Working with people injured in car accidents is a straight
path to insanity when I start to think about my own kids behind the wheel. I am not sure I will ever feel comfortable
with them borrowing the car, getting a ride with others, or even taking their
siblings anywhere. I apologize to my
kids in advance for being a basket case when we get there.
But the fact that I now allow my 13 year old to ride in the
front seat has made me acutely aware of the very important responsibility I
have to model safe driving. She watches
me drive, asks questions, and is trying to understand the rules of the
road. I have three years to demonstrate to
her how important it is to take this privilege seriously, and what safe driving
looks like.
The problem is this:
driving, like many daily tasks, becomes highly overlearned. This means that the brain can manage it
without really “thinking”. That explains
why sometimes you might arrive somewhere, somewhat oblivious to the path you
took to get there, or the sights you saw on the way. This is especially true if the brain is
distracted en route – via phone calls, checking messages at a stop light, enjoying
breakfast, belting out your favorite tune, or talking to a passenger. So
driving, as a skill, is something we can do without a lot of conscious thought
and our behaviors when driving become more and more ingrained as we log more
hours behind the wheel.
In being hyper-diligent about this new responsibility to
model safe driving for my daughter, I have become attuned to some of the bad
habits people have developed. Some
people drive too fast, some too slow (I see these as equally dangerous). Some don’t signal, and some don’t turn the
signal off. Some people are too
aggressive, too risky, and too impatient.
Others are too nervous, lack confidence, or don’t seem to recognize how dangerous
it is to be hesitant and unpredictable.
Too many people are still holding their phone to their ear, or think
that using the speakerphone instead of a headset is less-illegal (it is not if
the phone is still in your hand). People
are still texting or emailing when driving, usually while controlling the
steering wheel with their knees (if that were safe people without arms would do
that too). I see many people (especially
in my neighborhood) that don’t “stop” at stop signs, but kind of “roll” through
them - often after they have crossed the stopping line, and the sidewalk curb
cut, and are already entering the intersection.
Pedestrians beware. Traffic
circles are another new problem. When I
was 16, my driver’s ed classes did not include “traffic circle 101” and based
on how the teens drive near the high school in my neighborhood, I am not sure
it does now either. All too often I see
people cut the circle, or when going straight fail to yield to someone already
making a turn. But the best (worst) thing
I saw recently was a guy with a mini-van who was trying to transport his new
mattress by holding this to the roof of his car with his left hand (while
driving with his right). Luckily when
the mattress flew off into the traffic behind him, it didn’t cause an
accident.
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the top five leading
causes of death and injury for Canadian adults and children. Getting a license at 16, that is not reviewed
again until 80, should not be an automatic ticket to oblivion. Take a moment to review your own habits
behind the wheel. Old habits die hard, and
you don’t want these to kill you, or anyone else. And if you are driving children, remember that
little eyes are watching you and your children are likely to drive just like
you – good or bad.
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