Driving Safe with Jaz

It’s actually not shocking how many people I know personally who drive irresponsibly or have actually gotten into accidents. There’s been two accidents from people I know personally that we’re really bad. The first one was when I was pretty young and my father was really into motorcycles. He purchased his first bike and was always going on joy rides for more practice. He got pretty good but it started getting to his head. He thought he was a pro after 4 months and one day he was showing off on the freeway to random drivers. He was riding irresponsibly and didn’t pay attention to a huge semi truck shifting lanes. He ended up crashing into and his helmet was crushing his head that he went unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital and was there for a couple days before he could go home. I was pretty young but I do remember visiting him and my mother being so upset and I wished I could have done something to make her feel better. Fast forward to 2017 almost 2018 now. I was in a serious relationship with someone 3 years older so you would think he’d be more mature. Well I always noticed he was a little speed racer on the freeway whenever we were together and I would never say anything because one time I did he just got really offended. I remember this day pretty vivid still. It was a really rainy day where everything was flooding in San Diego as usual. I decided to call out of work because I was too nervous to drive in those conditions. My boyfriend was leaving his job heading home. Out of nowhere he texted me and said I just crashed and my heart dropped. I called him immediately and he didn’t respond till the 3rd time. He said he was heading to the hospital. Couple hours later he was back at home so I went over as soon as I could. I asked him what happened. All he said was I was driving so “careful” because of the rain but I lost control on the freeway and hit the shoulder. His story didn’t seem right when he explained it to me. I asked him “you weren’t driving fast right?” And he immediately got defensive about the situation. At that point I knew he was not driving safely. He totaled his new car so bad and all from not driving safely. I’ve personally never been in an accident but I have had moments where I probably could have been in one if I didn’t react quick enough. I’ve had my fair share of not driving responsibly but I cut those habits off and put them behind me. I actually wrote an essay recently on the distractions you experience while driving that are dangerous and solutions to stop those distractions. I personally believe mentality is a huge role in safe driving. Like realizing that driving doesn’t just affect you but everyone else around you too. If you can’t come to terms with that then that’s just being selfish. Driving education is so important. Drivers Ed gives knowledge and skills that we need to be safe. It’s really simple to reduce the numbers of driving related deaths. Everyone needs to be educated and safe. Minimize or get rid of all distractions. Seriously not driving under the influence of anything even if “you feel fine”. Think before you act because it will affect everyone around you whether it’s mentally or physically. Steps I’ve personally taken to be a safer driver are things like no longer eating and driving. I got a phone stand so I don’t reach for my phone anymore. I don’t blast music anymore so I can hear my surroundings. I used to have a bad habit of driving with one hand but I’ve broken that habit and have two hands on the wheel. Little things like this make a significant difference in my driving now. As a safe driver now, what I can do is simple. Encouraging people in my life on safe driving and giving them solutions to bad habits. Make clear of responsibility there is in their actions if they don’t listen. I feel like having a license every couple of years we should retake the test to evaluate if we are safe drivers or should still be on the road. I know and have seen many people who should not be allowed to have a license and are the worst drivers I have ever seen. I refuse to let these people drive me anywhere. Re-evaluating would make the roads so much safer.