How Taylor Swift Croons Off Distracted Driving

I love Taylor Swift.

I have T-shirts with Taylor Swift’s face on them. I follow her musings and movements on social media. I have all her music digitally and on records. I have posters of her all over my room. I have stickers of her adorning my laptop. I have a Swiftie mug in my family’s cupboards. I have A few months ago, I waited in line online for over seven hours to buy tickets to her “The Eras Tour” show in April 2023 in Houston, Texas.

Every day, when I get in my car to go to school (or go back home), I put on my seat belt, start my car – and turn on Taylor Swift’s music.

Then I put my phone on silent, put it in my purse, and keep my hands on the wheel and my eyes on the road and my mirrors until I arrive at my destination, while Taylor might ironically croon about “a new Maserati” or a “getaway car” or a “stupid old pickup truck.”

As a 17-year-old, I recognize the dangers of driving while distracted.

Distracted driving killed 3,142 in 2020, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Anything you do that isn’t driving is a potential distraction that can boost your risk of crashing and endangering your own life and others. Texting and using your phone while driving is an increasingly dangerous endeavor on the road. Not only is it illegal in Texas, but, in the momentary time it takes to read a text and then refocus your eyes to the road, you could drive the length of a football field, giving plenty of opportunity to lose control and make a mistake. And, according to a website, if you text and drive, it is comparable to drinking four beers in an hour for lowering your reaction time. For people like me who are still getting used to driving, using a phone while behind the wheel is a terrible decision that could alter the course of our lives and others’ lives.

That’s why Taylor Swift is my safe-driving buddy.

When I turn on Taylor Swift’s music – before I shift into drive – it calms me and enables me to stay focused on the road and avoid temptations to fiddle with the radio or my phone.

I try to set a good example to my friends for distraction-free driving. I listen to one thing and don’t touch the radio. I turn my phone to silent mode and stow it away (and I ask my passengers to do the same). I don’t eat or drink lemonade (my favorite) while driving. I don’t do my makeup on the road.

I encourage my friends to find their own Taylor Swift. Maybe it’s selecting their favorite singer to put on before they start driving – Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Luke Combs, whoever. Maybe it’s putting on a country music radio station and deciding in advance to leave it on that station. Maybe it’s installing apps on your phone that prevent yourself from the ability to text and drive. Maybe it’s taking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety pledge to stop distracted driving and commit to saving lives by refraining from using your phone while driving. Whatever they choose, I always urge them to choose something that can help them exemplify the mantra of “better to be safe than distracted” by your phone or something else.

For me, I will continue to lean on Taylor Swift.

In my first year-plus of driving, I have avoided distraction with Taylor’s help, and, not coincidentally, have not experienced a car accident. When I drive from San Antonio to Houston to see Taylor in concert in person, I will be listening to her music and focusing on arriving without incident. I will wait to text friends or post on social media until I’ve parked my car and entered the arena. Then I’ll scream out her songs in my loudest voice for a few hours, before turning on Taylor Swift’s music and putting away my phone for the long ride back from Houston to San Antonio.

In a song from her album, Folklore, Taylor Swift asks: “What do you sing on your drive home?”

As you could probably tell, I sing along with Taylor Swift, and I keep my focus on the road, keep my phone stowed away, and make sure to keep myself safe and other drivers safe. I think, in my wildest dreams, Taylor Swift would be quite proud of me.