In the Driver’s Seat

Crash! My mother just rammed into the truck in front because she was on her phone texting. She was actually stopped at a red light and thought she could text while waiting. She then thought she saw the lights turn green, but it turned out that it was just for those turning left. She had accelerated right into the back of a truck. Thankfully, she was not injured, though the other driver claimed a neck injury through insurance. The car only sustained minor damage, but it could have led to a much worse outcome. My father too was in a similar incident, but this time he was the one who got hit by a truck that sped up when the light was red. These accidents led to quite a lot of hassle dealing with insurance and repairs, being without a car, and many, many lectures on distracted driving.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, almost 100 people died in motor vehicle crashes each day in 2020, and of those 100, 8 were teens. Teens have been exposed to staggering statistics like these for years, but although things have improved, there is still much we can do. Driver’s education is crucial in teaching teens about road safety, but many teens don’t take it seriously. Most teenagers just rush through the required online courses in a few hours so that they can quickly get their learner’s permit. They do not end up internalizing the mindset and principles essential for safe driving. Driver’s education is key to preventing driving-related teenage deaths, but the sad reality is that many teens choose to ignore implementing safe driving habits when they get behind the wheel.

Graduated driver licensing programs (GDL), which are driver’s education for teenagers, teach traffic laws, rules of the road, and driving skills such as parallel parking or merging. Studies have shown that graduated driver licensing programs have reduced the number of injury crashes among 16-year-olds by 19% and fatal crashes by 21%. I have taken one such program, and the section on survivors’ stories definitely made a lasting impression on me. I do feel that I am a safer driver because of it. Driver’s education must impress upon all teens the responsibility they have to others as well as themselves whenever they get behind the wheel. Additionally, the courses caution against the dangers of driving while under the influence and distracted driving. These courses, if taken to heart, can develop a generation of safer drivers and reduce automobile accidents. The challenge is getting them to internalize and apply this knowledge to their daily driving.

To be safe, mindful drivers, we need to be aware that driving is a privilege and carries a lot of responsibility. Even if you do everything right, someone reckless could ruin your life, so aiming to be a defensive driver is an excellent way to be a safer driver. Another way to ensure safety is by reminding passengers to wear their seatbelts and avoid speeding. Even if it’s uncomfortable to constantly remind others to take these precautions, everyone should prioritize safety and take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of all passengers while on the road.

One crucial aspect of reducing the number of driving deaths is to eliminate distractions. Cell phones, unsurprisingly, are one of the leading causes of distractions. 36 states have young driver cell phone use bans in effect, but phones are considered vital to day-to-day life, and it is extremely difficult to get teenagers off their phones (trust me, I share the same problem). Despite the uphill battle, an emphasis on keeping cell phones “out of sight and out of mind” would help avoid texting and phone calls from distracting drivers. It is sometimes necessary to use Google Maps or phone-based navigation, but drivers must minimize time spent focusing on the phone. Drivers should set their destination before leaving, pull over to make any adjustments, or have the voice navigation on with the screen off. Since it’s nearly impossible to remove phones from our daily lives, we could use technology to alleviate some of the problems that they cause. The driving focus on an iPhone can automatically activate when the phone is determined to be in a moving vehicle based on location data. This focus disables notifications, which can help reduce the urge to text and drive, and can even automatically notify contacts that you’re busy and cannot respond. Driving apps, often used for insurance, collect your phone’s data to analyze driving behaviors. Defensive driving courses teach drivers to avoid accidents by analyzing potential hazards and anticipating bad drivers’ possible moves. While these apps are usually used to receive lower insurance rates, the use of these apps and taking these courses seriously should be promoted.