S.A.F.E. Driving Saves Lives

An exemplary quote from Neil Arason says, “Few people would dream of hiring a contractor to build them a house and expect it to be built to a safe standard only 85 percent of the time; similarly, few people would want to eat out in a restaurant where only 85 percent of the meals were safe to eat. Why then do we accept such sloppiness in road safety, where a situation in which 85 percent of drivers going the speed limit is deemed to be good enough?” Dangerous driving is an epidemic around the globe, particularly in America. Cars are glorified machines of great destruction that, while being irreplaceable in ease of transportation, cause a surplus of injuries and deaths. This is exasperated by (though not only- just especially and particularly) teenagers’ habits like texting or using social media while driving. What can be done to curb these dangerous habits? Can a bit more safety be brought to the roadways? Can we increase that 85 percent? The answer is resoundingly affirmative, though it will take a lot of hard work and elbow grease. Dangerous driving habits, particularly texting or using social media while driving, amongst teenagers can be reduced with S.A.F.E. driving- that is, the process of spreading awareness, abating temptation, feeling comfortable in one’s vehicle, and evading danger. This original acronym illustrates the process of converting a dangerous driver to a safe driver.

First is S, or spreading awareness. This entails spreading awareness of the danger of this habit. This can include advertisements, infographics, or even word of mouth. No matter the vehicle of spreading awareness, the importance is on illustrating what can happen if these habits continue. These must employ factual and convincing subject matter in order to really express the dangers without the readers or hearers tuning them out. A great technique is disruptive advertisements, or advertisements that purposefully go against expectations to break into the minds of the increasingly skeptical world. An example of disruptive advertising is an advertisement from Spain depicting a child’s face with the caption saying that “sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering from it”. This advertisement had a hidden feature, though- it used lenticular technology so that, when viewed from a child’s height, the boy’s face was beaten and bruised. This is disruptive as it uses technology or a certain technique to grab attention. A similar technique could be used for drivers. Imagine an advertisement with a person driving while texting that basically said that “texting while driving kills”. When the advertisement is hit by headlights, the driver is missing from the car and both the car and the driver’s phone are destroyed. This would be extremely attention-grabbing. Maybe even just a few more lives could be saved by actually getting this message across to people.

The next letter is A, or abating temptation. This involves removing temptations for teens to be on their phones. One option is keeping the phone completely out of reach. They can put it in the backseat or the glove box. However, this is not a one-size-fits-all solution because many people use their phones for emergencies or navigation. An option to aid this is a holder and mount for the phone that keeps it attached and in view but unable to be grabbed. Perhaps a mount already exists or can be made that locks the phone in place until the car is stopped or turned off. Another possibility is having a passenger keep the driver accountable. The driver can ask the passenger to either hold the phone or to stop them if they try to text or use social media. Everybody can also hold their friends accountable by just calling out the dangers of their habits and suggesting ways to avoid these temptations. None of these solutions are perfect, but they work at eliminating the temptation to be on the phone, which can be the difference between life and death.

After this is F, or feeling comfortable in one’s vehicle. Driving can be made exponentially safer if the driver feels comfortable in their vehicle. This includes being familiar with all of the controls, moving mirrors and seats to comfortable locations, knowing of any hands-free controls in both the car and the phone, and being around people that make them comfortable and not like they need to distract themselves on their phones. All of these factors can help eliminate the want to pick up and use their phones.

Finally is E, or evading danger. This is, simply put, defensive driving. Sure, the driver may not be using their phone, but other people probably are. This makes them a danger to the driver. They can avoid this danger or be prepared for it with defensive driving. Instead of being surprised if an emergency occurs, it is better to plan around and prepare for unsafe driving from others. This includes, but is not limited to, keeping a safe distance from other cars, always making complete stops at red lights or stop signs, always looking in every needed direction before turning or merging, and watching for tells of distracted driving from other cars. This can help drivers who are not partaking in bad phone habits from the dangers of those who still are.

Ultimately, there is no complete cure for unsafe driving habits like texting or checking social media. However, the S.A.F.E. strategy can make a difference. First, spread awareness of distracted driving’s dangers. Then, get rid of temptations. After that, have drivers feel safe and comfortable in their vehicles. Finally, make defensive drivers who are prepared to avoid unsafe drivers. Fixing these issues will not be easy, but by working together, I know we can start making the roads a little S.A.F.E.r, one driver at a time.