Habituary: Fatality Within the Mundane

Tires screeching, attention shifting between the road and that advertisement you desperately try to skip, being tailgaited – oops! Looks like I forgot to turn on my headlights! – these are some of the many sensations many are uncomfortably accustomed to when driving, or even as passengers, especially when these fatal habits are so common. With over one million people worldwide meeting the misfortune of a vehicle-related death, it becomes more important than ever to ensure that the means of transportation that has engraved itself in our lives is approached with utmost caution. 

Automotive transportation has come to serve many people who lack what they need. It keeps rural and urban areas connected, allowing people to find a way to thrive regardless of where they choose to live. Despite its greatness, it has also come with numerous risks due to the complex design and superhuman power of automotive vehicles. While it is inevitable that scientific innovation comes with a tradeoff to humanity, the cost of human well-being is one that is avoidable, yet more often than not, I, alongside many others, face unsafe driving on a daily basis.

I have often questioned my safety as a passenger, only to quickly brush off my concerns because of how common such practices are, and I can undoubtedly say that others do as well. Unfortunately, the reality is that your friend who likes to speed could be moving too fast to stop before a pedestrian, your grandparents that hate being cut off and tailgate in retaliation could kill a baby in somebody’s backseat, and you and I, without proper safety measures, are just as capable of killing people in vehicular accidents as anyone else. Driver education ensures that beyond learning safe driving practices and on-the-road conventions, drivers are aware of the fatal possibilities that come with their licenses. 

To reinforce safety, current road design features many smart, subtle nudges towards safer driving habits – like bumps on the edges to alert off-center drivers with noise, speed bumps, and small red signs indicating the road’s boundaries. Additionally, driving regulations address everything there is to be mindful of: driving sober, being focused, pedestrian priority, etc. – and the promise of punishment for violation alongside the increased risk of death (to themselves or others) often deters people from such decisions. 

Despite these well-implemented protections, unsafe driving habits persist, and vehicle-related deaths remain an unfortunate possibility to keep in mind on even the most simple commutes. While there are heavily enforced regulations, the autonomy ultimately remains with the driver to behave accordingly, making driver’s education a vital means of ensuring safety. 

Living in the suburbs of South Carolina, I find driving to be an unavoidable task if I intend to have all of my necessities. I hear stories of my peers having totaled their cars on a route as simple as heading home from the school parking lot despite intense traffic control, stories of families being torn apart by reckless driving. 

As aforementioned, bad driving habits persist, demonstrating that safe driving practices depend on more than knowledge of them, but rather the motivations and decisions of drivers. Oftentimes, unsafe driving practices come about due to perceived convenience and a lack of focus – people tailgate to pressure a slow car to speed up, people make narrow cut-offs to feel as if they “moved up in the line”, among many other behaviors. 

As this is the remaining issue, it is important that drivers’ education emphasizes individual accountability – more specifically, the importance of not taking “the easy way out”. 

When I first got my license, I was the most excited to take myself to eat foods that I had been meaning to try, to hang out with my friends more often. I have found my new freedoms as fulfilling as can be, and that has led me to realize that automotive transportation is a privilege, and that perhaps opting for comfortable habits in exchange for more risk demonstrates a lack of appreciation for what is available. 

Put simply, the decision on whether to partake in deadly driving habits presents two options: choosing safety for mild inconvenience or choosing temporary comfort at the cost of one’s and others’ safety. If driver’s education can fully and successfully communicate this framing to prospective drivers, I believe the number of vehicle-related deaths will significantly decrease. 

When drivers can view driving through a utilitarian lens, focusing on safety and viewing the driving experience realistically, instead of a hedonistic approach that emphasizes immediate comforts and satisfactions, I believe that we can begin to let go of the tradeoff between the privilege of automobiles and the cost of human safety.