Why Do You Have Carrots? – The Universal Consequences of Driving

In 2019 alone, 427,000 casualties with 3,100 fatalities from crashes involving distracted driving occurred across the states (“Distracted Driving”). Every day that year, 1,200 people saw their lives flash before them as a result of distracted driving. More importantly, nine people died every day: nine people with real lives, meaningful jobs, and families they loved. By July 1st of that year, 1,629 people were dead, each leaving behind loved ones, memories, and a shattered car. And possibly an unfinished text that read, “See you soon” or “I love you.”

Driver education courses teach students how to obey the law, yield, pass, navigate traffic, and estimate distances. Driver education includes serious discussions of the dangers of speeding and drunk and distracted driving. Instructors trust students to make the right decisions once they receive the education and experience necessary to drive. Here in Maryland, students are required to complete 30 hours of driver education and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. The minimum age a Maryland student can earn a license is 16 years and 6 months.

After completing my driver education course at age 16, I swore I would never speed. I swore I would never use my phone while driving. I swore I would be safe. In my course, I learned that speeding is dangerous, distracted driving is dangerous, and accidents can happen to anyone. Yet, when a teenager gets on the road, their mind is on more than driving. Their mind is unconsciously seeking risk and experience. And their brain is still unfinished. They do not understand their vulnerability.

The driving course Alive at 25 gets its name from the fact that the human brain does not finish developing until 25. This is not referring to the brain as a whole, but specifically the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision making, planning ahead, and cognitive control. Students enrolled in driver education are actively and often emotionally engaged in learning the rules of the road. However, if they do not actively see the consequences of driving when they are on the road, they develop an optimism bias–a belief that it will not happen to them. They make decisions based on limited information and experience, easily influenced by emotions and perceived pressure. Individuals exempt from this include those with plans, safe and supportive driving examples, and an awareness of their actions. Individuals enrolled in Alive at 25 learn the consequences of driving after being part of a car crash, and individuals not enrolled in the course learn the consequences from personal accidents or the injury or loss of a loved one.

In Maryland, precautionary laws against distracted driving include the illegality of using a hand-held device while driving, texting while driving, and using a hands-free device with a learner’s permit or provisional license, except for emergencies. However, drivers do not always obey these laws, and we would be foolish to assume they do. When a driver disobeys these laws, it is often for a short-term reason: I’m late; I need them to know where I am. I want to change my music. Someone needs to keep me awake. My navigation isn’t up, or I’m hungry. When young drivers encounter these situations, they must know how to respond. Otherwise, their brain will reach for how others reacted to these situations. Distracted behavior will include speeding and the use of a phone.

My driving education instructor said it was common sense: Just put the phone down. Even during behind-the-wheel training, you were required to power off your phone. Yet, as soon as you are the only one in the car, expected to use it for navigation, and bored or stuck in traffic, it becomes the toy of fascination. The key to curing momentary boredom. How can driving instructors address this fascination and help students plan for it? How can they teach and ensure healthy phone use in driving situations?

When driving for long periods of time, you may get hungry, thirsty, or tired, which may encourage you to speed towards your destination. After all, a few saved minutes can feel like a great achievement if you survive the experience. How can driving instructors address this human need and prepare students with proper responses?

In 2019, nearly 2,400 youth, aged 13-19, were killed in the United States (“Teen Drivers: Get the Facts”). Around 258,000 youth, aged 13-19, were treated for injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes. In 2019, deaths caused by youth crashes amounted to 4,356 individuals, including youth drivers, other drivers, passengers, and individuals not in the vehicles (“Facts + Statistics: Teen Drivers”). This is not a mere coincidence. Scientists, psychologists, and researchers have shown us there is a lack of responsibility, awareness, and cognitive planning involved in youth driving. Driver education must educate students on this cognitive deficit and help them plan for it.

I received my provisional license in November 2019. Two years later, I should have been an experienced and responsible driver. However, I succumbed to the irresponsible thinking and behavior mentioned above–innate, automatic responses inappropriate to modern circumstances. In December 2021, I was driving home from college for Christmas break with my sister. I was tired and eager to go home. I did not have a plan for this situation. My primary response was to move faster. I did. That night, I acted irresponsibly, and I nearly caused a three-car crash on a Virginia back road in the dark. Worst of all, I nearly killed my sister, who was crying in the passenger seat when I pulled over afterward. Fortunately, no one was injured; the cars didn’t even touch. That fact is not an excuse to repeat the behavior. It is a blessing I cannot ignore or forget.

My experiences previous to this incident told me I would be safe. I was reassured that I would get home safely, and that speeding could be done responsibly. My experience blinded me, encouraging optimism bias and a feeling of invincibility. I learned two of the three universal consequences of driving that night: 1) It only takes one poor decision, one distraction, and one broken rule to kill a person, and 2) you cause accidents when you are impatient, distracted by your own desires and primitive needs. Two years before, at my brother’s memorial, I learned the third primary consequence of existence. 3) People die, and death is permanent.

Since that night, I have taken multiple steps and made personal adjustments to be a safe, responsible driver. I created habits and response plans I did not make while in my driver education course. I made a goal contract with my older brother to not speed; the consequences being an immediate $100 payment and handing the wheel to another driver if available. I told him recently that it makes me think of him whenever I drive. Aware I did not like being late, I ensured I left for events early whenever possible. If I was running late, I notified someone of how late I was going to be. I did not ‌make up for the lost time. I know I become mentally distracted without music, so I created a playlist to start as soon as I turn on the car, and I don’t touch it. When mentally or emotionally distracted, I’m sure my music is turned down and the windows are slightly open to ensure awareness. When in a high-speed area, I give myself a volume limit on my music and keep the windows slightly open to ensure I’m aware that people with real lives and situations surround me on every side, and my actions will affect them.

Two of my younger siblings recently completed their driver education course and are looking forward to driving. When I drive them places, I explain why I have simple systems for driving. I have a system for heading towards a green light: start counting. If I know how much space I’m covering every second, I can accurately estimate if I’ll make a yellow light. When someone tails me, I turn on my hazards for two seconds instead of pressing the break. If the individual is distracted or emotionally charged, breaking may cause an accident, and the hazard lights warn them. At a stop sign, when I know I’m impatient to get across, I tell myself that I would rather be thirty seconds late than dead or responsible for someone else’s death. And I share that with my younger siblings.

This fall, I will drive back to school. Driving safely does not only apply to individuals who knew more than I did last December. It applies to those who failed to be safe and asks them to take a step back and reflect on their actions. Now, every time I get in the car, I check that I have four things: my wallet, my phone, my water bottle, and a bag of carrots. If we understand our needs, we can address them and prevent consequences we may not want to understand apply to us, too. You can cause an accident. You can kill someone else’s loved one. You are subject to the universal consequences of driving. Have a bag of carrots, remember that accidents happen in a moment and to anyone, and never trivialize the responsibility of life you hold in the car you drive.

Works Cited

“Distracted Driving.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 April 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_driving/index.html#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20over,a%20distracted%20driver%20in%202019.

“Distracted Driving 2019.” U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, April 2021, https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813111.

“Facts + Statistics: Teen Drivers.” III, Insurance Information Institute, https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-teen-drivers.

“Teen Drivers: Get the Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Oct. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html.