Focused Driving: The Key to Staying Safe

Illusory superiority. A cognitive bias that almost every human has; the idea that people often overestimate their own abilities when compared to others abilities. This bias that everyone has becomes the reasoning behind reckless actions such as speeding, texting while driving, and even driving under the influence. People explain away these actions with a wave and an “I’ll be okay, I’m a good driver.” Constant excuses and mitigation of guilt are the reasons that anyone can be entrapped in a deadly car accident. This mindset is why driver’s ed is so crucial now.

It is still vital that as a society there continues to be education as to the many ways people can avoid, or lower the risk for car accidents; and, to do this people should consider taking drivers ed courses or educate themselves through online research ways someone can be a safer driver. Many may advocate that driving schools are boring, or a waste of time though there is considerable evidence that taking driving courses can reduce people’s likelihood of getting in a car accident. For example, researchers at the University of Nebraska found that teens who took drivers ed courses were less likely to get into a car accident compared to students who didn’t take drivers ed courses. Of the 151,800 teens who had gotten their drivers licenses of the students who had taken drivers ed courses only 11.1% of them had gotten into car accidents, versus the 12.9% of crashes from teens who hadn’t taken courses; additionally, of the kids who had taken drivers ed only 10.4% of them had gotten tickets compared to the 18.3% of kids who haven’t take drivers ed. While many may see drivers ed as a tedious process, it is undoubtedly vital in ensuring road safety for everyone driving and their passengers.

One of the main points in education on driving is discouraging being distracted while driving and focusing solely on the task at hand. While this may seem basic, this is the foundation for safe driving and by doing so people will heavily lower the risks of car accidents. While it’s often thought that the brain can do multiple things at once, this is false. The brain can focus on one thing at a time, and by doing actions such as texting, talking, eating, etc. while driving the brain is in overdrive and can’t properly carry out complicated actions such as driving a car. People must become mindful while on the road, and practice only focusing on staying safe while driving to avoid crashes.

Unfortunately, I have been heavily affected by car accidents. Not only was I in one when I had my drivers permit, my mom had gotten in one and was sent to the hospital after it. However, the worst occurrence happened when my grandmother was bicycling at night and a driver wasn’t paying attention, and was on their phone, hitting my grandmother in an accident that could have been fatal. It wasn’t though, yet it still hospitalized my grandmother and crippled her arm, forcing her grandmother into years of physical therapy and surgeries to try to get her arm working again. This was the first time I had ever been exposed to the consequences of car accidents, and they were debilitating. It is of utmost importance that people stay focused on the road so as not to put others in danger; no matter how good of a driver someone thinks they are there are always accidents which can lead to life altering outcomes. Yet, even with this tragedy when I began driving after I got my driver’s license, I found myself having trouble focusing completely on the road, I would often space out or not think some of my auctions on the road and multiple times I had been at the cusp of terrible accidents because I thought that I was too good to get in one. I had become the exact person who had almost killed my grandmother, and that was the most terrifying thing of it all; I was becoming self-absorbed, as I began to think that I didn’t have to focus while driving. Immediately, this realization made me realize that I needed to change, and it had to be immediate. And this is what I continue to improve upon to become safer on the road, ensuring I keep focused while driving. I play orchestral music which doesn’t distract me, and any time I realize I’ve been distracted or daydreamed while I’m driving, I snap back to being focused. I keep myself from tailgating cars, I don’t speed, and I ensure to stay focused throughout my drives around Tucson. While some people may not have had family members affected by car accidents, I have, and it is a constant reminder to not assume driving is anything but a privilege which should be treated as such.

Everyone can be caught unfocused and dazed while driving because of the constant stimulus experienced on an everyday basis, but it is of utmost importance that as responsible citizens of the United States there continue to be education about driving, and safety on the road. To drive people must stay focused and not indulge in texting, eating, or anything that will pull your focus away from the wheel and the cars in front of you all to ensure road safety for yourself, other drivers, and pedestrians who all deserve a life without the complications a car accident provides.