Modern Messaging Can Make All the Difference

I see it all the time – friends not wearing seatbelts or speeding to get somewhere for no specific reason. In our culture, we have very little patience. We are prone to move quickly and get what we want fast. I believe this impatience leads to poor driving habits and that we are no longer getting all that we need from the traditional driving education classes alone and are impacted by the poor influence of modern media. We need to very blatantly be shown what happens when we are irresponsible drivers and the consequences of bad decisions. This modern education needs to happen alongside traditional course training and be visible in the media sources where we are spending most of our time.  

I have a friend who rarely wears a seatbelt, and she tells me it takes too much time. This often makes me shake my head because I can honestly say that the time it takes to put a seatbelt on is about the same time it takes to take a sip of water. This is even less time than it takes to pull out a whistle while walking alone to my car at night. Both actions will protect me though, so what’s the difference? The difference comes down to visibility and the fact that I see ads for a Birdie whistle all the time on social media, but I don’t see videos about what will happen to me if I don’t wear a seatbelt while in a car accident.  

Speeding is the other issue I see often with my high school peers. Everyone seems to be in a rush to get to the big game or be first in line in the Starbucks drive-through. Yet ironically, there’s rarely a reason triggering the tight timeline, and the careless speeds are senseless. In addition, much too often speed is glorified in movies and television in crazy chases and cool races. Yet the real impact of high speeds in an accident significantly impacts the severity of injury for both parties. Videos that demonstrate the difference between an accident at the speed limit vs. one when the driver is reckless and 20 mph or more over the speed limit could be an extremely valuable tool to help people understand the impact speed can have and question the logic.

When I think about what can be done to improve the safety on the roads and reduce the number of deaths and incidents, I believe it comes down to being much more visual and aggressive with showing the results of bad choices to teens when they start driving. Methodologies of educating and the way we learn is evolving and creativity in reaching people is a must. There needs to be a modern social media presence that supports traditional education programs that are honestly talking about the consequences of bad driving decisions.

As a Marketing major and a person who is very passionate about how to message and inspire people, I feel that a major campaign on driving safety would be a valuable initiative to complement standard training classes. Catchy slogans such as “drive safe, save a life” or “one bad decision can change your life” can grab the attention of teenagers. These campaigns can be used to encourage us all to understand the truth about irresponsible driving. We shouldn’t be sheltered from the truth and the consequences until it’s too late.

Another way to spread the positive word about safety in driving is to make it positive and trendy. Young drivers gravitate to what is new and popular and so reaching them via people and channels who can influence that popularity is key. Stars can also do a much better job of pushing the right types of trends vs. those that are superficial. For example, there was a social media influencer who had made wearing “Virginity Rocks” clothing super popular and plenty of teens jumped on the bandwagon. It became cool to be abstinent and there was buzz across social media with the gear. We just have to work harder to spread positive behaviors and messages and use social platforms for better and not less.  

I personally am a careful driver and expect the same of those around me. I realize this doesn’t ensure that an accident won’t happen, but I am doing my part to be aware and leading by example when I’m around my friends. Every single person who is determined to be a positive influence can make a difference. While driver education continues to be critical, the important messages around consequences of bad decisions need to reach us as well and the older ways of teaching can be energized with the new.