Stay Calm and Put the Phone Down!

Driver education is crucial in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. It is common sense: the more knowledge you are equipped with about a certain skill or topic, the easier it will be to get yourself out of a tough situation and/or figured something out. Driving a vehicle is in many ways different than learning a school subject as a driving accident can result in death or serious, life-altering injury. Therefore, it is within everyone’s best interest to learn how to be a safe, responsible driver to mitigate as many accidents as possible. Because nothing could be worse than living with the guilt of injuring or killing someone when it could have been prevented. Learning how to drive is a step in insuring the safety of the driver and the people around them. There are many driving schools and courses people can take to educate them about driving and all that comes with it. If your parents do not feel comfortable or make you feel uncomfortable, then driving lessons will be the the way to go. Driving instructors are not only beneficial in teaching driving skills, but also calming some of the students’ nerves. There is no rush. Make sure you are completely comfortable and confident behind the wheel before you set out into the world. Take as many driving lessons as you want and get lots of practice. Like doing a sport, one can only improve if they practice with the intention of becoming better. However, you have to be confident in yourself because thinking negative thoughts on the road will be detrimental to your mind. Personally, I have not been in a car accident yet and I do not recall my friends or family members driving irresponsibly.

One of the main causes of automotive-related deaths is cellphone usage while driving, which is a problem that is especially common for teenagers and young drivers. Although, drivers young and old are susceptible to and should beware the dangers of texting while driving. Using cellphones while driving constructs 1.6 million crashes a year. In fact, one out of four car accidents is caused by texting while driving in the United States. Part of the issue is that many believe they are Superman and have better driving skills compared to others. Naivety and overconfidence is what leads to people making decisions that can have severe consequences. Some people suffer from FOMO or “the fear of missing out” and separation anxiety, which clouds people’s judgement to follow driving laws and keeps them from putting their devices down. To avoid accidents and distractions, turn phones on vibrate or, even better, completely off so that you will not be tempted to pick it up when you hear it ping. I understand you would want to check your notifications in case someone important is trying to reach you and that it is not a spam call or a social media update. However, think of it this way: that “someone important” probably does not know you are in the car when they are trying to contact you and would not want you to get in an accident. If it is so important, they will leave a voicemail and when you get a chance to safely take your attention off the road, you can message them back. If you feel absolutely compelled to answer a call, pull over and park your vehicle. Do not believe in the myth that a hands-free phone discussion is safe. Just because you may not have a phone in your hand, chatting with someone on the phone still redirects your attention from the road.

Small things can make a big difference. You do not need to drastically alter your life to prevent road accidents. Do simple things like insist that passengers wear their seat belts, read road signs, and never speed, even when you are running late as your heart rate would already be racing and the rushing will only feed your panic mind and lead to poor decisions. It is better to be late and unharmed than to possibly cause an accident or get a ticket along the way. Do not think a meeting is worth risking your life over. Do not worry, your boss, or whoever, will understand and be pleased to know you take your’s and others’ safety seriously. Additionally, a rule of thumb to follow after drinking alcohol is to wait an hour. If you plan on having more than one drink, get a designated driver to drive you home or arrange to spend the night somewhere safe. Do not overestimate your ability to multitask. It is great that you are confident in your driving skills, but confidence can easily turn into carelessness. There are other things people can do to be a safe and better driver and assist others in becoming safer on the road. If there was one piece of advice I could give to drivers, I would say, “Stay calm and put the phone down.”