Driven to Truly See People, Not Vehicles

If we as drivers truly saw ourselves and others as part of a bigger story, we would see the equal importance of each other’s lives. Too often when driving, we acknowledge other cars but not the people inside them. Driving becomes like a MarioKart game — a race against time and other cars. In this game, we don’t imagine the other cars having a family to feed. The other cars aren’t driving home from the hospital or running late for work or drinking to cope with their divorce. In our minds, the other cars are simply in the way of our personal destination. 

 

Drunk drivers act out of self-centeredness and blind certainty when they put themselves behind the wheel. In reality, the dangers of this reckless driving starts even before drunk drivers get behind the wheel. 

 

Drivers ed plays a role in reducing the number of deaths on the road. Although its strategies are informative, there are more effective approaches. As drivers, we’ve been made aware of laws, shown informative videos, told tragic stories, and been reminded of the consequences of dangerous driving. However, through these mediums, the lessons can be easily dismissed or even forgotten, which ironically makes them more likely to become a reality. 

 

Unfortunately, this well-intentioned repetition can be counter-effective due to humans’ natural arrogance; that is, the more we are told to drive safely, the more we develop callous disregard and rebellious curiosity. This repetitious engagement with such a crucial issue creates the deadly likelihood of it being dismissed. Drivers ed becomes most important when it is considered the least. 

 

When it comes to drivers ed, have we ever tried to change who we put at the subject? 

Have we ever pondered what it might actually be teaching in the long run, or considered that the way we talk about this issue might actually negatively affect driving safety? 

 

Let me explain. Drivers ed teaches, “Be aware of your surroundings”. The subject is YOU. This simple, seemingly harmless statement reinforces that we put ourselves at the center and everything else around us. It does nothing to suggest that we are a part of anyone else’s surroundings. We as human beings naturally put ourselves at the center.

 

Car accidents are the result of unconsciously self-centered decisions and blind certainty. Too often, we drive with the false assumption that other drivers and pedestrians will function according to our expectations. Accidents happen and lives are lost when we deceive ourselves to believing that all the other moving components on the road are working in accordance to our personal narrative. 

 

Whenever I’m at a red light, sometimes I’ll look over at the other drivers. I see a mother looking at her rearview mirror talking to her children, or friends enjoying the ride with their windows rolled down, or some middle-aged guy jammin’ out to “Bohemian Rhapsody”. 

 

That’s when I am truly encouraged to drive safely and be kind on the road.