Driving is No Video Game

^{Before I took Drivers Education classes in 2020, I was unaware of the complicated issue of distracted driving. My parents (and older sister) made it look easy to drive safely. All the dozens of auto-behaviors they had behind the wheel were not conspicuous. As I completed the courses to attain my license, I slowly became knowledgeable of the distractions faced by people driving vehicles. And I began to experience them first-hand: music, siblings, pets, friends, and cell phones. But in my opinion, the number one reason I become distracted while driving my car is other drivers.}

^{Sometimes when I drive, I feel like I am caught in the proverbial version of the video game, Frogger. I look ahead of me and to the side, ready to dodge the next garbage can, basketball or bicycle. More often than that, I find myself swerving and applying my brakes to avoid hitting another vehicle (or being hit). Other drivers who do not signal, yield or stay in their lanes make me extremely nervous. I am very mindful of the mistakes made by the folks who share the road with me. And as a passenger, I am eager to help whomever is driving stay alert to all the things going on around us.}

^{Also as a passenger, I am ready to offer help when the person driving me begins to grab his/her phone to look at a map or search a playlist. No fewer than 10 times in my life, I have urged my driver to hand the phone over to me. I say state firmly: “Let me do that for you so that you are not distracted while driving.” I say that as a solution and not just as a suggestion. And it works. Every time.}

^{To eliminate the many distractions of driving, I have a few ideas. I have read about technological devices that allow parents to know where their children are when driving and sometimes the parents can even see how fast their kids are traveling. Why can’t a similar technology be created to limit the usage of cellular phones by drivers? It could be a device placed in cars to void the wifi when the car is in motion. Another thought to decrease the distractions of driving is to offer some kind of reward to drivers who consistently deny themselves the pleasure of listening to music or taking along the family pet on car rides. Like many arenas in life, safe and focused driving is a discipline that must be initiated by the driver himself/herself. It is a deliberate and personal effort. And the more you discipline yourself to do it (just like working out, eating healthy, speaking kindly, etc.), the more easily the habit forms. I know that when my friends pick up their phone to look at it while driving, they are simply conforming to a bad habit. It would be fairly easy to break that habit by placing the device into a pocket or compartment of the vehicle where it is out-of-sight and less accessible. And every time a driver overcomes the temptation to grab that phone, the easier it will be to do so the next time.}

^{Society has come around and become increasingly intolerant of drinking under the influence of alcohol. Beginning with MADD, founded in 1980, victims’ families of drunk drivers began to fight back and eliminate the issue of drinking and driving. They were successful in decreasing deaths caused by alcohol by roughly 50%. Perhaps there should be a heavyweight campaign against texting and driving. Perhaps the results in saving lives could be similar. So far, some city ordinances prohibiting the hand-held use of cell phones by a driver have been implemented but not strictly unforced. Billboards and message signs along highways have been somewhat effective in persuading drivers that “Texting can Wait.” But there are other ways to cut down on deaths caused by texting.}

^{I have one more idea on the issue of distracted driving: specific online classes that are required bi-annually for drivers to maintain a license. These classes on the computer could mimic a crash simulator like the ones used to train pilots. The virtual classes would be effective in alerting the participants of possible distractions by having them tend to “buttons” that play music or tend to kids acting up in the back seat or answering a text. An awful sound and jolt of the screen to alert the participant of an accident might be successful in shocking the senses and portraying what it is like to have a collision. And teaching drivers of all ages that just one tiny distraction can result in life-changing circumstances. Driving is REAL, with real and dire results. It is not a video game where you get three more lives until “game over.”}