Distracted Driving: The Silent Killer

Most drivers I know have driving habits. A certain song they love to play loudly, or a special pit stop they always keep an eye out for. These little rituals seem fun in the moment, a harmless way to mark out the pattern of our daily commute. Yet these habits may have a greater impact than we imagine. A favorite song blasting at a loud volume could be just the sort of mindless distraction that could forever change your life.

The insidious part of distracted driving is that the contributing behaviors all seem so harmless and minor on their own. A habit of fiddling with the stereo volume, or gossiping with friends, is hardly seems deadly. And yet, distracted driving needs only a few critical seconds to turn ‘harmless’ behaviors into deadly ones. The moment you spend fiddling with your stereo could be the exact moment another car makes a speedy exit from its driveway. For truly safe driving, we need to be aware every second we are on the road. The too-loud volume of that favorite song could distract you from the sound of a bicycle speeding past your left side. It could prevent you from ensuring you are doing all you can to keep roads safe.

I myself am guilty of some of these actions. Many of these habits are even learned through trusted older friends and relatives. Though I consider myself a careful driver, my habits of ensuring the stereo volume is exactly right or talking with backseat passengers don’t fit with the scrupulous and careful driving personality I hoped I would have. On reflection, these habits are signature contributing factors in instances of distracted driving accidents. Most importantly, these habits have the potential to lead to accidents that are otherwise entirely preventable.

If there is any way I can prevent distracted driving incidents, I want to. The immense impact such accidents can have is something I never want to be responsible for or subject to. Going forward, there are a few key new changes I hope to implement in my own driving routine. Though I love to ensure my music sets the perfect mood while driving, there is no reason I need to fiddle with the volume while driving. Even if I am just removing a few seconds of distraction, starting my music before I start the car is a much safer way to enjoy music while driving. Ensuring I change my old habits to safer ones could potentially be life changing. If, for some reason, I really do need to change the volume during the drive, finding a safe place to pull over is a small inconvenience compared to the immense benefits of implementing safer behaviors.

In terms of talking with the backseat, I think the key change here is moderation and adopting a safety-first attitude. No amount of gossip is worth a potential accident. In this case, changes such as ensuring I never remove my eyes from the road are a good start. Furthermore, I hope to limit conversations to short comments, and catching up with friends when we reach our destination instead. One potential danger I’ve identified is the risk of mental distraction. Alert driving is always the safest, and in this case, it’ll only take a simple change to achieve this safety.

If I make these small changes myself, hopefully my little sisters will learn these good habits from me when they sit in my backseat. Hopefully, they pass these habits on to their friends. So many distracted driving habits are part of a cycle, a driving ritual we pick up from those we know. If we want safe roads, we need to be the first to break that cycle, to make those changes.

All in all, while I had considered myself a safe driver, I now realize that even ‘harmless’ behaviors are all-important in a situation where complete focus and caution is key. Going forward, I have identified several easy and unobtrusive changes I can make in my behavior. Anything is worth protecting the wellbeing of myself and others. Anything is worth ensuring that I pass on safe habits to the younger siblings I care greatly about. Luckily, in this situation such protection is well within my reach and capabilities. I can only hope that all other road users show the same sort of caution while they are driving. At the very least, I am ensuring there is one more safety conscious driver on the road. I will never again get distracted from achieving distraction-free driving.