* I did not do a separate pledge on alcohol consumption because I do not drink, and have not been in incidents involving those who are under the influence.*
This month of living by the safe-driving pledge has been very intentional, and at some points for a bit tedious for me. But nonetheless, the process has shaped me to grow and mature as a driver and passenger. I’ve learned that we as teenagers/young adults are not too young to start being responsible drivers. Yes, we have things to see on our phones and other things to think about. But our lives and the lives other others are far more important than our phones. If we do not mature now, we put life at risk. Anything can happen with driving!
The last pledge, which was an easy one for me to follow, is not to text someone I know is driving. It’s not obvious to know who’s driving from your contacts. As long as I do not text and drive myself, then I am know that I am not disturbing others. It’s on a person’s end to choose not to text or call me, or letting me know that they are driving.
Most of the time, I would know when my family members are leaving the house with a car. I would just not call or text them for an a hour and a half just to make sure they are focused on their driving before reaching their destinations; and they would not call or text me when I’m driving, as I’ve reminded them before. This is all for safety precautions, and not taking any chance on potential driving accidents from silly distractions.
This week, I took the role of the responsible passenger instead of the driver. My goal was to speak up wherever my driving is driving in a way that’s not safe. To be honest, this was probably one of the most challenging parts of the pledge because I drive most of the time. The fewer times that I am a passenger to my parents, it’s not normal to tell your own parent how to drive because they are more experienced drivers than I am. They are the ones that taught me how to drive after all.
I was able to get through, luckily , with my little sister who got her license just last month. We also both work at the the same workplace with the same hours. This made it easier for me to drive with her often. Usually, I drove us to work most of the time. But for this week, instead of driving myself, I let her drive while I sat next to her as a passenger. Because I was the bit more experienced driver than she was, I allowed myself to become “the parent” of her driving. My sister is a good for a new driver, but like all drivers we sometimes make mistakes on the road. So it was my job to make sure that I point out those mistakes and advise my sister on what to do in certain situations. I also remind her of safe driving as what I’m practicing right now, such as not using her phone and putting out distractions.
I’ve learned to become a more verbal driver from speaking up as a passenger. Being verbal is good because it helps me to be more aware of someone else’s driving, and to say something if my driver makes unsafe errors on the road. This can even help my own driving in a way that I can mentally talk to myself in order for me to be more actively conscious of my driving.
When I’m driving with passengers, I always usually assume that their seat belts are on. I do not own a car. I use my parent’s car. My dad’s car has a sensor that beeps whenever someone’s seat belt is not on. However, since I pledged to become a more responsible driver this month, I used this week to focus on absolutely making sure that everyone’s seat belts are on regardless of whose car I’m driving.
Just asking the simple question of, “Is everyone’s seat belts on?”, along with taking quick peeks at my passengers, is enough for me to confirm that their seat belts are truly on before I hit the road. I’m usually driving with my family most of the time, and the act of putting on their seat belts is already second-nature to them. Even so, I still hold myself accountable for their seat belts although it may sometimes annoy them when I repeatedly ask for seat belts.
From asking about seat belts with quick peeks at my passengers, I’ve learned that being a responsible driver does not take so much effort. All we really have to do is to be aware of our surroundings before and during our drive, and use our natural common sense not judge conditions in the car and on the road. In this case, I simply just ask and look for seat belts before driving. These are very easy things that I feel that all drivers should do each time they get behind the wheel.
I’ve learned about safe driving in high school, and also at my driving courses. While I’m aware of what I do when I’m driving, I do find myself to become distracted by phone calls. I feel compelled sometimes to pick it up, especially if it’s my own family member like my parents or sister. Other bad habits that I have are changing my music on my phone while driving, and taking quick peeks at pop-ups notifications.
This week, I did 3 things to put off phone distractions:
1) I told my parents that I am practicing safe driving, and to try not to call me when I’m driving unless it was an emergency. Each time that I drove this week, I told my parents where I was headed and the time I would leave the house. This is to make them aware that I will drive so they know not to call.
2) Made sure to set my Apple Music playlist on my iPhone before driving.
3) Turned off all notification on my phone; put my phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode.
Doing these 3 things definitely helped me to stay focused on the road. I was less stressed about notifications and calls, and I barely looked at my phone each time I drove. My ride was also a lot smoother. I cruised through roads/highways while enjoying some great music from my playlist, without having to touch my phone to skip a song. In the case that I was driving with my little sister on the passenger side, I let her control my phone (e.g. tell her the songs that I wanted to listen to as she plays it on my phone, and picking up the few calls that I got from my contacts).
From not being distracted by my phone, it helped me to drive a lot smoother while paying attention to the road/signs, and to also avoid any unexpected accidents in the future.
This month, I took the GJEL Safe Teen Driving pledge to become a safe driver, and to insure that safety is maintained between myself and passengers at all times. It’s my goal to consistently do the following 5 things every time I am in the driver or passenger seat:
1) not to be distracted by my phone while driving
2) to not drive after drinking alcohol/become under the influence of a substance (this is easy for me because I do not drink or use chemical substances
3) to make sure my passenger’s seat belt(s) are on
4) to speak up when my driver is driving in a way that’s dangerous
5) to not text someone that I know is driving
These goals are going to help me practice safe driving and to become a more responsible driver, so it can carry over throughout my life each time I’m behind the wheel. I will use each week to focus on 1 pledge goal, and post a blog about how I was able to practice it throughout the week along with its benefits and challenges.
Aaron's Teen Driver Blog 