The Unseen Distraction

Kayla Berry

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The unseen distraction

In 2018, my mother and I were in a severe car crash. The accident took place not long after I got my Learners Driving Permit. The car was totaled. I was the driver, and my mom was the passenger. The crash was between our car and a pole. No other cars or people were hurt. I was travelling about 35mph, my phone was nowhere in sight, there was no music playing, no GPS distraction and it was a sunny day. This accident was not the result of the typical distractions.

On the day of the accident, I was still very new to driving and was not that eager to get behind the wheel. My mom wanted me to drive at least part of the way home so that I would get used to driving and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I became instantly stressed, I wanted nothing more than to get out of the driver’s seat as soon as possible. After about five minutes, my mom said I could get out as soon as I entered a commuter parking lot which was a few blocks away from where we started. My mom told me to turn left, and the left came up before I was ready. I panicked, tried to adjust and ended up jumping a curb and hitting a pole. The airbags deployed on both my side and my mom’s side of the car. My mom ended up being taken to the hospital where she had to stay overnight. The slow speed saved our lives. After the accident I decided that I didn’t want to learn how to drive anymore. I blamed myself for the accident, but I also blamed my mom for making me drive. It would be several months before I got behind the wheel again and a year before I would be able to be in the driver’s seat with my mom in the car.

Looking back, I believe a big part of me missing the turn and then panicking had a lot to do with my emotions. I got behind the wheel nervous, stressed, and annoyed with my mom. This took away my focus on driving. I also had no strategy at the time for dealing with my feelings of panic.

In driving class, I remember seeing so many graphic images and videos of fatal crashes. I learned the consequences of texting while driving, drinking while driving, and not following the rules of the road. The videos and images were a reminder of my own car crash experience. These videos were with me every time I got on the road, and I found myself more and more afraid of making a fatal mistake each time I got behind the wheel for driving practice. Driver’s education provided me with a clear understanding of how quickly and easily accidents can happen. The lessons behind the wheel at the end of class also helped me to overcome some of my fears of being behind the wheel.

Many individuals start driving in their mid-teens and are already under a lot of stress just navigating high school and preparing for young adulthood. Imagine your teenage self or your son or daughter having a meltdown or under a fit of rage while driving. Consider the stresses associated with a pandemic, the loss of loved one, or the sudden loss of your job. Driving while under stress is driving with an invisible distraction. It’s a form of distracted driving that is worse than may other forms of distracted driving because it’s one that you don’t hear about or learn how to handle in most driving schools.

Mental distractions aren’t easy to spot, and mentally distracted driving is something that can happen to anyone at any time. The chances of mental distractions can intensify once you’ve been in an accident especially one where you or a loved one end up in the hospital or worse. One of my greatest fears after the accident, besides injuring others with my mistakes, were angering another driver to the point they fly into a road rage directed at me. One thing that I remember from driving class was that driving is not about me being safe but also paying attention to how others around me are driving.

I’ve learned to deal with my stress with meditation and breathing exercises. I’ve also tried something called “Tapping” which has you work through stress by tapping meridian points while focusing on whatever is causing the stress. What I’ve found works best for me is regular guided meditation and breathing exercises. Currently I meditate every morning and I have found that I feel a lot less anxious while driving. Through meditation I’ve learned how to maintain better focus and better manage my emotions. Breathing exercises also help when I find myself starting to panic about what might happen or when I make a mistake. I believe meditation, what I learned in driving class, and extra driving practice through a driving school are making me a safer driver. I believe having been in a car accident already has given me a view of driving that is very different from my friends and other individuals my age. That experience and meditation have not only helped me become a better driver but also provided me with a strong motivation to avoid anything that might result in a future accident.

I believe that others especially new and younger drivers can definitely benefit from meditation. The biggest benefit of meditation for drivers is that meditation focus on being present or being in the moment. Meditation is also a tool that can be used to help keep you calm in stressful situations (or at least calmer) and maintain awareness of your driving environment. The ability to manage stress and emotions while driving as well as the many other possible distractions is not only important but can be a matter of life and death.