Nobody is an Exception

A common misconception in the minds of many humans when they are made aware of a tragedy is “that will never happen to me.”

Wrong.

The truth is, no matter how attentive of a driver one is, how good at multitasking, how phenomenal one’s reflexes or confidence is, an accident is an accident. And it can happen to anyone. Realizing this fact is the first step one can take to become a more responsible driver, as ignorance and misconstrued reality are the underlying causes for unhealthy driving habits.

For instance, take the typical teenage boy. He leaves his house to get burgers with some friends, but is in the midst of a text conversation with his girlfriend. Not wanting to stop the conversation, he hops in the car, turns on the engine, starts driving, turns up the music, and keeps his phone in his hand, eager to read and respond to the messages. This boy has been driving for a few years. He has never received a ticket nor so much as gotten in a minor fender bender. He works on cars with his dad in his spare time and knows the ins and outs of his vehicle. As he drives along the road to the burger shack, however, there is another driver on the road in a similar position as him. The driver of this car is a girl, texting a groupchat on her phone that she will arrive at the destination in a few minutes. The boy, texting his girlfriend and belting out the lyrics to his favorite song, does not hear the skidding of the girl, also texting on her phone. He does not see in his side mirror that she is about to merge into him. He does notice, however, when his car goes spinning on the road. He does notice when his head is throbbing so much he cannot think. He does notice when he sees blood trickling down his body. He does notice when he no longer can keep his eyes open, slipping into a state of unconsciousness.

This is the reality of motor vehicle accidents. They are sudden, unexpected, and deadly. Sometimes they are caused by a single mistake, and other times the driver is an innocent bystander who has to face the consequences. Regardless of the situation, no one deserves to go through such an event, especially when it is oftentimes entirely avoidable. For example, the boy described above lives ten minutes away from the burger place. He could have easily shot his girlfriend a “I have to drive somewhere I’ll talk to you in ten minutes” text. But he did not. The girl described above could have waited just a few minutes longer until she actually reached her destination, sending a “here” text when she was safely parked. If these actions had been taken, the likelihood of the accident happening would have been decreased by great measures. However, taking such actions requires a calculated decision to not take the risk. The girl and boy must take the impending danger into consideration, and make the more responsible decision.

There are a few important measures that can be taken in order to significantly reduce the amount of motor vehicle accidents that occur everyday. First off, leave electronic devices alone. We have all been in that situation. A text pops up on the screen that must be read and responded to as soon as possible. But why? If one really stops to think about it, could they respond if their phone was dead? Could they respond if they had not seen the notification in the first place? Could they respond if their phone was tucked away in their bag instead of perfectly visible on the dash? This brings me to my first suggestion, which is to leave the phone in the trunk or backseat, where the device can not be reached. This is an extremely important step if one knows they might give in to temptation if their phone is easily reachable. This will stop the driver from picking up their phone at a red light to respond to that text or typing out an item for their grocery list while driving on the straightaway of a highway. Also, if one tries this method and has multiple moments where they reach for their device, they should take note of this tendency and recognize that they may have a problem.

The next suggestion is to be aware of the volume of the music. There is a widespread habit across a multitude of individuals to crank the tunes up so loud that the vehicle starts shaking. But when we think about it, can this really be safe? For the same reason earbuds or headphones should not be worn while driving, it is important to turn down the volume a notch on that playlist. Drivers need to not only see the road and other cars, they need to hear them. Not being able to hear noises while driving is another leading cause of car accidents, and another thing that is rather easily avoidable. Music can be safely enjoyed at a lower level, as there is absolutely no reason to have the decibel level so high that one’s eardrums are about to burst.

Both methods listed above are extremely doable and can help us avoid a world of pain. Every time we drive a vehicle we take our lives into our hands, but when we do our part to make the conditions a little safer, we can seriously decrease the amount of fatalities. Remember that safety comes before anything else, and that by unplugging for a while, turning down the music, looking straight ahead instead of at a passenger, checking all directions, going the correct speed, having the correct number of people in the car, and obeying all traffic laws, we can make the world a better place to live in.