Importance of Mindfulness Driving

This summer has been one with many struggles and obstacles, but two of the most traumatic events that have happened to me include getting into two car accidents less than a month and a-half between each other. In total, I have been in three potential deadly or serious injury car accidents within the last three years; Although neither was my fault, car accidents still have a way of scaring you straight to have the utmost heightened awareness while driving. I am blessed to have walked away from those three crashes mostly unharmed, but I know that god kept me safe in those accidents that could have been the next headlining story on the news. Driving a car is much more dangerous than many younger adults and teenagers see it to be. It is actually much safer to take many other forms of transportation such as a plane or train instead of taking an automotive vehicle. I tell you this because, after being in three accidents in such a short time period, I have become slightly unsettled with returning behind the wheel because there are so many variables that you can not control when driving. This includes how other people drive, whether there is debris in the street, undesirable weather conditions, and many more uncertain variables. In the present moment of driving you have no control of your surrounding environment, as you only have control over driving the vehicle you are in while still having to be aware of all other possible dangers. This is why it is of the utmost importance to pay attention to your driver’s education. In driving education, you are able to gain a knowledgeable skillset as to ways to protect yourself while on the road; For example, you are taught how to drive under poor weather conditions, how much space to keep between your vehicle and other vehicles, as well as learning how to properly operate your car while following all traffic regulations. Overall, having a good foundation in driving education makes you become a more confident driver who is able to adapt to many situations while on the road.

The accident that strikes the largest accord to this prompt is my most recent accident that happened on July 17th, 2022. In this accident, I was not driving, as my brother was behind the wheel. My brother has a history of not having a complete heightened awareness when driving, as he allows himself to sometimes become distracted. In the accident, we were trailing behind a car in the far left lane that was about 10-15 ft ahead of us, as that was until we saw the car swerve into the connecting right lane. This is when we noticed that a mattress was in the street, so my brother began to slow down and realized that he couldn’t get over because of oncoming traffic in our right lane. He gradually slowed down and had to drive over the mattress, but as we started to accelerate after getting over the mattress, a Dodge Challenger rammed into the back of our car. This was really terrifying, because I knew that there was a chance for an accident to occur after having to slow down to get over the mattress so I honestly already had my eyes closed before the impact occurred as if I was waiting for the potential uncertainty to take its course. All this goes to say that, even though my brother was paying attention, there are already enough dangers with driving that come without being personally distracted by social media or texting & driving. When you add other distractions to the already apparent dangers of driving, you multiply your chances of getting into an accident that can cause serious injury or potentially death. It doesn’t matter how good of a driver you think you are, as a distracted driver your words of believing that you can control outside-environmental variables could eventually come to hurt you if you choose not to change your ways.

For my brother, I believe that this realization happened to him as I would always tell him that life has a funny way in making you be present or have a heightened awareness of your surroundings. When doing anything, it is best to be present, but especially behind the wheel where that heightened awareness can be the difference between you arriving home alive or dead. Ways that I practice this heightened awareness while driving includes practicing mindfulness while driving such as observing everything I see from interstate signs, to road signs, to the cars in the passing lane, to the trees in front of me, to overall just taking in the scenery. It is best to be present at times and not always be continuously attached to your life within social media. Give yourself time to breathe, relax, listen to a new album or even a new podcast series so that you are able to keep your focus primarily on the road. You should take more time to appreciate the present moment, as many people may go between their destinations and can’t even recall anything about their trip as it seems to be a blur of just arriving at their intended destination. Take time in being present, as you will have time to check your phone, email, or social media notifications once you arrive safely to your destination.