Tips for Safe Driving

Chynna Brandon

Mary Harris

Liam Hale

Cyrus Zschau

Eli Brookens

Janie Cozzi

Amanda Clark

These are but a few of the many lives lost due to car accidents. In a world where technology advances by the minute, drivers, especially teenagers, are at risk everyday they set out on the road. The truth is that many believe themselves to be an exception to the dangers of distracted driving. One never pictures themselves as being in a car accident or the cause of it, until it happens. 

When I was first learning to drive, my father gave me some wise advice: “No one else on the road knows you or whether you can drive or not, but they all unwittingly trust that you can.” At first, this message was a stress reliever—a confirmation that nobody else knew how nervous I was or whether or not it was my first time on the road. I felt safe knowing that no one could sense any sort of anxiety on my part—that they lived blissfully ignorant of any faults I might have.

Later, as I became a more experienced driver, this phrase became a weight of responsibility on my shoulders. The same way that I trusted drivers on the road to use a turn signal or make a full stop, they had unknowingly placed this trust in me as well. My choices to not drink and drive, or text on the road were choices that kept loved ones together and guaranteed them another minute, another hour, another day to enjoy each other. 

While I considered the ways in which my decisions to drive safely kept others safe, I sat down with my own family. We talked about how blessed we were to live every day as a family, and about the ways we can keep other families together the same way other drivers and their decisions consciously or unconsciously play a part in keeping us together every single day. 

My younger sisters, 3 and 6 years old, suggested painting or decorating their seatbelt. They said, “If it’s pretty, I’ll remember to put it on.” I was taken aback at how creative the idea was as they doodled their own “seatbelt designs” on paper. 

My brother, 16 years old and a continuous victim of Bluetooth playing the first song on his music app, suggested recording a song with voice messages from our family reminding you to drive safely. As you enter your car and your Bluetooth connects, this song will automatically play and make you conscious of your responsibility to put your seatbelt on and drive with complete focus.

My oldest sister, 22 years old, suggested keeping a picture of those you love on your dashboard—a constant reminder to make choices that allow you to enjoy their love and friendship for another day.

My parents, devoted fans of the phrase “It’s because you’re always on that phone” shared that technology didn’t necessarily have to be a distraction, but a tool. Rather than picking up your phone to check messages, you could use Bluetooth to take important calls on speakerphone without becoming distracted or using smartphones’ “Driving Mode” to actually block out the notifications that can potentially distract us. 

My favorite trick to keep my eyes on the road is to play games. I’m a constant daydreamer but I use games like creating acronyms from license plates letters or counting the number of yellow cars to keep me focused and concentrated on the task at hand. 

We must begin changing thoughts like “That couldn’t ever happen to me because I’m a safe driver” to “I am a safe driver because I never want this to happen to me or to others.” We drive safely not only to keep ourselves alive and well, but to protect the drivers with whom we share the road. Ultimately the decision to drive safely isn’t just a small way to deserve the trust placed on us by those around us, but a promise to care for others, to look out for them, to cherish them and to love them.