If you want to improve road safety, drop the attitude
As a sports fan I enjoy seeing the talented players show how good they really are. The unselfish players who help make those around them even better are the most impressive to me. It shows how much they want to succeed and how much they want others to succeed. When the talented players are being dealt to other teams with very little compensation I often wonder why. These players were their own worst enemy. Their attitude wasn’t helping the team and was hurting those around them; especially themselves. Could this also be similar with drivers?
Let’s face facts; the attitude of drivers is what can make or break whether or not there are road injuries or fatalities. Millions of drivers hurt themselves and those around them each year because of attitude. The “fatal 4” in road safety come to mind here. What are the “fatal 4”? Speeding, distracted driving, lack of seatbelt use and alcohol/drugs are commonly referred to as the “fatal 4” with regard to road safety.
These are all preventable if the driver really cared. Since it’s mostly about attitude, these can be reduced if the driver changed their driving attitude. Drivers who involve themselves with these “fatal 4” believe the bad things won’t happen to them. They belong to the “it won’t happen to me” club. Well, sorry to inform you but it can and will happen to you…and your passengers…and other road users near you…if you don’t change this attitude.
Stubborn, naïve, careless all come to mind here. But there is a solution. Plan ahead. When it comes to speeding, leave early enough so you’re not tempted to speed. Many drivers who speed are often late for their appointment. The reality is, those who speed will often speed toward a red light or stopped traffic. So in reality, speeding may have gained them just a few seconds. Leave sooner so you’re not tempted to speed. And if you know you’ll be late, accept it and learn for the next time. For more on speeding, check HERE.
We’ve heard so much about distracted driving over the years but it still happens. When it happens it’s not because the driver didn’t know the law or how it could affect them or anyone else, it’s because they didn’t think they would be caught, maybe because they thought they were above the law or because they thought “it would only take a few seconds – what’s the harm?”. When distracted driving is causing almost as many injuries and fatalities as impaired driving, it has to stop. It can stop when the driver begins to take ownership of their own actions. Let the passenger make the call or text. Put your phone away until you reach your destination. Install an app on your phone that stops you from using it while driving. There are many more things you can do to avoid distracted driving, but it’s you that has to stop. Distracted driving is more than just a phone. Find out more about distracted driving HERE.
Our vehicles have been designed to become safer each year, but if you’ve noticed, seatbelts are still included in safety devices. Seatbelts keep the driver in an upright position which allows them to maintain control of the vehicle. Without a seatbelt on, the driver can be thrown around the seating compartment. Not only would that create injuries to the driver, but it has a high chance of the driver losing complete control of the vehicle, which would cause passengers or other road users to be injured… or worse. It only takes a few seconds to put on a seatbelt. Even a short trip can lead into an action where the driver has to suddenly brake or swerve to avoid a collision. Sudden braking can also cause unbelted passengers to go flying through the windshield – even from the backseat. Ensure your passengers have their seatbelt on as well. No exceptions. For more information on seatbelts, look HERE.
What can I say about impaired driving that hasn’t already been said over past half century? Drinking doesn’t happen suddenly. Make a plan to avoid driving after, but make this plan before you drink. If you end up having a few drinks when you weren’t planning it, there are things you can do to avoid driving afterwards. Take a cab, stay the night, call a service which will drive you and your vehicle home. These are all the responsible things to do, but it’s better to make these decisions before you’re impaired. More thoughts regarding drinking and driving can be found HERE.
So the plan to avoid road safety injuries and fatalities is easy. Plan ahead and remember that it really could happen to you and the ones you love. Drop the attitude. Lives depend on it.
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Well said.
I’m a truck driver and almost every car that passes me the driver of that car has a cell phone in their hand
Excellent article. I worry about our generation of new drivers who adopt these poor behaviors from their parents. “My dad talks on the phone while he drives so I should be able to do the same…”
Thank you! Great article that I am going to share on my page for Oregon and SW Washington Families For Safe Streets. We are a group of those injured and/or are surviving family members of those killed or injured on our roads. (My son was killed by an underage drunk hit and run driver). Even some of my own family still think they are in control when they choose to misbehave behind the wheel (only “others” or “unexpected circumstances” are to blame for “accidents”).
Thank you for the article.
Some of my students sometimes become upset at me when I tell them that there are very few “accidents”. They are all incidents that were preventable…not always by you, but preventable nonetheless. There is a root cause(s) that led to the incident. As the classes progress, they start to understand that actions…choices, are more to blame than any circumstance.
In vehicular collisions a choice, or many choices, create the situation. Things like wheels parting vehicles, hydroplaning, intersection collisions, and many others come directly back to a choice made by a driver or drivers that put themselves in harms way. Some of it is ignorance, but most of it, as mentioned above is not caring about the consequences of their actions until it is too late.
Thanks. Another problem is sheer ignorance of the law and safe driving. Drivers make no effort to keep skills or knowledge current – even a little reading would help greatly. Drivers learn it all in six weeks at sixteen and that’s good enough As a cyclist, it’s infuriating and scary when you continually meet drivers who have no idea that bicycles are to operated as vehicles and have rights to use the full lane when needed. I wager that not more than one in ten understand cycling arm signals….