On a car journey to visit relatives, we pulled up at a red light. In the car next to us, a pair of young men in baseball caps and tracksuits also waited for the lights to change. A lewd song by Eminem blasted out of their windows, and the driver was revving the engine impatiently. One thing was clear – he intended to race us ‘off the mark’ when the light turned green. However, when the lights did change, he stalled his engine, while our family car glided away smoothly and carefully. Seconds later, the boys raced past us and disappeared around a corner. Behavior such as this occurs frequently, and signals that many of today’s drivers have dangerous habits.
Television is partially responsible for this. Films that glorify driving dangerously are widespread. Take for example The Fast and the Furious, or any of its sequels. Men speed around, racing each other, dodging police and pulling off hair-raising stunts in cars, and many of today’s drivers are happy to imitate this. Being a reckless driver is portrayed as an enviable lifestyle with boundless rewards – money, girls, respect; and these films contribute towards validating dangerous driving habits. Drivers display a blatant disregard for safety, such as refusing to indicate when turning, or, like the boys in baseball caps, racing and speeding. It is clear that these films have fostered an environment in which ignoring driving rules is not only acceptable, but respectable too.
Another factor that has added to bad driving habits is technology. It is not unusual to drive past people chatting on their phones, sending an SMS, looking at their navigation screen, or changing music. People feel inclined to read a message or take a call on their cellphone as soon as they hear it, regardless of the situation. Any device that takes part of a driver’s attention away from the road creates a dangerous situation for them and anyone else who happens to be unlucky enough to drive near to them. Reactions become slower and hazards are sometimes not noticed until it is too late. For many people, however, being distracted by technology while driving is a trivial matter, and they feel that they are still perfectly capable of driving carefully. This refusal to acknowledge the risk that technology puts drivers under undermines the safety of all road users alike, and is by far the most common bad habit exhibited by today’s drivers.
Similarly, it seems that today’s drivers believe that the car is the best place to do the things that they didn’t have time to do at home. The rear-view mirror is not only a tool for checking traffic behind you; it has also become a beauty device – women frequently apply lipstick, or even worse, mascara, when they pull up at a red light. The abundance of road-side diners and drive-through restaurants has given rise to eating at the wheel. Both of these habits are dangerous. A woman who applies make-up at a red light will react slower when the light changes; the man who drinks coffee loses his concentration when it spills over his lap due to a bump in the road; and the person eating a burger is unable to make a sharp turn because their hands are slippery with grease. It is easy to see how hazardous it is to do these things while driving, instead of simply waiting to reach the destination.
When cars were first invented, their purpose was to help people to travel faster. In modern times, cars have become a necessity for most people, so large numbers of vehicles inhabit the roads. Despite this, some people indulge in habits that put themselves and the lives of others in danger. Ignoring driving rules has become glamorous. Technology and other distractions cause slower reactions, resulting in huge numbers of accidents. The authorities must enforce tighter regulations on drivers today to stop these bad habits and ensure the safety of all road users.
