The altered perception of driving

The seventeen minute drive might’ve been the longest one I’ve had to do since I’ve been driving myself. I thought I made it as I pulled into the narrow streets that lead to the rose garden, next to the theatre where I promised to meet my friends. I proceeded to follow the downhill and limited parking available to visitors of the garden and saw that the few spaces that were available were already filled, there was little to no space to make a turn around. I began to grow frustrated, I was already late and the parking situation looked questionable. My panic grew more as the car behind me awaited me to make a turn around so that they could exit the overcrowded lot as well. In a rush I repeated the pattern of putting the car on drive, moving a foot forward and reversing over and over. In my final attempt to complete the turn and drive up the hill to leave the lot, I was overconfident and impatient. I overestimated the amount of space I had and dented the car that was blocking my way. Immediately panic rushed in me, I braked hard.

Impatience. That quick surge in our chest when we are running late, the dreadful feeling, followed by an annoyance with ourselves for not leaving earlier. I often feel that dreadful feeling too- I hate being late and punctuality is significant when it comes to school, work, practices, or even attending events. In the midst of rushing, not only does it create more stress and anxiety, but the margin of error increases drastically. A margin of error that can be disastrous. When I’m running late I have to slow my cluttered thoughts down to remind myself that nothing is worth risking my safety and those of others. Unfortunately, the panic to make it in time had gotten the best of me. My sister always told me that most accidents don’t occur too far away from our homes; they usually happen within a five mile radius- for me it was 6.4 miles. I had gotten incredibly lucky because there were no injuries and I inched forward so slowly that the dent wasn’t massive, yet in the moment I knew I was guilty and uncontrollably sobbed while repetitively apologizing. I was a mess and caused this all by rushing, hoping to cut back on the amount of minutes I would be late by. That day when I got home, I had to face my parents and worst of all tell my dad that I had hit another car with his car that he had so graciously allowed me to borrow.

The concerning pattern that occurs is that there are plenty of other stories similar to mine caused by various factors amongst teens. Distracted driving isn’t only the preoccupation by digital gadgets but being aware of your actions and surroundings- unpreoccupied and clouded by thoughts of elsewhere or rushing. A teenager rushing to pick up their food order in a crowded restaurant lot during lunch break. Another rushes to get home and speeds recklessly through a neighborhood street, hitting someone’s side mirror. When in the driver’s seat one has to be aware and alert at all times, on average drivers only have 1.5 seconds to react and the remaining 1.5 to act and make a decision to avoid an accident. That time is diminished by the nerves that kick in and the human tendency to panic in such situations that are unpredictable and need a rapid response provided. Driver Education is imperative for all new drivers as it provides insight, various scenarios/situations, and detailed information on how to drive on the roads safely, with defensive driving techniques, and precautions to be aware of. New drivers tend to overestimate their ability to multitask when driving, the American Psychological Association states that engaging in two tasks that require your attention at once can result in catastrophe because of the mental overload- and as commonly mentioned these tasks need your undivided attention (APA). Additionally, the National HighwayTraffic Administration reports that in 2019 alone 3,142 lives were lost due to distracted driving. Educating others not only about this statistic that only makes up a small percentage of the 42,060 people in the US killed alone in 2020 from driving, but the rationale behind why regulations that are in place are for our safety. Providing information and resources to new and existing drivers contributes to an environment that promotes current information is the first step to reach out to every community and establish a connection. As drivers, we all make our communities, and the city we live in is one of them. These deaths are of real people in our communities; someone’s mom, friend, grandmother, aunt, mentor, coach, doctor, or a daughter.

The combination of speeding and distracted driving is deadly, yet this is what is prevalent amongst new drivers- including teen drivers. Red light cameras are a way to ensure that drivers will be following the speed limit and there is video evidence of those who are fined for speeding. More areas that are enforcing the speed limits, especially busier roads that are often taken as a “background” by many drivers, allowing them to speed through neighborhoods need to have more surveillance cameras. On the other hand, distracted driving is a much harder issue to cope with because being distracted is a state of mind that doesn’t only occur during cell phone usage- it can be as simple as being preoccupied by an argument never finished. The best way to do that is to hold others accountable and educate them about the dangers, as many think that looking down for a second or dazing away during the drive will get them places. As humans, we are not superheroes or time travelers, we cannot account for the unpredictability of other drivers always. This means calling out our friends, parents, relatives, coworkers, teammates, and other members of the community for their dangerous habits that they engage in daily. To remind them that it is time to put the phone down because the margin of error cannot guarantee life.