The Killer Among Us

The Killer Among Us

The very thing that distinguishes each of us is the fatal perception that we as individuals are somehow invincible to the tragedies that may strike our neighbors. When you watch the news and see another heartless murder, accidental house fire, or the wake of a natural disaster, you pity those to whom it happened. Yet, you do not heed the idea that one day it could be you that someone pities while watching the news. We seemingly forget that data demonstrated by statistics are not just numbers, but people, families, and stories.

In early 2019, I sat in a crowd of middle and high school students listening to Mr. Alex Sheen, a captivating and powerful keynote speaker. Without spoiling too much, his message takeaway was the saying “Because I said I would”. These five words serve as a challenge for each of us to pursue the goals we set for ourselves. I was so moved by his speech that I went online and ordered ten of his blank white cards that read “Because I said I would” in the bottom right corner. As a new driver, I dedicated one card to writing “I will not text and drive because I said I would” and slipped the card under my garage door opener in my car.

However, I quickly learned that it is much easier to just speak words than it is to truly act upon them. While I did not text and drive, I faced another challenge each time I got behind the wheel — my own mind. As a student who is very active in social, academic, and extracurricular activities, it feels as though the gears in my brain are constantly turning. Whether it was stress from a challenging class or thinking about my entire plan for the following day, my ability to truly focus on driving was severely inhibited. I can often find myself zoning out, thinking about matters completely unrelated to the road, and not being fully present in protecting myself and my passengers. This can be incredibly dangerous to not only myself but others on the road as well.

As one can safely predict, I began to make increasingly dangerous mistakes on the road. I struggled with veering off-road or not maintaining my lane, being reactive to road hazards I could have been proactive about, and failing to pay proper attention to road signs and critical information of my surroundings. Thankfully none of these were harmful or fatal, but I eventually realized I needed to take an honest look in the mirror about myself and my driving. By doing this self-reflection, I realized I needed to make lifestyle changes to improve my mental and emotional well-being. These distracted driving incidents were indicators of several issues below the surface level. I worked to be much more conscientious of my focus and what I needed to be dedicating my attention to. Whether it was ensuring both hands were on the wheel, lowering my music, or increasing my defensive driving strategies, I have worked to find little ways to refocus while driving. While I have made significant improvements, we all still struggle with distractions in some way. Safe driving is always a work in progress and requires frequent inner and outer reflections.

While I am aware of my challenges behind the wheel, unfortunately, not all young drivers are. As a National Officer for the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, one of our organization’s focuses is safe driving. We have a National Program called FACTS (Families Acting for Community Traffic Safety) that challenges chapters across the country to integrate safe driving lessons and projects into their classrooms and communities. We also work with the National Road Safety Foundation to facilitate a Public Service Announcement contest in which members create a thirty-second video concerning the safe driving topic for the year. Additionally, we seek to incorporate activities like the Ford Driving Skills for Life Distracted Driving training at our conferences. These various opportunities have allowed for life-saving knowledge and preparation to be shared with members across the country.

Alas, this alone will not eradicate these fatal habits. Many continue to feed the monster that is distracted driving; costing far too many lives each year. We see and hear the numbers and statistics, yet choose to be ignorant of them. It will take each of us to do our part in not only holding ourselves accountable but holding others accountable as well. We must advocate for safe driving regulations, as well as pushing for education in schools and youth-based organizations. Any of us can become a part of the statistics, yet each of us alternatively has the power to fight it. Distracted driving continues to be the killer among each of us, and it will take all of us to put an end to it.