Driving, Not Dying

Half of a second. Just half of a second is all it takes for you to add to one of the largest body counts of any cause in human history: fatal accidents. In the time it takes you to look at your phone, to unwrap your cheeseburger, or to fix your hair or makeup, anything could happen. If you are moving at 60mph, you are moving at 88ft/s, and crossing more than the length of a tennis court (78ft), and at 35mph you are moving at 51ft/s. The single greatest way to limit your risk while driving, and prevent your name and others from being added to the list of casualties of this tragic epidemic is to drive safely. Remove as many distractions as you possibly can from your driving environment. Do not use your phone while driving. If it is important, pull over. No phone call or text that is not worth the time to pull over to deal with it is worth your life or the lives of others. Do not eat while driving, especially not messy foods. Wait until you can eat while parked, and if you must eat while driving, experts recommend items such as granola bars or beef jerky, which do not run the risk of distracting you with a mess. If you need to adjust your appearance, do it while parked, or it will become the mortician’s job to do it for you. None of these distractions are worth your life, and there’s no sense in gambling your life just to fend off being a little late.

There is another issue: you are not alone. While you may be the world’s most attentive driver ever, other drivers may not be. That same half-second that could change, or end, the lives of many is not a half-second you alone own. This is why driver’s education is so important and this is why holding those around you is critical. In that moment, everything you and the other drivers know comes to its pinnacle of importance. Driver’s education expands that knowledge, it teaches you and those on the road with you how to drive safely and avoid dangerous circumstances and make it out of them safely when they do happen. The more people who have the knowledge to drive safely and navigate dangerous situations, the safer driving is for everyone.

There is also the issue of those who know something they are doing is unnecessarily dangerous, yet continue to do it anyway. Outside of them becoming truly aware of the danger themselves, the only way to get these people to avoid these behaviors is to hold them accountable for their actions. This is the reason there are road safety laws in place. These laws provide consequences for unsafe practices and provide the incentive to avoid them. These laws may help, but in the words of John F. Kennedy, “Law alone cannot make man see right.” This is why everyone must hold each other accountable for unsafe driving. When you see someone doing something you know is unsafe, or are made aware of it in some other way, convince them of why they shouldn’t. You could make them aware of the danger to their safety by showing them statistics, a personal story of an accident, or tell them about someone whose life was ruined because of unsafe driving to persuade them to be safe for self-preservation. You could warn them of legal consequences such as fines, penalties, or jail to persuade them with the risks to their livelihood and wallets. You could appeal to their empathy by pointing out the danger they pose to others. There are many ways to hold people accountable, and just by holding yourself and others accountable, you can save countless lives and futures.

And finally, wear your seatbelt and make others do the same. When you wear a seatbelt, you limit the chance of fatal or severe injury to yourself by roughly 50%. That number is huge but many still don’t realize exactly what it means. If you do not wear your seatbelt, you are increasing your chances of dying or being severely injured by up to 50%. The same goes for any of your friends or members of your family, your brother, sister, mother, partner, etc, who do not wear theirs every time they drive or ride in a vehicle. So keep those you love, and everyone else safe; avoid distractions, educate yourself and others, hold people accountable for dangerous actions, and wear your seatbelts.