The Center of Change

Drivers ed might very well
be the most important factor to remaining safe on the road.
People—namely teenagers, and even some adults—who think they can
text and drive; people who believe that the speed limit is a
challenge; people who drive after taking medication or driving
without their prescribed medication, in the case of ADHD; and people
who believe that they can push through even though they’re
exhausted. Many of these problems can be accredited to just the
driver, but most times, accidents are a result of ignorance or lack
of information.

Ignorance is one of the leading
factors of driving-related deaths. Among the driving populace, some
dangerous habits arise that are normalized and even encouraged. Not
much focus is put on the link between substance abuse and deaths due
to driving. I know that I was rarely told in driving manuals that
driving under the influence of medication or pills is dangerous. Most
people do not know that medication—especially sleeping-related
pills or pain dampeners—counts as a drug and therefore makes
driving extremely dangerous. On the same spectrum, many people with
medication that allow them to stay alert think that they can drive
without any issue if they forget to take them. It has never been more
apparent that PSAs focusing on medication need to advertised more
often and in spaces that directly affect a large amount of
people—subways, buses, bathrooms, gas stations, and banks. Memory
is an adaptive process and must be constantly stimulated so as to
retain relevant information.

At some point, all drivers have
heard or seen signs that read “pull over when fatigued” but it’s
a completely different story when an accident is caused for that very
same reason. When I was younger, about eight years old or so, I was
involved in a car accident that temporarily left my mom in a
wheelchair, gave my dad a broken arm, and left several incisions on
my siblings and myself. The only reason this happened was because my
dad was pushing through his fatigue and, eventually, fell asleep at
the wheel. I have seen friends and family members who commit the very
same mistakes that are listed above because many drivers forget most
of the advice and laws in their driving manuals due to a lack of
exposure. I, myself, have fallen into some dangerous habits because I
subconsciously emulate the actions of others.

In other words, seeing is doing.
There will never be progress if the current cycle of information
stays stagnant. Driving tests should focus more on spatial awareness
and what state of mind one should be in when starting to drive. The
problems may be largely individual but humans are meant to work
together—as a society, we can eliminate the factors that make it
extremely simple to cause an accident.