It’s a rite of passage in the United States for teenagers to learn to drive, get a driver’s license, then obtain their own vehicle if at all possible and as soon as possible. At any time, then, the roads are full of inexperienced drivers who may be distracted and for whom safety is not the primary concern.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proclaimed, “Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not be able to recognize dangerous situations. Teens are also more likely than adults to make critical decision errors that can lead to serious crashes.”
Having received a less than adequate education in driving (see How Not to Learn to Drive), I too was a potential danger to myself and others, as I was set free at the age of eighteen to drive on the streets and roads of Northeast Philly and Bucks County. It’s not surprising that I shortly thereafter was in an accident and totaled my beloved 1965 Chevy Biscayne (read here). The accident wasn’t legally my fault, but a more experienced driver would have avoided it.
That incident taught me to be distrustful of other drivers – even when they appear to be driving safely, they may do something stupid. It was a valuable lesson to learn.
Another episode also had the potential to end very badly, and again was caused by my inexperience. I was on my daily drive home from Bucks County Community College, traveling on a road with two lanes in each direction. I doubtless was listening either to WFIL-56 (top forty) or WMMR 93.3 (rock) and not paying an extraordinary amount of attention to the road.
In the near distance was an intersection with a stoplight. The light was green for my side of the road. I was in the right lane, and there was nothing in front of me all the way through the intersection. The cars on the intersecting road were stopped. There were cars ahead in my adjoining left lane, though, and they were stopped. That made no sense to me. The light was green, so they should be going.
I saw no reason for them to be stopped, so I continued toward the cross-roads at regular speed without touching my brakes. Just as I passed the line of stopped cars on my left and was about to enter the intersection, I saw why everyone was stopped. There was a large dog running around in the middle of the road. Fortunately, I slammed on my brakes in time and skidded to a stop without hitting the animal.
I pulled over. My knees were shaking. I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been – I could have killed that dog. All of the other cars were stopped for a very good reason, and I hadn’t even considered why they weren’t moving.
Wow, what an impression that made. That experience, even more than the wreck of my Biscayne, moved me in the direction of being a very cautious driver. And, of course, this bit of education was applicable to other aspects of life.
It is not always best to follow the wisdom of the crowd, but the prevailing point of view should at all times be considered. In other words, if you want to take a risk outside of what most people would do, be aware of the various factors at play. If everyone is stopped, don’t proceed until you can truly evaluate the road ahead.