Braking News
Seriously? Driving has become a form self-abuse. Image by Adobe Stock
It could just be me. But not a day goes by where I’m spared the anxiety-inducing jolt of a fast-approaching vehicle, seemingly out of nowhere. Typically, it barrels into my periphery from a perpendicular street on a collision course for a textbook t-bone, only to brake at the last moment. (For context, it’s worth noting that here in Boston, stop signs are considered an anachronism, heightening the uncertainty of a driver’s intent.) This usually happens several times daily, as my rattled nerves can attest. It’s deeply unsettling, like the adrenaline rush you experience from a near miss.
In the realm of unintended consequences, the engineering competence of modern automobiles encourages reckless driving. It deludes us into believing we are better drivers than we are. And when combined with a culture of impatience and intentional malice, the streets can resemble a battleground.
Watch Your Back
Anthropologists cite that we are hardwired as hunter-gatherers to perceive threats from outside our central field of vision. Peripheral vision meant the difference between life and death since predators developed a knack for stalking from angles disadvantageous to their prey. It helps to explain a failing of virtual headset devices like the Oculus, which impairs one’s peripheral awareness, making some users feel vulnerable even if they can’t articulate why. The National Library of Medicine, a function of the National Institutes of Health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), explains, “In ecological situations, threatening stimuli often come out from the peripheral vision. Such aggressive messages must trigger rapid attention to the periphery to allow a fast and adapted motor reaction. Several clues converge to hypothesize that peripheral danger presentation can trigger off a fast arousal network potentially independent of the consciousness spot.” Granted, a clinical definition, but on the money.
Growing up in the 1960s near a stretch of highway aptly named Dead Man’s Curve, I witnessed the inadequacy of cars from that era pushed to the limits by hot dog drivers. Counterintuitively, decades of government-mandated safety improvements have barely dented fatality rates, which have remained relatively constant over fifty years. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents in 1975 was 44,525 out of 39,161 crashes from a population of 216 million. In 2021, deaths totaled 42,939 from a population of 331.9 million. One could argue that that represents progress since the per capita rate is lower when adjusted for population growth. But it remains a staggeringly high number of preventable deaths despite years of substantive progress in safety innovation. 2011 recorded the fewest fatalities since 1975 at 32,479, though it increased as the decade progressed and vehicles became objectively safer. Cars go faster, stop quicker, and handle better than ever, tempting drivers to challenge the laws of physics with increasingly reckless conduct. An ever-expanding array of passive and active safety systems built into vehicles contribute to a false sense of security and the often warped judgment pervasive on American roads. As a lifelong driving enthusiast, the joy of spending time behind the wheel is increasingly replaced by stress and anxiety.
Moving Forward
However, I believe it’s a problem with ample solutions. Let’s start with this: Make acquiring a driver’s license a challenging multi-step process designed to weed out incompetence rather than reward minimum effort. In most states, the requirements for a hair salon operator are far more stringent than for navigating a multi-ton vehicle at high velocity on public roads. It’s no exaggeration that many drivers appear unaware of basic traffic etiquette, such as signaling the intent to turn (a sign of weakness in Massachusetts). Or that tailgating at 85 miles per hour will not end well in an emergency, regardless of your car’s braking prowess. The list goes on. In many nations, obtaining a license to operate a vehicle is an earned—and costly—privilege, not an expected right like a library card. Not to absolve Europeans, who drive like idiots, but at least they understand the rules of the road. Like on the Autobahn, where slow drivers know to yield to speeding cars and not squat in the fast lane, absent a scintilla of situational awareness. Rigorous driver education should include mandatory refresher courses at regular intervals to validate one‘s competence. And at advanced ages, annual testing for reflex and mental acuity should be required of everyone over 65. Surrendering driving privileges becomes a more straightforward, logical, and less emotionally fraught decision when it’s mandated by law instead of by family members. Rational changes in public policy could dovetail with the emergence of self-driving cars, destined to become a safe, viable mobility option for those who shouldn’t be driving, regardless of age. I fully recognize that absent the political will—which is currently less than zero—rethinking transportation policy is akin to spotting unicorns. But even a single, lone, high-profile voice could get the dialogue rolling. Here’s hoping.
