Accepting our guilt to avoid regrets

I am a 19 year old girl and I have had my license for almost two years. I recognize that sometimes I tend not to be as careful as I should be when driving. For instance, I like to drive while listening to music and I admit there have been occasions where I get distracted by it. I find myself on my phone trying to change the music to a song that fits my mood. Not very safe.

However, I don’t do that anymore because once as I was shuffling through songs and I was at a red light, the cars behind me started honking at me and I started to become more aware of it and how I was slowing down traffic. In addition, I could also get a ticket for being on my phone. Now I rely more on the bluetooth system and the radio which allows me to listen to songs and the GPS directions without having to look at my phone which means I get to keep my eyes on the road and be more alert of my surroundings.

Furthermore, when I get a text on my phone or a notification while driving I feel very tempted to check it. One useful feature that my iphone has that I started using is that you can enable a notification blocker. This feature activates while you are in the car and it won’t let your phone get any notifications, similar to airplane mode. I strongly recommend using this to prevent you from getting distracted since we, especially teenagers are very reliant and addicted to our screens.

Another unsafe driving habit that I need to learn to control is road rage. When someone in front of me is driving slow or cuts me off, I get frustrated. I need to learn to not learn not to let other driver’s actions affect my behavior. In order to avoid this, the best method that I have found is to leave the house with enough time to arrive at my desired location on time without having to leave the house in a rush because I could encounter different situations while driving that could potentially slow me down. Being punctual and keeping my commitments is very important to me. Realistically, construction road work could happen while driving and I have to acknowledge, it is not their fault. There is no reason to get angry. The construction workers are just doing their job and they are working on improving the conditions of the infrastructure of the city. Keeping your emotions under control is crucial for your health and avoiding your rage getting the best out of a situation.

In my experience, I have also encountered and witnessed other accidents while driving. When I witness other cars getting into accidents, I get very concerned and it brings more awareness of how essential it is to drive safely or else the next accident, God forbid could be myself. That would be my worst nightmare that’s why I compromise to strictly follow these safe driving habits.

These include the following: paying close attention to the road and your surroundings at all times; keeping your stress under control by giving yourself enough time to arrive at your destination on time and driving courteously. Our lives matter, that’s why we have to think and look twice before making an irresponsible decision that could cause ourselves or an innocent person to be gone in a matter of seconds. The worst part is that one small mistake such as looking at your phone can traumatize you for life and leave scars and regrets that won’t go away.