Listen Up!

Broken glass, shattered bones, the breath of life gone in a snap. Was that last text worth it? Was being the last one who blows through the yellow traffic light worth it? No, it wasn’t.

We’re not invincible while driving. It can even feel like flying, yes, especially for new drivers. Just think of the first time your parents handed you the keys and said “Now your turn.” it felt all exhilarating and fun, possibilities of driving to school on your own may have flashed in your eyes.

Cars have helped humans accomplish impossible things. They have allowed us to transport ourselves from point A to B at speeds up to sixty to seventy miles an hour (obeying the speed limit, of course) – way more horsepower than a measly three miles we can accomplish on foot.

Cars are also comfortable. They provide heat, shelter, and familiarity like any house does. We’ve even adapted “going for a car ride” as a source of relaxation – it’s one of the key ways to put a baby back to sleep. However, we forget that even a small car weighs more than two thousand pounds – let alone a five thousand pound soccer-mom suburban- and the privilege of a car comes with a responsibility. According to StreetsBlog.org, about 89% of Americans are licensed to drive. That’s 293,255,000 people on the road, everyone! Accidents are bound to happen.

Taking from the CDC’s data – an average of 3,000 people have died in car accidents involved with distracted driving each year since 2010. If the trend continues throughout 2021, that’ll total up to 33,000 people who have lost their lives due to distracted driving since 2010. That’s about nine people everyday for ten years. What’s more is that in 2018, there were an estimated 400,000 people injured in cases of distracted driving. And this isn’t just texting at the wheel. This number includes drunk drivers, people eating McDoubles while going 80 miles per hour on the freeway, people taking their hands off the wheel – any major or minor circumstance in which the driver was preoccupied.

Now, I’m not proposing some crazy device that forces the driver to maintain extreme focus on the road for long periods of time – it’s perfectly natural to loose focus for a second – especially if you’re on a thirteen hour road trip. Driving is not that interesting when all you have to look at are billboards, trees, and license plates. For myself, I have taken several steps to battle these distractions while driving. I never eat takeout behind the wheel no matter how hungry I am, and, in consequence, I encourage my family to wait until we can stop at a location and eat. I also turn the radio on or listen to an interesting audiobook to keep my mind focused on the road. Another thing is that I have made a habit of ignoring my phone while driving. If I get a phone call, I trust whoever is with me to answer it, and if I’m alone, I leave it be until I have the car in park. These are just a few easy tips that drivers can start incorporating in their daily routine, and – in some cases – that might be enough. But, of course, there is a far more institutional way to reduce these deaths other than following some life hacks.

In the state of South Carolina, eight hours of drivers education and six hours in the car with an instructor are required for drivers aged between 15-16 years old. That’s all fine and dandy, but these requirements become entirely optional as soon as drivers reach the age 17 and up. For this group, all they have to do is pass the written test, practice for six months, then pass the road test. They don’t have any special restrictions except that they need to have a licensed driver with them whenever they drive, this is different from a conditional license that doesn’t allow young drivers to drive at night. According to a 2015 study by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, it was found that drivers who took drivers education classes had a 75% less chance of getting into distracted driving accidents. This goes to show that educating more young drivers on road safety can effectively reduce the amount of distracted or reckless driving – especially in the teenage bracket.

Therefore, taking this information, we should put in new guidelines for all drivers, from any age – whether they’re fifteen or seventy years old – to take at least eight hours of drivers education and eight hours behind the wheel with an instructor. What’s more, in order to boost morale after the driver completes the course, they’ll receive a certificate and an additional symbol stamped on their license. This way it’ll give drivers a sense of accomplishment instead of it being treated as just another requirement.

With these requirements in place, we can look forward to have many more cautious drivers on the road. With more professional practice and instruction for everyone, we can help reduce distracted driving deaths each year. It’s true that an ounce of prevention is worth way than a pound of the cure. Expensive hospital bills, totaled vehicles, and the tragic loss of a family member can be reduced – if not, avoided – once drivers are required to ensure their capability of driving responsibly.