Peer pressure has been around for a long time and isn’t likely to be going away any time soon. Peer pressure is an important aspect to consider once you’ve received your licence and are excited to get out on the road.
In this week’s blog post, you’ll find a few circumstances to consider and tips to help you through peer pressure you might encounter while driving.
Distractions & Noise in the Vehicle
Driving friends around can be a lot of fun, but what happens when the fun gets to be a little too much to contain? Yelling, wrestling, and teasing may not seem to be that big of a deal until you have passengers and need to concentrate on the road. Remember that as the driver, you are responsible for your safety, the safety of your passengers, and the safety of other road users. That’s quite the responsibility! It isn’t rude to show leadership and maintain control – it’s necessary.
Setting some rules and standards right from the beginning of any trip will help your passengers stay respectful and calm during the drive. If problems or distractions do arise during the trip don’t just ignore the behaviour, address what is happening with your passengers to ensure a safe ride for everyone. If you’re worried about looking uncool, use humour to communicate your boundaries: “If you keep that up, you’re going to have to find another chauffer!” It’s also okay to take action, showing that you are serious about maintaining focus and safety during your drive. When you can find a safe place to pull over, have a frank discussion with your peers about the expectations of riding with you: “I need to concentrate and it’s very distracting when you act like this. If you keep calm, we can all get there safely!”
When driving with children who may require more attention, make sure to communicate boundaries before starting your trip. In British Columbia, children up to at least 9 years old (or 4’9” tall) require child safety seats and children under 12 years old are recommended to be seated in the back for safety. Animals should always be transported in a proper carrier or use a seat belt to avoid having them become frightened or look for cuddles mid-drive.
Remember, you are legally allowed a maximum of 2 passengers with your class 7L (learner) licence – one being your qualified supervisor. With a class 7N (novice) licence you may only drive unsupervised with one passenger unless they are immediate family, are accompanied by a supervisor 25 years or older holding a class 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 licence. If your friends or family pressure you to take more passengers than your licence legally allows, politely decline. You, as the driver, are responsible for what happens in the vehicle and being over your passenger limit may result in tickets, fines, or even losing your licence.
Texting & Driving
We know it’s been said already, but it bears repeating: leave your phone alone while driving. There is nothing that requires your attention more than operating the heavy machinery that is your vehicle. ICBC studies have shown that you are five times more likely to have an on-road incident when on your phone.
If you think you won’t be able to resist the temptation, put your phone on driving mode or turn it off completely. If you really need to respond to messages or make a call, pull over when and where it is safe to do so. If you’re driving with others, take your most trusted pick of the passengers and make them your designated texter for the trip. Rest/washroom breaks during road trips are also a great time to stretch your body and your thumbs!
Penalties for cellphone usage in the class 7L and class 7N stages are strict. Even after a single ticket, your driving record may be reviewed and you may face driving prohibitions. The first ticket you receive for cellphone usage while driving includes both a $368 fine and four penalty points.
During the class 7L and class 7N licensing stages, you may only use electronic devices while driving for making an emergency call to 9-1-1. These regulations apply even if you are stopped at a red light or in any kind of traffic. As per Motor Vehicle Act regulations, you may not:
• touch, operate, hold or adjust your cellphone
• use hands-free system such as Bluetooth or wired headset
• use speakerphone that can be operated with one touch or voice commands
• program a GPS system
• select music from your cellphone
• wear earbuds
• connect your cellphone or hand-held device to play music on your in-vehicle audio system
Impaired Driving
Not only is it illegal, but driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol impairs your ability to safely operate a vehicle. Alcohol and drugs not only affects your mental focus, but also your visual acuity, alertness, and as a result it severely effects your reaction time to important road signs, hazards, and other road users.
Myth: “I just need to drink coffee/have something to eat/take a cold shower to sober up.” False. Only time will sober you up.
Fact: Many drugs (medications included) will increase the level of impairment when combined with any amount of alcohol.
Always prepare ahead of time. Designate a trusted sober driver, put money aside for transit, a taxi, or Lyft ride home, or call a friend or family member to pick you up. Knowing your own limits is important and you should remain confident with asking for a ride if you’re impaired. Don’t let others pressure you into driving if you are not sober. If you forgot to plan ahead, it’s always a safer choice to leave your vehicle behind and make the extra trip to pick it up another day, rather than to drive home impaired.
Should you find yourself in the situation where another person is risking driving impaired, refuse to drive with them and try to discourage them from following through. Ask others for help if you feel anxious about doing so alone or need support. You may be saving their life, as well as the lives of any potential passengers or collision victims.
Speeding
To avoid actually being in a rush and being tempted to speed or have your passengers pressure to you to “hurry up” or “drive faster”, plan your trip with plenty of time allowing for unexpected delays as best as possible.
Whether you are being pressured to drive faster, or are in a vehicle with a driver who is making you feel unsafe, humour can again be used: “Does anyone else feel like their life is flashing before their eyes? Slow down, man.” or: “Am I missing something? What’s the rush?” If you’re the driver who’s being egged on to push the limit and go faster, you can also turn to facts and education to ease the situation - share with your passengers what you know about stopping distance and following distance, and how this impacts the speed and style you decide to drive with.
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No matter the situations that may come up, it’s important to be able to differentiate between positive peer pressure and negative peer pressure. How do you do that? The distinction is easy. Positive peer pressure is done by those who care about you and want everyone in the car and on the road to be safe. Negative peer pressure, on the other hand, are those who talk about the above as if it is silly, no big deal, or to show off. Any time you’re worried that saying no may offend someone or cost you your friendship is a time you should take control of the situation and ensure you can safely, and distraction-free, operate your vehicle and share the road.