrians or cars, but also build up trust between you and the driver. Most of all, just try to help while avoiding being a backseat driver. You can help the driver without taking up their attention, just don’t over do it and you will be golden.

How can we ourselves become better drivers in the meantime? Under the duress of driving, having to be responsible for your passengers, and being wary of those around you, it may be easy to forget some things under these stressors. To manage this, focus entirely on what you are doing. The movements of the car, the speed of the vehicle, and the immediate surroundings. Focusing only on what you need to make sure you have your undivided attention on the road should be a priority. Even small things such as talking on the phone or eating while driving distract you for a few moments away from the road. These crucial moments could prove vital to preventing an accident, or even a fatality. Looking around for landmarks or stores is fine, but your main focus should be on the road ahead of you as well as the lanes beside you. When talking on the phone, which is highly discouraged but in the event of, EYES ON THE ROAD 100% of the time. Viewing the screen for eye contact won’t matter if the last thing the phone sees is the impact of your crash. Another thing to remember is to always be aware of the pedals. In movements of fear or haste, we can add too much power to the reverse or forward moment, which obviously could increase the chances of an accident. Finally, the last and arguably most important thing to remember is to keep your car in the best shape it can be, as a faulty car is much more dangerous than a faulty driver, as no amount of education can prepare you for a car malfunction. My father for example, had faulty brakes on his car when he used to live near West Hollywood, which has many steep hills. One time, he was driving his little Buggy up a hill and was beginning to make it to the top, but oh no! Halfway up, the elderly engine was straining against the angle of the hill and was beginning to falter. “No worries,” my father thought, “I’ll put on my breaks and slowly go down the hill.” Unfortunately, the breaks did not stop the car, and he would have rear ended someone’s car, or even rammed into someone else going up the hill had it not been for the emptiness of the street and some quick thinking on his part. But he was lucky to think quickly, many do not have the luxury of an empty street to face such obstacles. Overall, remaining calm is of the utmost importance, as when we freak out, we are prone to dangerous decisions, such as slamming the pedal down or not looking at the road ahead.

While most drivers on the road have never or will never face a serious accident, the idea that you can’t be a part of one is not something you should think. It can happen to anyone at any time on the road, and as such one should take proper precautions to make sure they aren’t next. Keeping calm, being educated, and being focused will ensure at the very least ample reaction time, if not exemption from many of the avoidable mistakes of the road. Education is key to driving, as once learned, it can become as easy as riding a bike, so attention is therefore also key in the classes available when learning to drive. There can be steps taken to improve how we educate not only drivers, but ourselves and those around us to ensure a brighter and safer future for all of us!