Harmonies of the Highway

When I look out my window at a stoplight, I see drivers eating, laughing with their passengers, going on their phones, or getting ready and doing their makeup. However, multitasking and distracted driving is a severe issue that we tend to overlook. As a dancer, pianist, and guitarist, my brain is trained to find key elements within the rhythm of the music. Neuroscience research has shown that dancers and musicians tend to have uniquely developed auditory and motor cortices. The cortices function to process sounds and signal the movement of the body. I find that listening to music while I drive can be distracting at times as my brain wanders to identify the tempo of the bass, syncopated notes, and changes in key tones. When I drive my friends around, they always notice me tapping my finger on the steering wheel to match the beat of the music and they would tease me for being so focused on it. I also notice that I often change my music while driving which can easily distract me from focusing on the road. Changing my music leads me to check my notifications on my phone and reply back to text messages. 

One night, I was driving home from dance practice when I encountered a driver who seemed to be under the influence. I was jamming out to my music, still having a hint of adrenaline rush from practice. My ears were exploring the bass of every second of the song as I tapped my fingers to the beats. Suddenly, I see a truck next to me struggling to stay in its lane, accelerating at a high rate. I calmly tried to switch lanes to keep a good distance from them. As I try to switch lanes, the truck swerves over to my lane. I quickly swerved onto a curb and honk at the truck. The truck then drives off with no care, leaving me in shock. I park my car off the road, turn off my music, and try to slow my heart rate down. This experience taught me to become more alert of my surroundings and that there are unfortunately people who will not pay mind to others’ safety. After this experience, I learned to become a defensive driver and not depend on other drivers. I also had to accept that I can only control what I am able to do on the road and do my best to keep away from reckless drivers.

Drivers Education is crucial for individuals to be prepared to make safe decisions, understand the responsibilities behind the wheel, and obey traffic laws. Driving requires a lot more than just stepping on a gas and brake pedal. Knowing how to read traffic signs and following the rules will ensure that everyone is in a safe environment. Educational institutions should be encouraged to emphasize the importance of driving safety, especially for teenagers in high school. By providing individuals with a deep understanding of how to navigate the roads responsibly, we can create a future with fewer accidents and deaths on the road. 

In order to prevent my distracted driving behaviors, I have set up a Driving Focus mode on my phone that automatically turns on when detected that I am in my car. This mode silences all my notifications so that I will be less distracted from my phone. To prevent me from easily reaching for my phone, I installed a phone holder area in my car, and I would have to take my phone off of the stand holder to use it. I also set up a voice command in my car to help me not have to take my eyes off the road. With the voice command, I would not have to reach for my phone to answer a phone call or message. Additionally, instead of creating a queue of music in my car, I try to do it beforehand when I know I will be driving at a certain time or day. I organized my music playlists for different driving moods. These small changes make a significant difference in my driving and safety. We tend to not realize how looking out our phones makes us not alert of our surroundings until it is too late. Teens are especially known to be the most at risk when distracted by phones while driving. Writing this essay has helped me reflect on my actions when I am driving and definitely has made me more aware of what I choose to focus on when driving. I am now motivated to advocate to other people and students my age about distracted driving. I have planned to create a public page on social media to educate students at my university about preventing distracted driving and driving under the influence. It takes a small change to create a big impact.