Kids, Don’t Do What I Did!

It was 7:30AM. The sun was peaking just slightly off the horizon as my sister and I were about to pull into school. We were discussing our important tests scheduled later for that day. Sitting in the left turn lane, we received a flashing yellow arrow. I pushed the pedal down, after looking, and starting entering into the school’s entrance. 

I feel I am a decent driver. Before I passed my driver exam, I had logged over 100 hours behind the wheel. That time log included multiple trips driving with a trailer. After I got my license, I continued to drive on freeways, around downtown Minneapolis, with a large truck and trailer, and through snow storms for snow removal.

All of a sudden, my sister yells and my 2007 black 4Runner is being pushed across the intersection. The air bags come flying out, both of our heads jerk forward and then slam back on the headrests. As the commotion quickly comes to a rest, I am sitting there and witness moisture steaming from the hood of the vehicle. Jumping out quickly, I help my sister through the driver door as the whole passenger side was smashed in. My dream car was totaled.

What I learned that crisp Tuesday morning, I will never forget. It is undeniably important to always be fully intentional with every move while driving. 

As seen in movies, it takes one wrong move and my whole life can literally flash before my eyes. I was intentional about watching the stop light. As I pulled into the intersection to turn, I was intentional looking for oncoming traffic in the opposite lane. I was intentional for double checking other flows of traffic for potential dangers. Yet, I did not double or triple look for oncoming traffic. I could have waited to pull out into the intersection and look before doing so. I could have put sunglasses on to decrease the risk of the sun flashing in my eyes. I was intentional, but not fully. 

Prior to this situation, I was in a small T-bone accident occurred six months earlier. It resulted from failing to follow my philosophy completely. I was fully intentional with my driving precautions taken, but not at every single moment. Oftentimes, I would dismiss the notion of always needing to being alert, falling for the misconception that ‘this situation’ was all ok. It just happened that, this was a moment where my time of being fully intentional was gone.

Driving through my neighborhood this time, I could not have been more than 1000 feet away from a tasty after school snack and the freedoms of Friday afternoon movie. So, I did not make a complete stop at the stop sign. I did not look multiple times. I did not stop my conversation to be completely committed to ensuring there was a clear intersection. So, I got into a crash. Because the speeds were low, the damage was not as serious. Importantly, the consequences and shame were not reduced any. 

From my experience, I have learned to totally follow this idea of always being fully intentional while driving. While a favorite song, conversation with a friend, or sunset cruise can entice me away from an aware and defensive position, it is important to always be alert and ready to take action. The simple and quick moments of detracting from this safe stance is what turns a perfectly healthy car into a heap of metal in a junk yard. The second part to this philosophy is, once one is always aware while driving, it is crucial to be purposeful with how their attention is spent. It is important to look out for others and scoot along at the speed limit. The safety of the passengers rises exponentially if the driver takes a more active and critically thinking approach when turning the wheel and pushing the pedals. Predicting actions, anticipating others’ responses, and making alternative plans for hypotheticals is what sets a decent driver apart from a safe one.

This skill of not just operating but thinking while driving is only strengthened through practice. Hours of interacting with other drivers, animals, crazy intersections, and unpredictable weather is the only path towards driving fully intentional. Dedication is the key to making sure this mindset is always on, even during the little moments. 

Thankfully, these experiences have ingrained this philosophy into my driving habits. I use my actions in the passenger seat to set an example for riders to see what that looks like. While I am obviously far from perfect, I aim to lead an example my friends and family can aspire to. I do not want them to have to experience the same kind of traumatizing events to become always, fully intentional drivers. 

Because I have done a lot of reading and work in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) area, I believe the power of this technology will create to our safest road system yet. I believe, and scientifically it is possible, to have almost zero driver deaths with self-operating cars and trucks. The problem is: This utopian goal is still years out. As we wait for this AI technology to become industrialized, I believe adopting the approach of always being fully intentional while driving is the best alternative we have. That is why driving education is so powerful and important. It gives innocent but excited drivers the opportunity to set up safe habits. They get to learn about the consequences and harms of operating a vehicle in a careless manner, in a risk-free setting. Until this new technology comes out, learning to be continual active drivers through driving school will be the best approach we can take to ensuring the safest possible roads for our citizens. 

Learning about car safety the hard way, I have worked to be a continually cautious and always alert driver for my own safety and to set an example. Being an entrepreneur and exploring the business opportunities of AI, I have learned how the capacities and revolutionary abilities of AI vehicles will be in the future. Until then, taking the approach of always alert, predicting possible situations, and practicing in a variety of conditions will help build the safest network of drivers we can have. Save yourself the loss of a car crash and soak up the wisdom of driving school!