Consideration Stops Crashes

A few months ago, I was sitting at an Italian restaurant when I received a call from my family: my 74-year-old father had gotten into a car accident. In a matter of seconds, he had driven his car over a divider, through a wooden fence, damaging the facade of the building, as well as the electrical and water components of the building.

All this happened while he was parking his car in the parking lot, only 5 feet away from the fence and 10 feet away from the apartment building. His car was buried under so much debris that he couldn’t even escape from the car or reverse his vehicle from the hole in the fence.

Months have passed, the hole in the fence remains, and the insurance company is still haggling over the amount it will pay with the apartment complex owners. Nobody was hurt, but I tell you this story to demonstrate one thing:

From a fully parked position, my father was able to generate enough horsepower to run over a six-inch-tall divider, break through a fence, and cause significant damage to the exterior of a building. If anyone had been standing in the backyard, they would have been killed instantly. Imagine the force if that same vehicle had already been going 15, 30, 70, 100 miles per hour on the freeway.

Driver’s education can refer to:
(a) online or in-person theoretical coursework (i.e., in-class or online theoretical learning) and/or
(b) in-person behind-the-wheel driving with a certified instructor (i.e., hands-on learning).

While I learned how to drive from my family members and friends, I wish I had had the opportunity to complete driver’s ed with a licensed instructor because driver’s education provides aspiring drivers with an additional benefit: instructors provide a more formal and consistent education. Think about it. These licensed instructors have often spent hundreds of hours behind the wheel with students, and are aware of common mistakes made by less-experienced drivers, meaning they can correct mistakes as they happen.

Driver’s education can reduce accidents and deaths by educating students both before and after they get their driver’s license. Driving safety isn’t just about following strict guidelines, it’s also about following common sense and helpful hints that you wouldn’t find in a driver’s manual. My favorite advice is, if you’re leaving a parking lot and having trouble seeing incoming vehicles, lower your window to listen for incoming cars, and look at the cars across the road and see if you can spot the reflection of an incoming vehicle. While this advice isn’t foolproof, it can help you spot incoming cars you otherwise wouldn’t have.

Some steps that can be made to stop driver-related deaths are:

1. Enforcing speed limit regulations
Tickets and overhead signs on the freeway can remind drivers to buckle up, drive sober, and adhere to speed limits or face the consequences.
2. Reaching out to local law enforcement about roadside hazards
For example, in the city of Fremont where I live, a lot of truckers choose to park along the side of the road in front of my office. The problem is, they reduce visibility of incoming traffic. After multiple letters and emails to my local sheriff station, truck drivers have been warned if they remain parked for more than 48 hours without moving their vehicle.
3. Educating drivers about the consequences of drunk and hazardous driving
A DUI or vehicular manslaughter can remain on your criminal record and be visible to all future interviewers and employers.

I have witnessed many family members and friends driving dangerously. For example, one coworker sometimes drove buzzed after he left the bar. Another friend actively plays mobile games while driving between 15 to 40 miles per hour down residential roads and parking lots. Some of my relatives are prone to road rage and don’t keep their distance between themselves and the car in front of them.

Sometimes, my family or friends aren’t the cause of the dangerous driving, but a victim of it. My father was once driving in an older vehicle. He was driving normally when, WRAM! He was T-boned in the intersection. His driver’s side front wheel was smashed into the chassis, and worst of all, the airbags never deployed. Two of my nephews were in the vehicle with him. The other driver was entirely at fault. Despite being partially injured, she was so worried, she rushed out the car to see if my father and nephew were okay. Nobody was seriously injured, but it goes to show that you never know who is in the other vehicle. If the car had struck over the driver’s side door or the backseat doors, I would have lost my father, and my sister would have lost one or both of her children.

In order to become a better driver, I have a routine that I instinctively follow. In the Bay Area, a place that is prone to rainy or misty weather, roadside flooding, and inconsistent driving due to the large number of tourists that visit the Bay, I have pledged to always do the following whenever I get in the car:

1. If my glass is covered with hard water residue or the weather is bad, I slowly pull over and address the problem.
2. I check the weather and always put Rain-X or another windshield-safe water repellent on my windshield, side mirrors, and car windows one day before a rainy day. If I know a coworker has a long or arduous commute home, I offer to apply Rain-X on their glass for them.
3. If a vehicle stops at a stop sign before you, even if they don’t turn on their turn signal, wait until the other driver completes their turn. Once you reach a stop sign, make a full stop and count to three. I once almost was hit by a truck because the other driver failed to turn on their turn signal and they rushed the stop sign even though I reached it first.
4. Check traffic before departing during rush hour in order to avoid unexpected events. Surprises and events that are out of the ordinary can cause me to drive awkwardly or force me to make less-than-safe maneuvers on the road. If possible, avoid traffic, delays, accidents, and other events that could cause rubbernecking, multiple lane changes, blocked lanes, or other disturbances.