In the Driver's Seat: A Personal and Systemic Approach to Safe Driving

        It is terrifying to think about how one wrong turn, a brief glance at the phone, or a slight delay in braking can completely change the trajectory of one’s life. A single careless decision on the road can have life-threatening consequences. In order to prevent these accidents, it is essential to educate ourselves and others about safe driving. 

        Getting driver’s education is a crucial step in reducing the number of deaths because of driving. Effective training results in increased risk awareness, knowledge of how to respond to potential hazards, and an understanding of traffic laws. Besides equipping people with basic knowledge about how to safely operate a vehicle, driver's education promotes awareness and instills a sense of responsibility to drive safely. While driver’s education is an effective step towards reducing the number of deaths related to driving, in order to truly make an impact, individuals must start taking greater precautions and accountability.

        To effectively reduce the number of driving-related deaths, we must eliminate impaired driving. Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of accidents on the road. When a person has alcohol or drugs in their system, it will slow down their reaction time, distort their vision, and affect their judgement on the road. This makes it difficult for a driver to change lanes safely, follow stop signs, or speed limits. So if you’re planning on drinking, make sure you’ve got a trusted person to drive you home safely. If you are the sober friend in the group, driving your intoxicated friend home is important to keep them safe. 

        Driving while exhausted or sleep-deprived is just as unsafe as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Going one night without sleep is equivalent to having a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent, which is past the legal limit to drive. A lack of sleep can lower your reaction time and ability to concentrate on the road in the same way that alcohol or drugs do. My family has suffered from the effects of this firsthand when my grandparents got into a serious accident nearly a decade ago because of driving while sleep-deprived. The day after my aunt passed away, as my grandparents were returning home from her funeral, exhausted after a restless night, my grandpa lost control of the steering wheel and the car smashed into another car. Both of my grandparents were in critical condition and had to spend many days in the hospital. This traumatic accident in my family has taught me that while there are no laws prohibiting driving while tired, for your own safety and the safety of others, it is crucial to ensure that you are fully alert and well-rested before getting behind the wheel. 

        When you are running late to school or work, speeding should never be your solution to this. As a person who struggles with time management myself, no matter how late I am, I avoid speeding at all costs. The few minutes you will save by speeding are not worth the risk of getting into an accident. Speeding leads to shorter reaction time, and less control while driving. Speeding makes it harder to stop in the event of unexpected hazards, such as pedestrians or animals. 

        It is also important to eliminate distractions like your phone or music while driving. If you prefer having music, choose a playlist and try to stick with it instead of getting carried away constantly changing songs. If your device distracts you easily, turn it off and put it out of reach while driving. 

        In order to reduce driving-related problems, we must also strive for systemic changes to support safety on the roads. For instance, our communities can work towards improving their infrastructure. This means creating safer roads by investing in more streetlights, clearer lane barriers, and more roundabouts. For example, when I lived in Saskatchewan, a lack of streetlights on certain roads made it difficult to drive at night. Communities should also work towards making education about the importance of safe driving more accessible to everyone. I believe an effective approach to this is integrating fully funded driver’s education into the school curriculum. Providing free government-approved courses about safe driving is another way to make education more accessible. Through education, the goal is for people to recognise that safe driving extends beyond simply following rules on the road. Many other factors are often overlooked, such as driving while fatigued or distracted by your device.

        Ultimately, I recognise that driving is a privilege, and with that comes great responsibility. In order to be a better and safer driver myself, I will always be cautious and avoid any distractions while driving. I also recognise it is dangerous to assume other people are driving safely. Therefore, it is important to remain aware of my surroundings as I drive. When I notice others aren’t driving safely, I will actively raise awareness and advocate for safe driving. Even when I am a passenger, I will support safe driving by being respectful and minimising distractions.