Mitigating the Dangers of Driving

When imagining what freedoms you will have as you grow older, you may squirm with excitement about the idea of driving. You may daydream about taking your friends out for some impromptu hangouts without pleading with your parents to drive you. If you lack friends (it is okay), perhaps you prefer a relaxing drive around town (at the expense of the environment). What most of us do not like considering are the additional responsibilities and possible consequences with such freedom.

In the U.S, 34,000 people die in car crashes every year. With these deaths being common for those aged 5-29, we must take the responsibility of controlling these metal death boxes seriously.

Nobody thinks they will end up in an accident until they do. During my childhood, my family and I were going out to enjoy Halloween festivities. My dad was driving the minivan on the highway with my mom next to him. My sisters and I were in the back, oblivious in our princess attire. It was a blur; there was not even time to shriek. Our car lurched forward as my dad slammed the brakes. Unfortunately, that did not prevent our car from rear-ending the car in front of us, which rear-ended this other car. Thankfully, no one was fatally injured, but it could have been worse. My parents probably had a worse time, but I remembered it as a stressful and embarrassing event that I never wanted to experience again.

This was not the only time I witnessed risky road behavior. I saw adults speed to cross intersections under yellow lights. Their road rage would easily flare, and car trips would include abrupt swerves, honks, and braking. Soon enough, I became aware of what driving behaviors to avoid.

Good driver’s education vitally prevents car accidents and deaths. You learn to recognize and remember signs, warnings, and laws to comply with. You learn how to act in hazardous situations like brake failure. You learn how to drive defensively and anticipate the actions of other drivers. Overall, it helps you protect yourself and everyone sharing the road with you.

Besides driver’s education, gaining better control over your feelings will help you drive safely. Road rage is an obvious example of losing emotional control. When people make irritating road errors, like accidentally swerving into your lane, you must remain calm. Expressing your anger on the road is not worth the potential harm to yourself and others. Before and while you drive, make sure you are in a collected mindset. I do this by not playing loud, stimulating music as I drive; I would sit in silence or listen to calming music like lo-fi hip hop. You can even practice mindfulness before driving by closing your eyes to focus on breathing for a few minutes. It can allow your mind to focus more on driving and avoiding danger.

However, good driving will not protect you from all road mishaps; you need to keep up with car maintenance. Familiarize yourself with your car and get occasional checks/replacements like checking tires or changing oil. Do not let an accident be an indicator of your next car tune-up. Periodically checking your car will prevent car breakdowns, and therefore, accidents and deaths.

Please put effort into driving cautiously. Remember, a car is not a mere toy, and your reckless driving will harm other people’s lives as well as yours.