Not Like the Movies

Drive safe hunny! The phrase we have all heard before, usually from a mother in a show. The scene right after usually shows an angsty teenager swinging their keys around as they whip out of their driveway to race off to their next big event. At least in the show, the characters cannot hurt anyone, but driving recklessly can lead to serious injury or even death.

When I first got my license to drive, I was so cautious of everything. The driver education I had gone through was enough for me to understand the seriousness that comes with driving a vehicle. Somehow, this cautiousness faded and I developed a speeding problem within months of my first drive. Maybe it was the intense car chases from Marvel movies or the “coolness” that comes with driving fast in a rom-com. I told myself that since everyone was doing it, it would be fine for me to do it too. Every couple of months, I would go through patterns of speeding and safety, but as the pattern went, I would resort back to speeding each time. On the occasion, I drove with friends that I noticed sped more than I did and broke more rules than I did. When I was in those situations, I always thought I would not be cool if I spoke up about how it worried me a little or that I would offend them and be an outcast; so, each time I stayed quiet. After about a year of driving, I got a text that my friend had been in an accident. She wasn’t hurt badly, but her car was totaled. A couple months later, another friend totaled her car. More and more calls came in from people that I knew consistently broke the law, all with the same story. Each of these people was someone that I had ridden with.

Finally, I moved to college with no car, thinking that I would have no choice but to trust drivers with my life. As serious as that sounds, it was true. I had a friend who drove very recklessly and whom I expressed very clearly that the habit scared me. He promised to stop when I was in the car, but it was very clear that he would not stop altogether. One sunny day, I got a notification from him, only he was in an ambulance. Only one night after I had been in a car with him, his car was totaled and he had a back injury that would leave him in pain for a long time. As I called, he assured me that it was not in fact his fault, but the fault of a lady on her phone.

When did we let a text or an Instagram story control who we injure in a car? Why do we think a speed limit is a suggestion? Why is it “cool” to break the rules? When did we think that the world revolves around ourselves?

How to drive a car safely is such a simple set of rules, but are so often broken. Can the text, call, snapchat, instagram notification, email, game, mindless scrolling wait? Or are they too important that you are willing to risk so much? Drop the phone and leave it put. Simple and effective! Driving safely is something that requires constant practice and diligence, so remind yourself to be safe and keep the phone down!

The best advice I ever learned from my driving instructor is that the one thing leading up to failure is success. I can be the greatest driver in the world, but if I get too confident in my skills and start to compromise, I will fail. Failure in a car is not pretty, funny, or quirky. Failure is inducing injury, pain, anxiety, and maybe death. Driving a car is so serious and should be taught as such. While I am lucky that my friends and I were not in deadly crashes, I know that there is so many people that have lost someone from a car accident. Driving is a privilege and should be treated as such.

When in doubt, go back to the driving school basics! Keep a seatbelt on at all times, avoid distractions until at a stopped and safe location, stay in the speed limit, and finally follow traffic rules. If you feel unsafe in a car, tell the driver! If they are a true friend or family, they will understand, but even if they do not, it is better to be safe than sorry. Even when everyone else is doing it, it is always better to drive safely. Your future self thanks you for the actions of today.