Motorcycle Mentality

I’ve
taken to the notion that when I drive any vehicle, I should act as if
I’m driving a motorcycle. No, I’m not talking about splitting
lines or swerving through traffic. I’m talking about driving as if
I didn’t have a seat belt, an airbag, and the frame of a car to
protect myself upon impact. This mindset forces me to drive
defensively, being constantly aware of surrounding cars and
pedestrians. There’s no room for looking at my phone or fixing my
hair when one crash could be the difference between life or death.
By driving as if I’m operating a motorcycle, I’ve avoided
accidents that wouldn’t have even been my fault.

This
keen awareness is impossible for anybody that is drunk. Drunk
driving is disastrous and it has received well deserved attention.
However, an often overlooked occurrence that can be just as fatal is
drowsy driving. Let’s face it…no one needs to drink alcohol,
it’s simply not necessary. However, everyone needs to sleep, in
fact, we spend a third of our lives doing so. However, according to
the National Sleep Foundation, sleeping less than four hours a day
increases a person’s chance of crashing by almost twelve times! In
addition, it’s estimated that one third of Americans have fallen
asleep behind the wheel.

I
have witnessed the irreversible effects of drowsy driving. A few
years ago, my grandparents were traveling to their granddaughter’s
wedding. My grandpa inadvertently fell asleep while driving and
their car flipped. Fortunately, my grandparents were rescued from
the burning car but my grandma later died from the injuries she
sustained in the car accident. It was devastating! Instead of
celebrating my grandma’s birthday on her special day, we had her
funeral instead. My grandpa lost the love of his life of almost 60
years. He misses her every day. We all do! My grandma left a
loving legacy but I feel so sad that her life ended the way it did.

Accidents
like this can be avoided if there is increased awareness of drowsy
driving. We see “Drive hammered, get nailed” on highway signs
but rarely anything about driving alert. In addition to public
safety campaigns, we need to take responsibility and be honest with
ourselves about whether or not we’ve slept enough to drive. We
also need to be aware of the side effects of medication that may
cause drowsiness. If we feel tired, we should pull over to a safe
place and take a nap or have someone else drive. Driving at night
should be avoided if at all possible. Passengers also need to do
their part in making sure the driver stays alert. They need to
recognize if the driver is showing any signs of tiredness and then
have the driver pull over as soon as safely possible and let the
driver rest or switch drivers. To prevent drowsy driving accidents,
I stay awake and alert even when I am in the passenger seat.

Now,
in my family when someone is leaving to drive somewhere, you’ll
hear the usual comments, “drive safe” or “be careful” but
these words aren’t just trite phrases. These words have much more
significance and we really mean them.