Distracted Drivers

When we were in high school, we were required to take Driver’s Education. The class was mildly educational, but useful to give us a hint about what was going to be expected of us as a responsible person behind the wheel of a car. I also took an extension of the class, where I had six hours of behind the wheel training with an instructor. Ever been behind the wheel before, that was a real eye opener.

One of the other things they showed us was some movies created to give us a reality check on our responsibility. Over the next couple of years, I saw them all. These are legendary shock driving films showing numerous scenes of injured or dead accident victims along with their mangled cars.

They were mostly produced by the Ohio State Highway Patrol around the 1950s and shown to many, many young drivers over the years. There were numerous titles produced over the years. Mechanized Death, Signal 30, Red Asphalt, and Highways of Agony are some of the titles, but there were more made over the years, all with the same purpose… to get drivers to pay attention when behind the wheel. There are plenty of other examples.

I don’t know if they show these kinds of movies to school age kids anymore, but if they don’t they should. The roads are many times more crowded and busy than when I was a young driver. This is now complicated by new technologies designed to make our life easier and more convenient. The unintended consequences of these things, however, has created a grim reminder of how important it is to be a responsible driver behind the wheel. I’m talking about mobile phones.

Talking while driving is serious enough, but newer technology now allows us to send a text message from these phones. Since there are no built-in restrictions in when we can do this, driving while texting has become a treacherous and deadly addition to drivers everywhere, and despite all of the warnings and legislation, the trend continues.

It seems that until a person is personally touched by a tragedy resulting from this behavior, the use of mobile phones while driving will continue. 

A recent movie coming from the UK, drives home the point. Watch PSA Texting while Driving U.K., and see a well produced and realistic recreation.

If that isn’t enough to get your attention, I offer one last movie. It should leave you Beyond Words. If you can sit through the entire example of distracted, high speed, and unsafe driving, I’m sure you will take a second look at your own driving skills and be more aware during your time behind the wheel.

I see examples of bad and distracted driving every time I get behind the wheel, and that concerns me. It’s a crazy world out there. Be safe. Pay attention. Don't risk it.