One thing that confused me to no end when I was practicing to take my written permit test was the phrase “ideal driving conditions”. At the time, I had never in my 14 years of life heard the adults that got me from Point A to Point B describe any trip as “ideal-driving conditions”. Because I live in Anchorage, Alaska, the go-to was always icy, low-visibility, blizzard conditions and countless other adjectives to describe the trip that was to come. When I finally did start driving regularly, I would always wonder if what I was seeing around me when driving was the “ideal” condition to be cruising around in. Early on, this caused me a fair amount of anxiety when driving. Worried that unless I was driving in the ideal conditions I could cause an accident or lose control of the vehicle, I avoided driving. Looking back, I think my feelings towards driving at that time were a clear example of the importance of confidence when driving. I would never be able to drive comfortably if I always just expected to be put in the ideal driving conditions. Now, I’m 18, with my own car, getting myself everywhere I need to go all around my icy city and I highly doubt I would have ever been able to get to this point without becoming confident in my ability to apply the responsible driving behaviors that I have learned to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, prevent being in accidents or avoid driving irresponsibly, and be a better and safer Alaskan driver on the road, even in less than ideal conditions.
While I have thankfully not lost any family members or friends in car accidents, being in close proximity to accidents in which someone has sadly been injured or killed is something that I have been very used to since a young age. From the time I was in elementary school, all of the kids on the school bus knew that if it snowed the night before, then the road to school would be littered with cars stuck in multiple feet of snow and trucks flipped over in unbelievable positions. For me, seeing these types of situations every day made me able to recognize certain details about driving that I have remembered to this day. For example, being accustomed to hitting the brakes much farther than the red light or stop sign ahead is integral to protecting oneself and those around when the roads are icy and the tires have significantly less traction than usual. Sliding into an intersection or other area busy with other drivers or pedestrians can lead to accidents. By driving cautiously and slowing down well in advance to reaching a stop sign or red light, a responsible driver can easily prevent harming anyone or themselves. In addition to that behavior, I have personally have adopted the habit of waiting about seven seconds before accelerating when a light turns green. Because I know that other people have less traction than usual when the roads are icy, I choose to wait before accelerating to allow for any slipping or sliding cars to pass and or fully stop when their light is red. This keeps me out of danger and accounts for the consequences of non-ideal driving that other people can become victims to as well.
Realizing that there is no such thing as ideal driving conditions allowed me to expand my own knowledge and trust myself to make smart, responsible choices behind the wheel; however, coming to that realization didn’t force me to simply be complacent when preparing to drive. On the contrary, knowing that things like frosted windshields can lead to complications while I’m driving allows for me to take preliminary safety measures before I even get into the car. For example, waking up 15 minutes earlier to account for the time it will take for me to scrape frost or ice off of my windows is a normal part of my winter morning routine. Driving with frosted windows lowers visibility and can put the driver and those around them in dangerous situations. By preemptively removing small inhibitors like frost, driving becomes much safer and drivers are able to feel much more confident in the choices they make behind the wheel.
Overall, preventing accidents, injuries, and death that can result as a result of driving is a responsibility that lies upon the shoulder of every person that gets behind a wheel. Adopting the mindset that ideal driving conditions will never be realistic and that one should compensate with their own choices and actions when behind a wheel is undeniably important to reducing the number of deaths related to driving. Taking these steps is what allows for one to be a better, safer, and in my case, Alaskan, driver.