There Are Choices - Safe driving begins in the mind. (1985)

this is for you Grandma huh [Music] across our country we as drivers are killing and being killed at a rate as high as 50,000 a year not to mention another 2 million who are injured and crippled hi I'm Pat sual I recently visited with some safety professionals who are very concerned about this epidemic size problem and they and a growing number of people feeli the time is long overdue that we you and I must no longer accept as fate this senseless Slaughter on our streets and highways yet when these people began to talk to me about driving fatalities I thought to myself this problem is so big and so overwhelming what can one person do to help but as they talked their ideas began to make sense to me and I'd like to share some of those ideas with you let's begin our search for the cause of driving accidents as we are riding with patrolman Joe Gordon of the Georgia State Patrol one thing that most people Overlook and never even take into consideration as a bad factor to be involved in if you're going to operate a vehicle and that's your emotional state when you're upset emotionally you're angry or you're very disappointed or upset you are not utilizing your concentration on anything but that problem you're driving the vehicle probably by instinct which at times that can be fine but when that unexpected crisis throws up in the road ahead of you you're not going to be able to react no matter what your intentions are many times we get to accident scenes tragic accident scenes and we find the drivers are terribly upset not only from the accident and the Damage that it did but from a problem that they were trying to deal with while they were driving the vehicle and in many times the accident was a simple little mistake that made a chain reaction begin that could have been avoided if they had simply had their mind on what they were doing officer Gordon is speaking from his years of experience when he describes how our emotions distract us from our driving and we make costly mistakes he's not alone in this thinking a study by the manager Foundation of accident cases brought into a hospital showed that 90% of those people causing the accident were experiencing some form of frustration disappointment or other such emotions just before their accident now does that mean that people having accidents are all emotional fits no not at all but knowing how our emotions affect our Behavior will help us understand why normal intelligent well-intended people have accidents now let's watch some case studies reenactments of driving accidents and the people involved hopefully we'll see what really causes the accidents and as we're watching the people in these stories we should look within ourselves as well let's start with the accident that we saw earlier at the street corner and we'll see that it actually began several miles [Music] away Bob's pluming oh yes Mrs Thomas so you did get the water cut off great uh no I I I that didn't that's impossible really I have a rust job that's ahead of you and yes ma'am okay but how about two hours okay now don't panic M Thomas okay okay thank you byebye now another rest job Harry this business what other kind is there now I may not be back for a while so if I uh I'll tell you what just just take a message and tell them we'll we'll handle it okay just tell them we'll handle it but it'll be late this afternoon got to go I'll take care [Applause] what is it Susan we've coming with a great idea we want to rewrite some of the dialogue in our play yeah you mean you want to rewrite some of the dial in MA Beth yeah yeah that's an interesting idea I tell you what tomorrow you bring that before the class and we'll see how they [Applause] react every corner is a red light either one way or red light yeah man I haven't seen so many red lights in my life [Music] got to get that [Music] light after the smoke and the dust have settled after the ambulance and the police have left a question will remain a question will be eted for a lifetime in the minds of all of those people involved why why did it happen we saw in those last few seconds how Bob chose to risk running a red light you see he made that choice while his emotions had overthrown his normal good judgment and who Among Us hasn't left late for an appointment and then just like Bob tried to make up time driving but there are ways to protect ourselves from this kind of behavior so let's back up let's rewind Bob's story and rewrite only one thing [Music] I'm going to slow down I'm not going to get a ticket I'm certainly not going to get killed for Mrs Thomas's sink get hold of myself I just too rush sometimes it just isn't worth it you saw what we rewrote we simply gave Bob the ability to see himself in that moment he saw how his impatience was going to get him in trouble but this time Bob's attitude protected him you see a positive attitude about ourselves and an understanding of all the things we have going for us in life that could be lost is our best defense to protect us from taking senseless risks this thing about attitude is a very key factor in becoming a safer driver we all hopefully start the day with a positive attitude but sometimes our attitude can be very fragile and easily been out of shape Frank I thought you'd start vacation today that's not till tomorrow hey have a good time sure will thank you hi see Frank and I are going on vacation tomorrow yeah we are and I was wondering if you could take in our mail Frank are you still here I promised this load of gas 30 minutes ago I got here early I don't want to hear that I need to deliver it I got here we to go when I ordered I got to deliver it was broke down we got to deliver it okay want to hear it deliver it right oh I think it'll be fun I'm really looking forward to it just a heck of a way to start a vacation I don't understand it I don't understand Bill he he friends don't talk to friends like he talked to me it's just it it shouldn't be done and I'm I'm just not going to have it I just don't understand me getting jumped on I was they work on time the trucks broke down I can't help it if the truck's broke down I just don't understand the situation I'm going to have to work late at least 2 hours late all of my customers mad at me just raising all kind of can I think when I get back bill was going to get a piece of my mind [Music] all oning all [Music] oning last day of work before I go on vacation Frank left early this morning in hopes that he could get home you know at a good hour this afternoon so that we can finish packing [Applause] this well-marked two trck Crossing was on Frank's regular route for seven years he had crossed it now his wife and children are crying out why why did it happen what went wrong well Frank's tragic story gives us another chance to learn how our emotions in this case anger affect our behavior in fact anger can totally blind us to RIS risks risks we normally would consider childish or even stupid is there another Choice Frank could have made that morning well let's rewind his story and see how he might have used his confident positive attitude to protect [Applause] himself Frank are you still here I promised this load of gas 30 minutes ago I got here early I hear that I need to deliver it I got here we need to go when I ordered I got to deliver it was broke down we got to deliver it we promised it we got to deliver it get it out Bill Bill wait a minute we got to talk this out I don't know what's gotten into you I've never seen you like this I can't go out on a route with us at each other's throat what's the matter oh it a't your fault I got three stations out I got two drivers sick the phone's ringing off the hook these people want gas it's not your fault go and deliver that load we'll talk about it when you get back okay Frank approach to his problem certainly worked for him and it was a good approach some solutions may not be quite so simple the message for each of us though is that we need to be aware of the stress and the emotions we are feeling and take steps like Frank did that will get our emotions under control and our attitude back on course do you see where these stories are leading us well their point is that we must take deliberate actions if we are to become safer drivers now I didn't accuse you of being a poor driver not at all but we can all work to become safer drivers for example another reminder for all of us comes from a man named Carl here's the paperwork for that order Carl okay thank you great [Music] let's see where should I go first I got the construction site on the South Side I need to get that subdivision over by the river too uh and what is this pajama party you're talking about whose houses is that Tammy please mama for tonight yes o I don't know be this is a weak night please mama uh I don't know you'd be up awfully late you said yesterday maybe I said maybe this this is a mess this is a mess I got to get you straight so when your father gets home tonight we'll talk to him about it I'm C Mama I'll clean up my room if you talk to Dy well in that case I might talk to him double hard okay we'll discuss it with him and then you can call your friend and tell her okay [Music] okay God I wish i' had organize these before I left the yard there I'm sure tamy will understand if you have to make it some other time okay [Music] okay the tragedy of this accident and thousands of others every year is that people suddenly become innocent victims in an instant plans and dreams are shattered and lives are permanently changed like Carl s through his deliveries who Among Us hasn't at some time been driving while looking at a map taking notes or searching through the glove compartment well these are all outward signs that our attitude about safety is getting weak if only Carl had made another decision that morning what a difference it would make in his story [Music] [Applause] Carl you know better than this you cannot do two things at one time now you're a professional driver pull this truck over and get your deliveries in order this next story we have saved for the end not because it's the least of our driving problems but because it represents the biggest driving problem we face today just a minute Carolyn that's for you it's Paul okay hi fine how are you well I've got some good news for you too I got the promotion yeah it came through today they gave me everything uh-huh uh they want me to start as soon as possible yeah thank you well some of the some of the people in the office want to go out and help me celebrate my promotion after after work so I'll call you when I get home yeah okay great me too byebye okay your promotion thank you and to good friends [Music] I still don't really feel promoted when you get that name on the door you will no when I get that check in the middle yeah that [Music] that oh that's good right oh really oh oh I think I've had enough gosh I didn't realize how much I'd had I'm glad I'm glad the people that gave me the promotion didn't see me spill that wine how [Music] embarrassing how could I be so stupid to drink that much I've got so so much work to do [Music] tomorrow the effect of alcohol on our driving is treacherous after a drink our minds begin telling us I'm doing just great it seduces us into thinking that our judgment has never been better when of course what's happening is just exactly the opposite in fact nearly one half of all the traffic deaths are the result of people being being convinced that they had everything under control they were feeling good well of course they were the alcohol convinced them of it you know we may still laugh at the comedians on television as they are playing the part of a drunk but our society has stopped laughing at drivers who are under the influence of alcohol now even social drinkers not just the drunks who drive under the influence are often finding tough criminal penalties hanging over their lives let's look back on Carolyn's celebration and hope that she understands that she can make other [Music] choices well some of the some of the people in the office want to go out and help me celebrate my promotion after after work so I'll call you when I get home yeah okay great me too byebye [Laughter] Carol you haven't had anything to drink no thanks are you sure well I'm driving I've got to go home and call Paul I've got a lot to do oh but we need to toast okay toast to good friends yes and promotions and promotions so what have we learned well I think the best lesson comes from the people in this program when we saw them the second time after we rewound their stories what we saw was that they each had a better more positive attitude an awareness and an understanding of all the things of lasting value in their lives and this positive attitude protected them from taking those senseless risks you know our attitudes about driving like our habits are not easily changed for example every one of us probably thinks we're pretty darn good drivers yet who Among Us hasn't in one way or another made mistakes similar to those made by Bob Frank Carl and Carolyn but every one of us can become a safer driver if we choose to after all we each Write Our Own Story We Begin by making a commitment to ourselves to make safety a deliberate part of our driving in fact we can make our attitude about safety as important in our lives as those values like well like families and friendships for me when I slip behind the wheel my seat belt is a good reminder of my attitude my state of mind for example if I begin to tell myself Pat you don't have time to put on that seat Bel just keep on going I know that that's a warning that I'm probably under too much stress to be driving safely or imagine if a person is too angry to put on their seat belt well that tells us a great deal too doesn't it there's another good habit I've learned after I check the lights and the gauges and find that the vehicle is ready to drive I then ask myself am I ready to drive e [Applause] [Music]