Project mindfulness

Driving is both, a privilege, and a skill. People often take for granted those things and lose sight of the responsibility of getting behind the wheel of a car. It seems today that the number one danger involving cars is the use of cell phones while driving. While car makers have upped their game with things, such as heads up display, back up cameras, blindspot sensors, automatic, braking, and a barrage of alarm systems for when your sensors find you too close to something, no viable solution has been presented for the danger of cell phones. In the realm of automating everything without realizing what we’ve given up, we relinquished our freedom to drive to automated robots, trusting them to keep us safe, because we’ve grown so lazy and complacent.

The use of cell phones while driving has become so prevalent, It seems to be causing more accidents than impaired drivers, tired drivers, distracted drivers, and poor/incompetent drivers. There’s active legislation in several states but, like the speed limits, most people are not adhering to the laws. Not only does it take your eyes off of the road, but it can take your mind off of the road as well. I believe one simple solution would be that everyone’s car has a hook up that you must plug your phone into which deactivates the screen on your phone. Upon plugging your phone in your phone becomes completely voice activated. You can receive phone and make phone calls, do things like queue up your music, and even have incoming text messages read to you through the speaker system. The navigation can be used with the heads-up display driving system which projects things onto the windshield with your line of sight which a lot of cars these days are already employing this clever system to keep your eyes on the road.

Unfortunately, drivers education can’t make you be a responsible driver, that is up to each individual behind the wheel. While driver’s education teaches you the use of the mirrors, language of the road, and encourages you to keep your eyes out for everything going on around you, but not enough is done to teach you how to avoid accidents like they do when you get your motorcycle license. More needs to be done to teach people how to have an exit plan on the road. Pilots in the air force learn something called tracking when they are taught to fly, which is initially done in a simulation application. You see yourself on a screen in your plane and are quizzed about the things taking place in front, behind and laterally to you. It teaches you to be aware of everything around you at all times. This would be useful just as a driver on the road but maybe won’t be implemented until we have flying cars. In other countries, such as the Czech Republic, students learn to drive and park while pulling a 10-foot trailer. I believe this makes you a better driver, learning how to navigate in different situations and with another 10 feet added on to your vehicle and could be useful in the US. What I really think would be the most useful and make the most difference is to teach mindfulness with drivers ed. Teach people to go through a routine everytime they turn on the car. The routine consists of being mindful of the responsibility we have manipulating a one ton machine every time we are at the helm. Remembering to be aware of what we are doing when it is so easy to zone out behind the wheel. The routine becomes engraved in our practice until it becomes second nature as a part of our driving experience.

I have been lucky in my life that I haven’t ever been in any major car accidents. I am adamant about not texting and driving and don’t allow anyone behind the wheel to use the phone while driving. I have taken notice of how easily distracted many people are behind the wheel and of the countless new distractions there are around us, both in and out of the car. The real question is how do you teach accountability? How do you teach gratitude? How do you keep the reminder of our responsibility fresh in each person’s mind. Driving is a collective solo endeavor, up to each individual behind the wheel. It’s easy to lose sight of being responsible for a 2,000+ pound rolling metal tank. Especially when we are distracted with where we are going… what time is it… did we remember to turn the oven off… what was the thing my spouse asked me to add to the grocery list.. how is my hair right now… what was that song I wanted to listen to on the drive…. And on and on with the distractions. We forget to remain alert, we don’t take into account what the consequences of our actions can mean. We all owe it to each other to be responsible behind the wheel. Life has become dangerous enough without having to add another element to the litany of dangers. Training people as part of their daily driving practice to be mindful before they switch on the car so it becomes part of their routine could be the very thing that will make all the difference.