Before driving to pick up your friend to go to the mall together, you text them that you’re just leaving the house. A couple minutes into the drive, you see their confirmation reply, so you glance briefly at your phone in the cupholder and type a quick “thumbs up” emoji in response. The light that you were at had turned green 10 seconds ago, and the disgruntled drivers behind you impatiently honk for you to keep driving forward. You roll your eyes, thinking that it’s not a big deal, though everyone is now a bit more stressed about their commute; after all, you technically waited to make absolute sure that there was no incoming traffic. Then, up front, you see an endless line of cars, delaying your pickup time by ten minutes. You text your friend to let them know of the unexpected traffic. At the same time, traffic had just begun to pick up, and you started accelerating. However, you didn’t realize in time that the light had turned red as you texted your friend, and you ended up in the middle of the intersection. This time, you’re not so lucky: a car speeds towards you across the intersection, as their light had just turned green. Seeing it too late, your eyes widen, your heart suddenly starts beating twice as fast, and you hopelessly brace for impact. On the other side of the phone, your friend only notices a silence, with hours passing by and fearing the worst. The exciting day at the mall turned into the worst possible outcome, one that causes pain and worry to your loved ones, yet could have easily been avoided by simply putting your phone away while driving.
Incidents like these, unfortunately, are all too familiar. The idea of staying off of devices while driving seems simple enough, yet so many people continue to do it while being well aware of the potential consequences. At the same time, the general announcement of “don’t text and drive” only tells us what NOT to do instead of providing helpful or more positive alternatives. Therefore, I wanted to share more positive methods of staying off the devices while driving as a form of positive reinforcement to maintain the habit and more importantly, keep everyone safe.
One way to stay off of the phone on the road is to connect with others to keep everyone accountable for their actions. That same friend that the driver planned to meet up with could also remind them to stay off their phone or call instead of text for any important changes to plans. The same idea can be extended to a larger group of people: participating in a group of responsible drivers can be an incredibly powerful and encouraging incentive to stay off of the phone! Also, a driver can text friends in advance to let them know that they are driving, limiting the number of notifications (and temptations) to pull out the phone. Alternatively, if a friend is the passenger in the car, they can hold the driver’s phone or prevent them from checking it. Remember, friends also take care of each other; they would value something much more valuable - a friend’s life - over a quick response to a text.
Alternatively, when driving alone, there are many ways to resist the temptation of picking up a phone while driving. The simplest and easiest way is to simply put it out of reach, in the trunk or in the backseat, at least starting out, to stop relying on social media or texting as a relief from the conceived boredom of driving. To remember to stow away the phone before driving, the driver can create a fun self-challenge to see how long they can go without checking their phone on the road, with a reward at the end like a celebration dance or boba drink. Additionally, phones are convenient smart tools that can help drivers navigate safely, not just act as a driving distraction. iPhones have a “Do not disturb while driving” function, which turns on automatically as the phone senses driving speeds. The settings are customizable to have automatic text replies or answer certain calls. The automatic text responses can be something silly to tell friends of the “driving status”, an unexpected creativity outlet from being on the road.
Finally, taking time off of social media can even be a form of self-care. Personally, I enjoy commute time, as both a passenger and driver, as a time to recharge or mentally transition from place to place. Instead of dreading commutes, I view commutes as “me” time, to excitedly anticipate a weekend retreat or to calm myself after a stressful school day. If self-reflection doesn’t seem as enticing, listening to music (Olivia Rodrigo’s song “driver’s license” is a great tune, although a bit emotionally raw) or a podcast (I recommend Radiolab or Planet Money for interesting science anecdotes!) can make the monotonous car ride a bit more entertaining.
In fact, on one commute where I listened to a Radiolab podcast, I learned that humans aren’t wired to multitask: we can only (somewhat rapidly) divert our attention back and forth between different tasks. When diverting attention to a phone, the brain’s energy is dedicated to juggling two tasks instead of reacting quickly to changing conditions on the road. Multitasking causes drivers in tight situations to lose those precious milliseconds of reflex response time. Therefore, whether you’re a mechanical engineer at Tesla or a high school student, it is impossible to simultaneously focus on the road and check social media, even if watching a Netflix show and finishing your homework at the same time seems possible. In conclusion, the underlying message is to never text and drive: it ISN’T worth your life - or anyone else’s. But remember that even without social media, driving can be quite an enjoyable experience, with even the smallest positive change in mindset.