In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

As a new driver I often reflect upon driving safety. My city runs a programme where all students approaching their 17^th birthday attend an event which showcases the deadly side of driving. We hear speeches from emergency services professionals who routinely cut young people out of wrecked cars, Doctors who treat the injuries from these horrific accidents, survivors or in even worse cases, the family of the deceased. This Drivers’ Education event had a profound and lasting effect on me as I now look at my driving lessons from a new perspective. In fact, many studies have shown the positive effects of Drivers’ Education on young drivers. A 2015 study found that young drivers that had not completed Drivers’ Education were 75% more likely to receive a Traffic Ticket, 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16% more likely to have an accident.

In this digital age, one of the biggest problems faced by drivers is the temptation to text and drive. 20% of US drivers report having texted or sent emails while driving and 25% of UK drivers admit to having used their phone while driving at some point in the last year. Globally, statistics show that mobile phone use while driving may be responsible for nearly 25% of all road accidents. To combat this, many cell phone companies now offer apps and services pre-installed in devices to help drivers ignore their phone when driving. Drivers can set up these systems allowing the device to silence all notifications, have the device send an auto reply text message to missed calls explaining that the person is driving and will only allow calls when the device is connected to the hands-free function that is available in most modern cars. However, while this may be a solution to the problem, many still argue the best way to combat this serious issue is simply having the phone off or on silent and out of sight but seeing Tech Companies trying to help reduce this problem is a positive sign.

While I have never been in a car accident, I have witnessed irresponsible driving. Many of my friends learned to drive very quickly and were very proud of that fact and would make a show of how “capable” they were behind the wheel by singing and dancing along to music, eating while driving or even checking their phone. When this would happen, I felt unsafe. However, because of these experiences I now know how scary it is to feel unsafe in a car and always strive to be the safest driver I can be.

I believe more education in schools about the dangers of using a phone while driving and the risks of “showing off” while driving is the way forward. If drivers were informed of the horrifyingly high distracted driving death rate figures, I feel many drivers would change their bad habits and our roads would be safer. Afterall, it is better to be safe than sorry.