Driver’s Safety and Mindset

I wish I could say I remembered the moment metal screeched into crumpled paint and plastic, but I never saw the glare of headlights or the red light at the intersection. I was on my phone. I remember the seatbelt constricting my neck, the wind escaping my chest, the slow choking. I remember the screaming, the loud cries from the drivers, the first responders checking our pulses. When I stepped out of the car, my knees were barely able to keep me up. My whole body was shaking, my hands trembling too badly to dial the phone I was still clutching. Both cars were demolished. The front of the car that we hit was gone, and the passenger side bowed inwards. Our driver’s side door fell off after the impact, both of the airbags in both cars were deployed, and an entire wheel fell off the passenger’s side of the car.

Earlier that day, I planned to hang out with my friend after my shift ended. My friend, a new driver, had recently gotten her license and was eager to show me her new skills. Little did I know, she had one of the worst weeks of her life emotionally, and because of this she was in no condition to focus on the road. After my shift, I got in the car, greeted her, and then we began the ten-minute drive to her house. In a busy intersection, she distractedly ran a red light, which caused us to get T-boned by an oncoming car. Had we been a few inches to the left, my friend would have died, a few inches to the right and the other driver would have gotten seriously hurt. When the first responders looked at the scene they were shocked that all of us were alive and unharmed, they said it was a miracle.

When choosing to drive, the driver has to take responsibility of the passenger’s lives in every car on the street. That is a big responsibility that drivers often downplay because they have never been in a serious crash. Most people think that driving sleepy, heartbroken, or absent-minded is not a big deal. It is. Emotions carried into driving can lead to carless driving, which is a citation. A driver that is calm and focused will drive with care, while a driver that is absent-minded will drive with little regard to the rules. No drive, no matter the distance, should be taken lightly. Had I known this on that day, I would not have let my friend drive.

Even if every driver only drove on their best days, car accidents would not be eliminated because human error is unavoidable. ‘Highway hypnosis’ is a concept in which a driver’s brain is no longer stimulated by the road, due to the road’s monotony or the person’s headspace. When driving to the same place, the roads that once caused your brain to be extra cautious become normal and routine, and therefore not threatening. This causes people to go into a kind of trance that leaves them less alert. While driving, my friend was in highway hypnosis, because of her state of mind, thus preventing her from reacting fast enough to stop the car when there was a red light.

Some of the easiest ways to combat this are by having an active conversation, turning on the music, or rolling down the window. During that drive, I was on my phone, but even as the passenger, I had a responsibility to make sure that the driver was alert. Passengers have a responsibility to make sure they are driving with someone who is in the right condition. In the event they notice their driver is in highway hypnosis, they should engage with them or have them pullover to rest. This way, everyone in the car is alert and aware, so when someone drives recklessly, the driver is focused and is able to react.

Driver’s Ed does a great job of teaching new drivers how to drive, but it should also educate people on the limitations of when to drive. If there was a section that highlighted the importance of highway hypnosis and how to prevent it, more drivers would be alert on the road. There should be a greater emphasis on how careless driving leads to accidents, and how simple it is to forget that driving can be deadly. Driver’s Ed should teach that the value of life always outweighs the convenience of getting to your destination as quick as possible. Taking breaks, keeping conversations, and holding everyone accountable are not only recommended but are life-saving, and should be taught as a priority.

That day’s events were preventable, but I have chosen to learn from it and tell others my story, so they can avoid an accident. A vehicle of any type can too-easily turn into a killing machine. That day’s events have left me more cautious than ever, I still struggle with entering cars and driving with new people. I have learned from that day, and as I continue to finish my Driver’s Ed, I still keep lessons of driver’s safety close to me. Every time I enter a car, I make sure the driver is in the right mindset to drive, and if they are not, I make them take a second to rest because that accident taught me that it is better to lose a couple seconds of your life than to lose your life in a couple of seconds.