No “Pie in the Sky” Ideas Here… Just A Simple, Actionable Solution

OK, I’LL ADMIT IT…as a guy who totaled his first car within the first 6 months of driving…perhaps I’m not the perfect role model when it comes to safe driving.

But let’s face it — neither are you, if we go by the statistics. 

A large, government-sponsored study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that people behind the wheel are…wait for it…DISTRACTED MORE THAN 50% OF THE TIME (http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/02/17/1513271113.abstract). This unprecedented study gathered video footage of thousands of participants to observe their natural driving behaviors. This is far more accurate than self-assessment polls which attempt to assess driving ability. 

That means that at any given time HALF of the drivers on the road are either lost in thought, texting on the phone, or they’re singing their favorite Lady Gaga song at the top of their lungs, blatantly unaware of the family of ducklings crossing the road ahead of them…

Pedestrian humor aside, let’s get real. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “being lost in thought” is the #1 cause of distraction-related driving fatalities, with #2 being “cell phone usage” (https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/04/04/287259.htm).

I propose one actionable tactic to address cell phone related distraction, and I’m focusing on those most vulnerable to traffic fatalities—teenage drivers between the ages of 15-19.

Let’s provide teen drivers a visceral experience of just how bad of a driver they are when they’re on the phone via a VR driving simulation exercise. 

Driving schools can offer an exercise which simulates the real life situation of replying to text messages while driving. This exercise would utilize a virtual reality driving simulator.

• The driver will drive through a realistic virtual city while obeying the laws & speed limits.

• The driver must reply to text messages that the driving instructor sends to them. This mimic real life situations; in other words — the driver must grab the phone within 15 seconds, glance at it, and try to reply within 30 seconds.

• The driving instructor would send text messages such as, “What did you eat for breakfast today. Do you consider that a healthy breakfast?” These questions would require some thought and would distract the driver, similar to a real text. 

• The driver’s performance could then be assessed by the driving instructor. The instructor could provide feedback like “You dipped below the speed limit while texting here…” or “Congratulations, you’ve re-created a scene from the Grand Theft Auto franchise…”

This simulated exercise empowers teenage drivers to convince themselves that driving while texting is a big No-No. That is far more impactful than the hearing yet another overplayed warning from their parents.

As a nation, it’s true that we desperately need a comprehensive & standardized drivers ed program. However, teenage drivers are dying right now; we simply can’t afford to wait for large scale governmental solutions to this problem. Small, iterative improvements such as this can enhance drivers ed & help prevent the heartache associated with teenager driver fatalities. Drive safe & Godspeed!