Not On Time, But Still Alive

Not On Time, But Still Alive

One of my earliest memories involves a speeding ticket. For the most part, my parents are incredibly safe drivers. Few accidents, barely a parking ticket between them. But on that particular day we were running late to an appointment and my mom was driving over the speed limit. She was pulled over by a police officer and we were delayed even further. I remember feeling trapped in the back seat of the car and frustrated, confused as to why we were going to miss something so important. My mom jokes that she’s only ever had two speeding tickets, and both were issued while she was driving me somewhere. She likes the journey; I get anxious when I think about being late for things, panic when I realize that I’m not going to make it in time. I know that I am not alone in this fear.

Reckless driving has many causes, but an overwhelming factor is the fear of being late. Our world places a great deal of value on punctuality, which is often used as an indicator of someone’s character. Jobs, relationships and more depend on the agreement to show up in a certain place at a certain time. However, the path to meet the deadline is riddled with obstacles that cause even the best prepared people to run late sometimes. Often, the best way to make up this lost time is to drive faster on the way to a destination, leading to countless crashes and accidents. Culturally, we value honour over safety.

Driver education can make us reconsider these values, and hopefully reduce the number of traffic deaths in the process. Students learn about traffic signals and parallel parking, but also about the mindset one should have while driving. Through drivers’ education, I have been taught to always remain vigilante of my surroundings, only drive if I’m alert and value safety above all else. These safety lessons also extend to preventing drunk driving and avoiding distracted driving. These soft skills help to make new drivers safer, giving those who take drivers’ ed a mindset that they can take with them on the road.

When I drive, it’s generally at a slower pace. To account for this, I leave for appointments well ahead of time. Rapid lane changes and high speeds may get me to my destination quicker, but I prefer to be cautious. At times it can be difficult, it is tempting to speed up if I fear that I may be late for something. Instead, I play some calming music, take deep breaths, and remind myself that being punctual isn’t as important as safety. Getting in front of a bus isn’t as important as avoiding a crash. Turning a corner quickly isn’t as important as ensuring all pedestrians have crossed. Creating a mindset of safety involves making the process of driving itself more enjoyable. These are small steps that can have a huge impact, even save a life.

When I look at the people in my life who drive, a clear pattern emerges. Those who are more relaxed and have a more flexible calendar tend to be safe drivers. They may be eternally running late, but very few of them have been in serious traffic accidents. Those who are consistently on time tend to also be more reckless when they drive. A trade-off between safety and punctuality occurs. Being a calm driver does not mean being careless or distracted, it means being more understanding.

Eliminating speeding and reckless driving entirely would require a complete cultural shift, a movement towards a slower, more understanding lifestyle. A world that is less structed and operates on a more fluid schedule. Since this is unlikely to happen, a more realistic option is making a personal commitment to valuing safety over arrival time while driving. It is more of a change in mindset than any concrete action, but can lead to one becoming a safer and better driver. Driving becomes safer when viewed a journey that we take alongside countless others who share the road, not a competition or race against the clock. This change also involves being more understanding about those who are late. There are millions of factors that play into a person’s journey to get to a destination, being late does not always mean being inconsiderate. Pressuring people to always be punctual only leads to recklessness, telling them they should have “let you know” that they were running late leads to texting while driving. Sharing that you care about your friends and family’s safety more than them being on time can help them to become better drivers as well. Our energy should always be put towards valuing the lives of our fellow drivers, passengers, bikers and pedestrians. Getting somewhere on time should not be the top priority. For anyone who, like me, becomes anxious about punctuality this may be difficult. Doubtless, a change like this will result in falling behind schedule sometimes. But there are more valuable things in this world than being on time.