Slow Down!

Slow Down!

Irresponsible. Driving. Is. Not. Cool.

I see you, speed demons. I know you, stop-sign skippers. You’re my classmates, my friends, and my family. I’ve grown up with you, survived algebra with you, and I care about you. So I must ask: is it really worth it?

Really?

Truly?

We only get one, infinitely precious, life. Do stop-light racing, corner-careening, and flooring the accelerator really mean more than your survival? What about someone else’s?
Last summer, I was almost that someone else. I was jogging down the road, wearing neon pink and orange and staying well to the side. It was a flat country road with few driveways and little traffic, and it seems that my neighbors took that for granted. A car came flying down a driveway and veered into the street without looking both ways, nearly flattening me. Luckily, I dove into a ditch and the only mementos of that occasion are a few scratches and a memory of the driver’s terrified face when she realized what she had done.

But what if?

The worst part is that my incident isn’t nearly as rare as you think. My brother runs cross country, and he witnesses close calls every other week. 34,000 people die every year as a result of irresponsible driving. I must ask again: is it really worth it?
We’re a microwave generation: always rushing from one place to another as fast as we can and expecting everything to happen now. But did you know that speeding 10mph only saves you an average of 2.5 minutes? A speeding ticket would cost you roughly $150. The chance of losing your life? Priceless. Is it really worth it?

We’re blessed with an amazing driver’s training program, and one of the first things we’re taught is to slow down.

Adjust your mirrors. Brush the snow off your windshield. Buckle your seatbelt. There are so many easy and essential ways to become a safer driver before you even leave the parking lot! Are they worth it? Absolutely!

My driver’s training teacher had a poster on the whiteboard, one of those bright-yellow, in-your-face, monstrosities that just screams “important.” He pointed to it often, and would start every class by reading the quote: “Leave sooner, drive slower, live longer.” It sounds so simple, right?

Every day in drivers’ training, we go over the basic rules of the road that have been ingrained in our heads since we could play with toy cars. Check your mirrors; look both ways; when the light is red, stop! Your phone can wait, yield when necessary, let the pedestrian cross! Easy! So why is there such a disconnect between what we know is right and the current trend in teen driving habits?

Because our generation cares so much about the elusive goal of being “cool.” We’ve all seen the parking lot at the end of the school day: from the moment the bell rings it’s a race. We race out the doors, whip out of parking spaces, speed to the exit, and careen through the stoplight in town. Frankly, this mess of blaring radios, sputtering engines, and bad judgement isn’t cool at all. It’s dangerous, terrifying, and deadly.

So why do we do it?

Honestly, there’s no good reason. The better question is how we can reverse the trend.

Step one is to educate yourself. Knowledge is power, and these days it’s so easy to gain a better understanding of the world around us. Pay attention during drivers’ training and view it as an opportunity to learn, not just a chore to suffer through until you can take the exam. There’s a reason that these classes are required, and I promise it’s not to torture teenagers. Driving is serious, and the techniques and statistics you learn in drivers’ training will help you be a more responsible driver and prevent deadly accidents. You can also find a responsible driver and ask them for advice—drivers with years of experience are bound to have tips and bits of wisdom that you can’t learn from a book!
Step two is to share what you’ve learned. Each of us have a circle of influence, and we can change the world for the better. It starts with me, and it starts with you. If you’re reading this, you obviously care about safety, and I challenge you to lead by example. When you get in a car, commit to slowing down. Your phone can wait, your friends can wait, even your destination can wait. Commit to being present in the moment and pay attention when you’re driving. It only takes a few minutes, and is it worth it? Absolutely.