“Look both ways for cars, kids!”

Children grow up seeing cars on the road all the time, but they simply can’t comprehend the force nor the strength that these 4,000 pound mini-explosion machines contain. It’s truly incredible that humanity has been able to restrain and utilize the power of ignition, but even more incredible that we’ve required such minimal education for those who wield them.

My family is full of notoriously anxious people; once I got my license, I received four separate books on driving and the offer to enroll in a separate, out-of-state driving class. Although I’ve been given the time to become well-educated on cars and driving safety, not everyone has. 

I live near a heavily trafficked walking trail, and I have to drive across its busy crosswalk multiple times each day. While there is plenty of cautionary signage, neither direction has a stop sign. The speed at which bikers go is incredible; they appear in an instant and often don’t notice cars driving up. There have been many close calls, ones I’ve both witnessed and experienced.

I’m a generally cautious, careful person, which I think makes me perfectly qualified to impart advice on safe driving, as I’ve given it a great deal of thought. And I read those books my family gave me, so I’ve also got certified advice from authors. 

As a technology-oriented person myself, the first solution that comes to mind for improved safety is technology. Using scientific understandings of physics, designers of automobiles can help to make collisions less deadly. Recently, for example, larger cars have started to be built with lower centers of gravity so that they have less of a tendency to go over the hoods of smaller cars in accidents, increasing the safety of those in the smaller vehicle. Airbags have improved significantly since their invention, and crash detection has become quite impressive in its contact prediction. Technology will continue to progress with more advancements to enhance safety, but ultimately, there will always be some degree of human control that will factor into driving safety. You can never completely rely on something that can’t think like a human can – and that’s why strengthening your mind and perspective on driving is what’s most important.

First and foremost, that driver’s education is not really for your permit test; it’s for you. Most anybody can memorize and repeat the facts you need to pass the test, but in five years when you drive in the countryside and you can’t remember what a half solid, half dotted line means in the middle of the road, no permit test proctor will be watching over your shoulder. If you start going around a roundabout clockwise, nobody is going to be in the passenger’s seat redirecting you from a head-on collision. It is essential to approach the permit lessons with an understanding of its importance, as the knowledge learned there will benefit people for far longer than it takes to learn. For example, I had a friend who, for a week after getting her license, thought you could turn left on a red light if the coast was clear. A little extra reading can save you from some very risky real life situations. But once you already have your license, what can be done to increase safety on both the parts of the drivers and the pedestrians?

An incredibly helpful trick I utilize all the time is that of an altered perspective. Visualize each person on the sidewalk as a valued family member. Drive like every car around is going to spin out at any moment. Try to imagine yourself during your first driving lesson and re-live a little of that insecurity and fear. Just remembering what’s at stake and remembering why this is a skill that requires such extensive education and documentation can make you more aware of your actions. 

There are also small things you do take before you drive to limit your distractions on the road – some of them are so small they even seem a little silly. Have a long driving playlist with a lot of different genres and songs. It’s quicker and less distracting to skip songs than it is to go searching through your whole music app. Or, even better, find a great podcast. It makes for great conversation starters too! If it applies to you, plug in your phone before you leave. Always leave an extra ten minutes when you’re getting your car started in the morning – defrosting your windshield on the freeway is a great way to get seriously hurt and create an awful start to your morning. Have your destination in your navigator before you start driving.

But by far the best way to remember your proper driving form is to drive your parents places. Having a person relentlessly chime in on the quality of your driving is the best reality check someone can get, and it’s a foolproof way to figure out where the big problems are in your skills as a driver.

Although you’d have no friends if you critiqued your peers the same way your parents critiqued you, if you’re driving with a friend, there is no shame in poking fun at the speed they’re driving at or how aggressively they stop and start their car. Just commenting on something might point out a driving flaw someone might not have noticed, and will help them become safer drivers.

Stay safe out there kids! And make sure you look both ways, whether you’re the one on the street or the one in the car.