Why did the chicken cross the road? To distract me

Why did the chicken cross the road? To distract me.

It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's exactly what happened when I had an auto accident last year.

While driving to school one early morning, there was suddenly a white, puffy chicken standing in the road. I had been listening to music and must have looked down to adjust the volume because when I looked up again, the chicken was right there. My instinct was to avoid it, so I swerved but I did not brake. I went off the road and was unable to regain control of the vehicle. My car entered a field, struck a concrete culvert, spun, and tipped onto its side. Thankfully, I was not injured beyond a couple of scratches. Even the car survived, but the whole thing happened so fast. It took only one second for my ordinary, everyday drive to become an accident that could have ended much differently.

Before that morning, I thought I understood distracted driving. I knew not to text while driving, and I knew that looking at my phone was dangerous. I assumed that if I avoided the obvious distractions, I was a safe driver. What I didn't realize was that looking away to adjust the music or reacting in a panic instead of from experience can be just as dangerous. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately 36,600 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2025. While not every crash can be prevented, better driver education including more experience handling emergency situations could reduce that number.  Reading that statistic made me realize how fortunate I had been that I only ended up with a damaged car and a few scratches. Many others never get that second chance.

After the accident, my parents enrolled me in an advanced driving course that included braking techniques and use of a skid car. The skid car simulates losing traction by reducing the grip of the tires and allows drivers to safely experience situations that would normally be too dangerous to practice on public roads. It was one of the most valuable learning experiences I could have had. Instead of panicking, I learned how to stay calm and steer correctly to regain control of my vehicle instead of panicking and relying on instinct.

I wish every new driver had access to this type of training. Most driver's education programs focus on teaching the traffic laws and very basic maneuverability of a vehicle, but they don’t prepare students for emergencies. Learning how to recover from a skid, react to a sudden obstacle, or maintain control during ice or rain could prevent countless crashes. We should not have to experience a real accident before learning how to respond to one. Schools, parents, and communities should encourage advanced driver training so new drivers gain confidence and experience in controlled environments instead of during life-threatening situations.

While new vehicles are becoming safer every year with features like lane departure warnings and blind-spot monitoring, technology is designed to assist drivers, not replace them. Safety features cannot eliminate every hazard or make every decision for us. An attentive, well-trained driver is still the most important safety feature any vehicle can have.

Moving forward, I am taking specific steps to become a safer driver. I still keep my phone out of reach while driving, but I now make sure I have set my music and navigation before putting the car in gear. If I need to adjust something, I wait until I can safely pull over. I also plan to continue practicing my driving skills in different road and weather conditions so I am better prepared for the unexpected. Just as importantly, I hope to encourage others to take distractions seriously by sharing my experience. If my story convinces even one person to seek additional driver training, then something positive will have come from my accident.

Driver education should be more than learning the rules to get your license.  By adding more challenging braking and vehicle control scenarios, it will help new drivers to gain the knowledge, judgment, and experience needed to protect themselves and everyone else on the road. I cannot control whether an animal runs into the road or another driver makes a mistake, but I can control how prepared I am to respond. I will continue becoming a safer driver every time I get behind the wheel, and if my story helps even one person avoid the mistake I made, then something positive will have come from one of the scariest moments of my life.