Rolling out driving resolutions for the new year
New Year’s Day provides us a fresh start, a logical time to attempt becoming better versions of ourselves.
That’s why
New Year’s resolutions are so common and such familiar grounds for lazy columnists. I am not strong enough to ignore the low-hanging fruit.
But falling short should be a familiar feeling to all of us. After all, how many of us are still going to the gym come February? Or actually learning that second language?
But New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be something dramatic such as losing 15 pounds or traveling abroad. Self-improvement can come in mundane matters, like improving bad driving habits.
Quit backseat driving
This resolution is a personal one that I suspect I share with other married couples or parents of teenage drivers.
As Mrs. Road Warrior will attest, I’m a horrible backseat driver. She has the larger, newer vehicle that we use for family outings, and she doesn’t let anyone else drive it. It’s her baby. That, and, you know, our actual baby.
But I’m so used to being the one driving that I don’t react well to being a passenger, especially on longer family trips.
That isn’t to say Mrs. Road Warrior is a bad driver. Most of the time, it’s the poor driving of another motorist that gets me stomping the floor in search of the brake pedal or shouting warnings.
Should I ever go missing or be suspected of a crime, forensic experts can locate my fingerprints in the passenger armrest and the handle above the passenger door. And by that I mean my vice grip has permanently molded the upholstery to the outline of my fingerprints.
There’s a fine line between warning someone about a dangerous hazard, whether it’s on the road or in their habits. It’s a line I routinely barrel through with the subtlety of a freight train.
But like so many other systems we rely on, driving rests on a degree of trust ourselves the people around us. Personally, I need to strengthen that trust when I’m in the passenger seat.
Turn on your headlights
One of the most common requests I get in my inbox is from drivers asking me to remind people about headlight laws in Pennsylvania. Here’s another reminder.
Under Pennsylvania law, if you’ve switched on your windshield wipers, your headlights need to be on, too. This can be easy to overlook since a lot of newer vehicles have automatic headlights. Many drivers simply don’t think to manually turn on their headlights anymore.
You also need to turn on your headlights when you’re driving through a construction zone. Again, it’s the law in Pennsylvania.
Personally, I don’t see much value in either of these laws if visibility is fine, but it makes a world of difference at dusk, dawn or inclement weather. Or, as I noted in my last column, when it’s pitch black outside and a maniac is speeding through a residential neighborhood in the rain. Seriously, turn on your headlights at night.
Put down the cellphone
You’re driving on a local highway when the cellphone in your cup holder vibrates. Do you check it? For too many Lehigh Valley residents and countless other Americans, the answer is yes.
Distracted driving is quickly becoming a leading cause of accidents nationally. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that distracted driving killed 3,450 people in 2016.
As I wrote in April, the number of fatalities is almost certainly higher because of the difficulty of proving a cellphone played a roll in a crash. Unlike drunken or drugged driving, distracted driving can’t be proven with a simple blood test. In some states, police reports don’t include space for investigators to note if a cellphone played a role in a crash.
Smart phones have become a constant companion for many of us, preventing boredom, allowing us to stay in touch with friends and family or allowing us to instantly look up anything on a whim. But the idea of being unplugged for long leaves too many of us uncomfortable, even when we really should be focusing on the task at hand. Driving is perhaps the top example.
Too many lives depend on us maintaining our focus behind the wheel. As a society, we owe it to ourselves and the people around us to be attentive to the road when we’re driving.
Don’t drive drunk
This is a significantly more serious issue than the others on the list, and I feel a little odd including it here, to be honest. But it’s such a serious one that it would feel wrong to exclude it.
Drunken driving has become culturally unacceptable to such an extreme that people who do are treated like pariahs. Given the known dangers and risks, there’s no good reason to argue against that mindset.
But the problem isn’t going away. PennDOT said 293 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2017, more than 25 percent of all traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania. The total number of alcoholrelated fatalities is on par with the 297 who died in 2016.
The rise of those distracting cellphones makes this a more frustrating threat. It’s easier than ever to call someone for a ride or to request Uber or Lyft service through an app on a smart phone.
I’m sure most of my readers will say they don’t drive drunk, and that’s probably true. But I bet plenty of local drivers have decided to drive when their sobriety was borderline. It’s not a risk worth taking. Historically, New Year’s Eve is peak time for drunken driving, so please remember this if you have a few drinks with friends to welcome in 2019.
Want to win a quick $500?
Speaking of distracted driving, AT&T and the Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association is hosting an essay contest for high school students. The winner will pocket a cool $500, with cash prizes for second and third place as well.
The essay, which can be no longer than 500 words, must answer the question, “Why is it important to take the It Can Wait pledge to drive distraction free?” Entries are due at midnight, Feb. 8. The rules and application form can be found online at panewsmedia.org/Events/it-can-waitcampaign. Good luck!