How to Drive Mindfully

A Mindful Driving Guide 🙂

As a licensed driver for almost two years now, I think that the importance of driver’s education in reducing the number of deaths while driving is CRITICAL. When people are educated on how to drive, obey the traffic rules, laws, and stay safe on the road, they can begin to respond accordingly to different road situations. To use an example—learning driver’s education to reduce driving deaths can be just like learning about contraceptive methods in order to avoid unplanned pregnancies. When people are educated, it helps them to make less mistakes and wiser decisions. And when it comes to driving, education allows people (especially new and young drivers) to make more informed decisions like knowing how to control your car when it skids, controlling your car and maintaining a safe following distance when the weather is bad, or encountering an animal in the middle of the road. When a driver has knowledge of how to drive on the roads and respond to such different road conditions, it enables them to be a safer, and better driver. Drivers’ education can greatly increase survival rates.

I think the first step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving ties right back to the topic of education. In my former high school, (and mostly for all schools in the state of New Jersey) during your sophomore year, everyone in was required to take a driver’s education course for an entire marking period and receive a passing grade. Our school also then provided us with the state written test, in order for us to get our permits and soon begin our 6 hours of practice driving. By enabling such a program like this at our school, it allowed the basic knowledge and skills of the road to become known and also more easily applicable—especially when it came to being prepared to take the written test. If we as a nation enabled not only more schools to have such education programs, but also ran them in more accessible and free institutions, it would help to prepare kids while they are still young and haven’t even gotten on the road yet. Some other more practical steps can also be providing more affordable and accessible driving instruction and lessons; especially to those of lower income. As well as encouraging teens not to drive and other young groups not to drive in conditions such as, being drunk, being tired/unalert, and hazardous road conditions.

I have been in a car accident, and I would say that the scariest part is the aftermath—and realizing how much worser things could have been if the relative whom I was in the car with had not strived to obey traffic rules at the time. As when you don’t obey the law at all the results could be way worse. The most irresponsible driving I have witnessed and continue to witness is when someone is speeding—and or taking the car beyond the limit it should go and into a dangerous one. The faster the car is going, the more time it will take to stop and slow down—and also, the faster the car is moving– the quicker an accident can happen. Additionally, the more we push a car beyond its limits (for instance by trying stunts or reckless driving with it…) the more we break down the car and make it more at risk to accidents.

Some steps that can be taken to be a safer driver, as well as help others become safer on the road for me include; (1) Driving defensively and always driving as if you were the only sane person on the road. (2) Being aware of the road conditions and avoiding certain times or routes if possible/or the weather is bad. (3) Being an effective/smart communicator (verbally or non-verbal) using signals as needed, hand gestures, eye contact, blinkers, and not texting and driving. (4) Being educated on driving rules, laws, and the basics of how to drive. (5) Getting your car checked regularly and responding to the cars’ needs (e.g., an oil change, replacing a dead car battery, or fixing a headlight and or side mirror). There are numerous ways to become a safe driver; but the primary way to be the best, and most effective driver is to begin with yourself and realize that as people we must begin the change that we want to see. And it is important to begin this change especially as you are young and go off into society—because the youth are the future.