Times Have Changed!
Years ago, driving was a privilege enjoyed only by a few people who could afford it. Vehicles were more like open-air buggies. They didn't go very fast and you were exposed to the elements. Drivers drove safely because vehicles were such a novelty and they didn't want to get bugs in their teeth or spook the horses that they shared the road with.
Today, things have changed
Roads are paved. We don't share the road with horses. Vehicles are enclosed, much faster, and built to be safer.
But is it making us unsafe when we drive?
Since vehicles are enclosed and built to be virtually soundproof, we can drive very fast without realizing it. We don’t experience the feeling of speed because we are safely cocooned inside our quiet, smooth vehicle. (Compare that to our great grandparents who drove slowly because they would feel like they were driving in a wind tunnel if they went too fast).
Today's wonderfully modern vehicles make driving comfortable, safer, and more enjoyable. But they keep us from fully appreciating the breakneck speeds that we travel. We feel confident that the innumerable safety features of the vehicle will keep us safe in the event of a collision. We get distracted by the even more complex vehicles we drive today (compared to the much simpler vehicles our great-grandparents drove).
Today's highly advanced, safer vehicles can actually make us drive less safe because we can't fully appreciate the danger of our decisions.
Although today's vehicles are much safer, drivers need a wake-up call in terms of discovering just how dangerous their driving can be. They need to discover the rush of speed or the danger of splitting their focus between the road and the zone climate controls or their mobile device.
To get a truer sense of what our forefathers (and foremothers) felt when they drove a vehicle, we need to cycle very quickly down a hill. That level of speed and that sense of vulnerability at being just a slight mishap away from a painful crash is what we should feel when we get behind the wheel and drive faster than the speed limit.
Vehicles will continue to get safer and at the same time continue to get more complicated. As a result, drivers will become increasingly less safe to drive.
Slow down. Drive safe. Arrive at your destination alive. Resist the urge to feel comfortable when behind the wheel.
If you do get into a collision, the collision repair experts at Boyd Autobody & Glass have locations throughout Western Canada and they can help repair your vehicle so you can get back out on the road quickly and safely.
