Introduction
Have you ever stopped to observe the driving habits of the other people behind the wheel these days? If you have then you must have noticed that driving is no longer the sole activity that the person in charge of the wheel is busy dealing with at any given moment. Maybe it is because cars practically drive themselves these days? Or maybe technology and the fast-paced lifestyle we have all gotten used to just don’t make for a merry mix when it comes to driving. Regardless of the reason, the reality is that drivers these days do have highly dangerous driving habits that endanger not only their own lives but those of the other people on the road as well.
Main body
Take for instance the case of the early morning driver who decides that he does not have enough time for breakfast before work. His solution to his grumbling stomach problem is to go to a drive-through and order a sandwich and a cup of coffee which he eats while balancing the wheel behind his full hands. His hands are not on the wheel but on his meal instead. What do you think will happen if he suddenly needs to turn the wheel? First-degree burns and a sandwich stuck to his windshield? That would be the least of his problems.
I would like to now turn your attention to that ever-present necessary evil in our everyday lives, the cellphone. Time was when a driver simply sang along to the music on his player at the top of his lungs, embarrassing but safe. Why? Whether you hold the phone to your ear or use a hands-free device, the reality is that your attention is divided between concentrating on that all-important, cannot wait till I park the car conversation and the road situation directly in front of you. This driving habit is probably the reason why we have so many squished bunnies and squirrels on the roads these days.
Another bad driving habit that really gets to me these days is the overcrowded cars that teenagers seem to have so much fun riding in. While they almost spill out of the car, they have their windows rolled down, music blaring, and somehow they think it is the proper time to try and flame other drivers into an impromptu drag race in the middle of city traffic. Such activities endanger not only the people riding in the cars but the pedestrians as well.
Finally, and this is the biggest bane of the driving world these days, what is with having driver-side viewing screens for DVD and television shows? I understand that this gadget is supposed to while the time away for the bored kids on a long trip or for a driver stuck in an hour-long traffic jam. Once again, technology has managed to ruin the driving experience by making the drivers reckless and irresponsible as they try to sneak quick peeks into the program running on the screen. Let us not even get started on how the special effects sounds of city traffic in a movie can cloud his judgment and have him mistake it for actual traffic noise. Just imagine the kind of accident it can cause when the driver does get confused between the movie and real-time traffic situations.
Conclusion
In the end, the reality is that the dangerous driving habits that today’s driver’s display was not something that they developed on their own. They had a lot of help. From the disinterested policeman who cut him some slack for a first offense instead of writing up a ticket, all the way to the technology and gadget developers who think that by making driving a fun experience, it will also be a safe trip. No amount of gadgets loaded into a car will make it any safer if the driver’s brain is not fully concentrated on the task at hand. So how can we try and remove those dangerous driving habits? By getting back to the basics and eating at home before leaving or, if you must, park the car and then eat. Removing the gadgets that do not anything to help your concentration will also help a lot. After all, our parents did not need those gadgets when they were driving and most of them still don’t have them in their cars nowadays.
Work Cited
“How Come We Tolerate Bad Driving Habits?” 2008. Web.