Cultivating a safe driver mindset

 The general education system introduces children to the wider norms and rules of society that must be followed to protect the public and maintain order; driver’s education performs a similar function. They educate people by instilling essential driving rules. Most driving institutes put greater emphasis on teaching the ‘how’ of driving, but it is important not to forego teaching certain values and laws that hold human life sacred. Driving is not just about being able to move a vehicle and reach the destination you need; it is about making a subconscious choice every day to respect human life and make the roads an enjoyable place to be, not a danger zone. Preventing death caused by driving must begin proactively, long before an accident occurs or we even leave our homes. This can be done by teaching individuals active planning and fostering a healthy driving culture that brings moral values and the law together. 

Reducing the number of accidents on the road requires a broader initiative taken by driving institutes, educational houses and government bodies. All driving institutes should incorporate road safety as a part of their learning curriculum and go beyond the common ‘watch out for pedestrians on the road’. They should include real-life scenarios where accidents have happened and the steps that could have been taken to prevent them. An example is, once while driving, my mother had to turn on a roundabout, but another car that was leaving a hospital at high speed did not anticipate my mother’s car and scraped the front. If the timing of when the cars collided had been different, the accident could have caused more damage and even been fatal. A scenario like this would be presented to students in a driving school and be asked to brainstorm ways in which the accident could’ve been prevented. This exercise would help students critically analyse and engage with the curriculum. Furthermore, driving institutes could partner with schools, universities and accident prevention organisations to conduct road safety programmes. In these programmes, students will participate in activities like VR simulations of driving and volunteering opportunities with paramedics, NGOs and the police to gain hands-on experience in dealing with the aftermath of accidents to gain awareness and empathy. The event would feature keynote speakers such as car accident survivors, road safety advocates, and others to positively influence students and faculty. The government could put up simple signboards as reminders while driving on the road with slogans such as ‘leave early to reach on time'. As a student myself, these are certain initiatives I believe could help my fellow peers who recklessly drive to reach their classes simply because they didn't plan their leave time appropriately beforehand. 

There must be driving rules reinforced in certain locations, including schools and universities. Once, while I was crossing the road to reach a building on my university campus, a car sped up abruptly with no intention of stopping and almost hit me. If I hadn't recovered from the shock of a car speeding at me and had run quickly, then the accident could’ve been fatal. Education institute campuses, hospitals, office complexes and more locations should all be classified into different zones where only certain types of driving are encouraged, like slow, leisurely driving on university campus roads, as they're overpopulated by students and faculty walking to different spaces. After that day, I always feel tremors in my body whenever I cross that road to get to class. Considering the amount of stress university students feel, stress for your life is not needed in a place that is supposed to feel safe. 

Becoming a safer driver comes with an innate respect for human life and a responsibility to preserve it. These values are cultivated within individuals from childhood by TV shows, parents, and culture. Most TV shows and movies include dangerous driving scenes of characters disregarding traffic rules and making everyday driving a sporting event. They have had a significant impact on how we view everyday activities. Young adult films such as My Fault show illegal underground racing events as permissible to conduct as long as they don’t get caught. This perpetuates the mindset that speeding, changing lanes without an indicator, ignoring red lights, not respecting residential areas, and creating noise are all acceptable as long as they don’t get caught. It is our duty as good samaritans to not reinforce these ideas and hold people accountable who break them, even when they are our close friends or family members. We should actively partake in road safety protocols and implement their advice in our daily lives and encourage others to do so.