The Worldwide Driving Undertaking

Everyone knows of the classic teen movie scene, the careless and popular teen chewing bubblegum and on their phone, oblivious to the world outside of the screen, tires swerving every which way. The camera zooms in on the car headlights coming right for the main character, only the piercing horn alerts the teen to its presence right before the kid veers out of the way in the nick of time. They are slightly startled but otherwise perfectly okay and content to head along on their merry way onto the next destination. More often than not, it is all pushed off as a gag, a joke for the older audiences as a way to laugh at how careless the younger generation is or to heighten excitement for the movie to come. Yet through this tradition, alongside so many others, the entirety of car safety is presented as just that- a joke. 

You think “Surely it can’t be me, I’m not some portrayal of a stereotypical dumb blond” or internalize how even though irresponsibility on the road was taken, it all turned out fine in the end. It’s continuously brushed aside, obstructing any sort of progression of road safety until all the deaths and destruction is turned into a game, pointing out car crashes on the highway road trips as often as you do cows or horses.

“Education is the vaccine of violence.” —Edward James Olmos

Proper education, one not derived from late 90’s movies, contributes to not only a well-rounded individual, but one that influences the world around them just as positively. While driving, it’s never just you and the road, as there are dozens of factors to consider, all vital for safety, from the simplest stop sign to the complicated wildlife or people interacting right alongside you. Yet the current level of knowledge known barely covers the essentials: Knowing the numerous hazards even possible. Knowing how important it is to have the correct tires and tread for seasonal and climate changes. Knowing how to handle aggressive urban traffic in the middle of summer when the car in front of you is beeping instantly with road rage and the person in the car behind looks like steam is about to come out of his ears…. that one personally, at least. The eradication of such uncertainty and death only comes from a more in-depth dive into the specificities of the road, not a course that is over and done with to get that license as quickly as possible, but one that helps embody the information learned. 

Alongside a more widespread need for a general driving education, one solution comes from the need to show the grim realities that unsafe driving practices could truly cause anytime and anywhere on the road. Most commercials or advertisements tend to play towards humor and take the situations too lightly, even if trying to appeal to a younger audience, or lean towards the over simplistic message of “Just Don’t,” simply a slap on a wrist for a problem much larger than it’s being made out to be. In truth, the current approach to determent does nothing to show the startling truth of the destructive effects of unsafe driving: parents kissing their child goodbye, unknowingly for the last time, as their child’s bright, tempting phone screen is enough to steal a glance; lifelong groups on call as they hear their friend’s head go through the windshield, a moment before just rushing them to hurry before the movie started despite poor weather conditions; an overturned and totaled car, almost unrecognizable with the fate of its owners only left up to the imagination and remains on the pavement due to the hazy intoxication of that Friday night’s drinks. It’s not a pretty sight, but that’s the point. Videos or visualizations of these scenes depicting the everyday person in everyday situations can truly drive home the fact that unsafe practices don’t lead to disaster for only the few, but can happen to anyone.  

However, the more realistic approach does not always have to be as gruesome and repulsive. The reveal of how safety implements in cars, often tossed aside for comfort or peer pressure indulgence, truly works in dire situations can be key. Specifically, photos of car collision survivors who wore their seat belts, for more than 50% of those who died in vehicle incidents last year had never put them on in the first place. Being jolted forward at highly fast speeds leaves red burns and fresh bruises across the front of the body, and, alongside any other injuries sustained, can be impactful to see. Yet, while these images might be somewhat unsettling to view, it begs the question (and eventual realization) of what the alternative to not wearing a seat belt would have been (quite literally being savagely catapulted out of the car).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case, it’s worth just as much if not more. Not only is it more efficient, but it effectively forms abstract thoughts and circumstances often talked about into streamlined visuals. In the moment before getting on the road, as one is subconsciously contemplating whether or not to put on a seatbelt or fall back onto habits, they’re not going to look back and recall a hundred-page essay on seat belt safety, they will instead easily remember a transformative photo detailing the consequences of irresponsibility. 

Recently, I have been in a car accident, albeit a small one, but also due to a seemingly small mistake. We were pulling out of a complex parking spot before colliding with a car driving past us. The cars both ended up with dents, insurance exchanged and cops called, plans delayed and days stained. All this struggle and stress due to a conversation (one long forgotten) that just couldn’t seem to wait a few seconds in order to check for oncoming traffic or barriers. In truth, that conversation seemed to take the forefront of our minds, as the practice of driving back and out of a parking spot felt learned and basically instinct at this point, but while our own movements may seem predictable, the road almost never is. 

Yet as time has gone past, while pulling out and into spaces has become more precise, other harmful habits continue to dictate drives, especially in the driving of my friends. Technology has become a guiding force in all of our lives, but can both be a saving grace and a damning fall. While social media and FOMO do run rampant, GPS also holds a placement. Going to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar roads can indeed be in need of an aid, but when you are constantly looking down to the phone in one hand, trying to follow that blue line to your destination, it can lead to a missed red light or pedestrian in the road, both instances commonly happening nearly every time the occasion is at hand. It only takes one second for the ways of the road to flip on you, and eyes not focused on the road and one hand off the wheel with attention split only fuels the danger. 

In fact, as I’m writing this certain part of my essay, I’m currently driving on the highway (backseat and buckled in, don’t worry), and as I look over to my left I see a man, with a giant double decker cheeseburger in both hands, as he seemingly tries to swallow it in one bite. I am both amazed and terrified. While not anyone I know, he does represent the majority in terms of driving employment: careless, neglectful, and attention clearly divided between a notably cast aside risk and an indulgence. Not necessarily out of malice, but out of ignorance and unintentional irresponsible habits. 

In the end, the factors of irresponsible driving are piling up each day, but with each passing one, we, on the individual level, can work to rectify it. With family driving in the car, I’ve tried to police them, starting off in little ways: offering to send the work text as they start reaching for the phone, changing the radio away from the country channel and to the decades one before the hand is off the wheel, calling out the red light ahead to help regulate the speed demon that is my mom. Little actions have big consequences, and in this case, beneficial ones. As the habits break, so does the temptation and possible tragedies. 

Personally, I have taken a comprehensive and hours long Drivers Ed course, not only when striving for my license but also after, as a grip on good driving is important to me. But I am far without faults. I know, so very hard to believe, but sometimes my phone has gotten the better of me while driving. But while I cannot exactly leave it at home without 12 miscalls and 36 texts from family and friends wondering if I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth, I’ve resorted to locking it up in the trunk of the car while driving. A little silly sounding, but if it works, it works, and simple actions like these have big values. It stays out of reach and doesn’t light up with inclinations for every notification, at least none I can see, until I park and turn it back on at my final destination. Even scholarships like this one have caused me some self-reflection and research into the topic, helping me realize just how universal and urgent the problem truly is, along with the younger audience most affected and targeted. 

The nation is plagued with misinformation and the serious consequences of negligence while out on the road. But that late-night unwise hangout or ping from a cell phone, stemming from a fear of missing out, isn’t worth missing out on the rest of your life for. Proper education and diligence are pivotal to safety and welfare, and a livelier future for us all.