The Importance of Driving With Purpose, Not Carelessness

Although driving is depicted as relatively harmless and easy to learn to many new drivers, the act is more dangerous than most would let on. In fact, motor vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers¹, mainly caused by risky driving, such as distracted driving, drunk driving, driving without proper schooling, and not considering obstacles that could affect driving performance, such as vision impairment, when getting behind the wheel. It’s easy to say not to drink or text while driving, but there are so many other factors that must be considered before deciding to drive. Because most of the world is incredibly dependent on cars for commuting, it’s important to think about this before starting the car.

Texting while driving and drunk driving are two major causes of accidents. It’s incredibly important to pay attention to the road, which is not possible while you are distracted or impaired by drugs or alcohol. Although many argue that they are able to multitask, texting their friend back quickly while still driving safely, unfortunately, this is not possible. Multitasking, in fact, is not possible for most people², and is oftentimes mistaken for the ability to shift between tasks quickly. Because of this, many drivers who overestimate their ability end up putting themselves and the drivers around them at a huge risk. Although texting is the only aspect of distracted driving mentioned in many cases, there are far more distractions that can cause an accident. For instance, you may want to open your phone to change a song, pick up an object that tumbled out of place in a sudden stop, or simply eat a snack. Nevertheless, it is so much more important to wait until the car is stopped to complete these tasks, because a quick change of song might turn into a ruined life. Drinking while driving is perhaps even more dangerous, because we are much more careless in our decision making. With the introduction of new technology, we can call Ubers or friends to pick us up, or even walk home, which is a decision that many don’t consider when drunk. Because of this, it is best to make a plan before going out to decide how to get home; this one plan can save the lives of both the people in the car, and the people whose lives are being risked by being on the same road as a drunk driver.

We can’t be too careful when driving anywhere, especially in parking lots. Many minor accidents happen here, which are much less deadly than accidents that happen on the road, but still can be very annoying to deal with. When I started driving earlier this year, I didn’t practice parking as much as I should have, and ended up hitting a BMW. The result of this hit was a paint job costing $3100, a sum of money I am still working to pay off. Being careful while driving on bigger roads should be the first priority of new drivers, but practicing parking should be considered greatly before heading out onto the roads. While I regret my mistake, I am extremely grateful that I did not make a mistake like this while going fast, because an error on a highway holds a much larger consequence than loss of money.

Before I started driving, my parents and I were determined to make sure that I was fit to drive. Having ADHD and poor vision, I make sure to take my meds before driving and leave my glasses on in the car. ADHD is a mental illness that is not talked about enough in the context of car accidents, and because it causes impulsivity and/or inattention in the people who have it, it can make safe, focused driving much harder; a study found that drivers with ADHD had a 62% higher rate of injury crashes and a 109% higher rate of crashes caused by drunk driving.³ Because of this, it’s very important that people who are diagnosed with ADHD must take their meds before driving, or consult with a doctor to find another solution to minimize the risk of distracted driving. Often, I personally get hyper focused on driving to one place, especially if it’s a place I go often and know the route of, and may forget to stop at stop signs or acknowledge the speed limit. One solution to this is to turn the volume on in maps to help navigate to the destination, even if the route is already memorized. This can aid in bringing focus back, letting you know where there’s a stop sign or a light, and providing a speed limit for each area.

Driving can be an extremely helpful tool to commute, but can also be a dangerous obstacle to the safety of the driver. Though the worst of our fears may be swimming through shark infested waters, it is clear that driving is even more dangerous, so we must take it just as seriously. Being properly trained and knowing how to avoid the obstacles that halt safe driving is the most important thing to do as a driver, because unlike swimming through shark infested waters, unsafe driving puts everyone at risk, not just yourself.