Driving: A Shared Responsibility

It was an autumn evening like any other. I was leaving university after a late biology lab and waiting at an intersection to turn left. As I imagined what I might eat for dinner, the turn light flashed green, and I promptly began to move when, out of nowhere, a driver in oncoming traffic (who had a red light, by the way) began crossing the intersection. SCREECH! I braked so hard that my wheels squealed and my vehicle's traction control engaged. I was incredibly fortunate to stop in the nick of time, as things could have taken a worse turn (no pun intended). The other driver also seemed to realize he had made a mistake and reversed behind the stop line. While I was somewhat shaken, this situation made me think about the importance of being vigilant and proactive while driving.

While I have never been in a motor vehicle collision, I have experienced moments like this: "near misses" that I will never forget. At times this was due to slippery snow conditions in Western Canada, but often another driver had made an error, such as running a red light or changing lanes without signalling. Being proactive and learning to anticipate these situations has helped me avoid possible collisions.

According to the World Health Organization (2026), more than one million people die each year worldwide in traffic collisions, and approximately 20–50 million more suffer non-fatal injuries. Controllable risk factors that contribute to motor vehicle collisions include speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and inexperience (NIH Office of Communications, 2023). In the UK in 2025, the top contributory factors in motor vehicle collisions were driver behaviour or inexperience, speed, and distracted or impaired driving (Government of UK Department for Transport, 2026).

From personal experience, drivers' education helped me feel more confident on the road. During both classroom and supervised practice, basic safe driving techniques such as wearing a seatbelt, checking mirrors, ensuring correct hand position on the steering wheel, and maintaining focus were reinforced. I was taught to be both a proactive and defensive driver, regularly scanning the road and anticipating unsafe decisions from other drivers. As I spent more hours behind the wheel, I gained more experience and faced more scenarios that helped me become a safer, more confident driver. Drivers' education gave me the initial building blocks to learn how to drive safely and effectively.

Small choices can make a big impact in avoiding motor vehicle collisions. As a learner, I found it helpful to have a more experienced driver with me to provide feedback on my driving skills. Staying focused on the road and minimizing distractions by putting one's phone on "do not disturb," wearing a seatbelt, being vigilant, staying within the speed limit, and selecting a designated driver before consuming alcohol are all important, proactive decisions that keep people safe on the road. It is sobering to think that one small mistake on the road could change another person's life forever. Driving is a privilege, and drivers have a great responsibility to take precautions to keep themselves and others safe.

While drivers' education can help develop knowledge and awareness of traffic laws, much more can be done at a systemic level to keep roads safe. Improving traffic infrastructure and surveillance (Goel et al., 2024), increasing enforcement such as random alcohol breath tests (Fisa et al., 2022), graduated licensing programs (Walshe et al., 2022), and targeted programs for unsafe drivers (Escamilla-Robla et al., 2024) have the potential to reduce motor vehicle collisions. In a 2024 Spanish study, Escamilla-Robla et al. (2024) analyzed data from two programs run with inmates who had specifically been charged with road-traffic-related violations and unsafe driving behaviour. Based on data from over 57,000 participants who completed either (A) an awareness and re-education program or (B) a psychotherapeutic and re-education program, both interventions had a significant impact on non-recidivism (i.e., not becoming a repeat offender). Looking at the big picture, there are many programs and policies that can be implemented to reduce the risk of road collisions and resulting fatalities.

Even though I have been driving for many years, I still find it important to reflect on what I am doing well and what I could do better. I believe that making good choices and modelling safe driving can help encourage others to do the same. Furthermore, if we see unsafe driving around us, it is important to speak up and share our concerns. And if there is an infrastructure problem creating unsafe road conditions, we can report it to local and municipal authorities. At the end of the day, we all have a part to play in keeping roads safe for everyone.

Escamilla-Robla, C., Giménez-Fita, E., Colomer-Pérez, N., Martínez-Rubio, D., & Navarrete, J. (2024). Effectiveness of penitentiary psychoeducational interventions in road safety. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 16(2), 87–96. 

Fisa, R., Musukuma, M., Sampa, M., Musonda, P., & Young, T. (2022). Effects of interventions for preventing road traffic crashes: an overview of systematic reviews. BMC public health, 22(1), 513. 

Goel, R., Tiwari, G., Varghese, M., Bhalla, K., Agrawal, G., Saini, G., Jha, A., John, D., Saran, A., White, H., & Mohan, D. (2024). Effectiveness of road safety interventions: An evidence and gap map. Campbell systematic reviews, 20(1), e1367. 

Government of UK Department for Transport. (2026, July 30). Guide to road safety and contributory factors for reported road casualties Great Britain [Website]. GOV.UK.

NIH Office of Communications. (2023, December 22). What risk factors do all drivers face? [Website]. National Institutes of Health.

Walshe, E. A., Romer, D., Wyner, A. J., Cheng, S., Elliott, M. R., Zhang, R., Gonzalez, A. K., Oppenheimer, N., & Winston, F. K. (2022). Licensing Examination and Crash Outcomes Postlicensure in Young Drivers. JAMA network open, 5(4), e228780.

World Health Organization. (2026, July 20). Road traffic injuries [Fact sheet].