We zoomed down the street while belting out the lyrics to Sister Christian by Night Ranger. It was a cool summer night, perfect for driving around after sunset. I was with my father, who was driving, and his friend. I remember feeling a temporarily rare sense of happiness considering that I was just barely surviving a world taken over by a global pandemic. I was simply in the moment.
My father was never someone I would consider an “ideal driver." Yet for him, I saw his fast driving, road rage, texting, and driving tendencies as normal but not necessarily right. At the time, the song just seemed to really resonate with me; it talked about a growing girl wanting more independence, just like I was. I was getting older, but still, nothing else mattered in that moment.
As Brad Grills finished his guitar solo, we belted the lyrics "MOTORING," and my father’s friend yelled "BRAKE!" I saw us fast approaching another car and braced myself for impact. Fortunately, my father had swerved in the other lane to our left, which also fortunately had no other cars in it. I briefly locked eyes with my father and then his friend. We laughed it off, but still, a terrifying silence hung over us after. I looked out the window, unaware of the impact that moment would have. We almost crashed into that car, and now the moment of rare happiness is over.
Driver education is crucial in preventing the number of deaths relating to driving, and by understanding the dangers of distracted driving and taking cautionary steps, we can lower the number of driving-related deaths and improve road safety significantly.
Car accidents can be the result of numerous causes, including drunk driving, tailgating, speeding, texting and driving, and distracting driving. An incident like mine may not seem like a “big deal," but distracted driving actually claimed 3,308 lives in 2022 in the US alone, and that is out of 42,514 deaths on the road. Forms of distracted driving can include eating your bacon egg and cheese while rushing to work, trying to find that song that you can really jam to on your way to the beach, texting your mom to let her know you got the bread and are coming home, and in my father and I’s case, driving and belting Sister Chrisitan while playing an electric air guitar and aggressively bopping your hair like an 80’s rockstar.
To clarify, this is not normal. In fact, our behavior is the type of behavior that should be advised against in driver education classes. Distracted driving is a major issue that really needs to be addressed and denormalized. The benefits of tackling distracted driving include safe roads for yourself, other drivers, and pedestrians, making roads safe for all of us daily. As well as fewer deaths, specifically among teens, since motor accidents are one of the leading causes of death for this age group. The more we educate one driver, say parents, for example, the more we can educate another, like their children, since many driving behaviors can be learned from our observations.
While these benefits sound wonderful, we must understand that change cannot be exhibited without action. Steps that need to be taken to practice safe driving can include taking more defensive classes to better equip drivers with skills to better handle unexpected incidents and reduce the likelihood of accidents. In addition to encouraging people to speak out against distracted and unsafe driving behaviors.
In my case, I should have told my father to slow down or perhaps to lower the music so it didn’t distract him to that extent. This ties back to the ideology of how an educated driver can influence another. Simply telling whoever you are with to put their phone down while driving can literally save everyone in that car. Now everyone understands that distracted driving is wrong and should be avoided.
As of the time of this essay, I have officially received my permit and am preparing for my driver’s test in a few months. My prominent intended steps to take to be a safe driver for myself are to limit distractions. This means not stuffing my bacon, egg, and cheese in my mouth while driving, not answering text messages, even if they are what I consider desperately important, and making sure my sister Christian is not so loud that it becomes harmfully distracting. Other steps are taking defensive driving classes since I can only control my behavior on the road, not other drivers or unexpected factors on the road. Most importantly, of course, is to practice what I preach by consistently applying my mentioned safe driving habits.
In closing, to anyone reading this essay, I hope you are able to fully grasp the importance of creating safer roads. By understanding the risk of distracted driving and developing careful habits, we can significantly reduce deaths related to driving. Ways to achieve this are by taking defensive driving courses and everyone being more mindful of their habits while driving. Every life that is saved from distracted driving is a success, not just for my story but for all our stories.