Vigilance Behind The Wheel

One wrong flick of the wrist. One glance at the phone. One broken signal. All it takes is that one, singular moment and countless lives are affected. The responsibility of driving should be taken seriously because you are in charge of more than yourself- you are in charge of the grandpa driving behind you, the mom taking her son to the doctor in the car next to you, the teacher driving home from a long day at work. Their lives all lie in your ability to be a good driver.

Recent statistics state that in the year 2021, over 42,000 lives were taken due to car accidents simply in the USA. This rate was a 10% increase from the previous years and the numbers will only continue to increase without intervention. These numbers show the importance of continued driver education. Driver education is required in most states for teen drivers but no such regulations are made for new drivers over 18. Still driver education should be considered as it offers beginners the chance to gain familiarity with road rules under the supervision of a skilled professional. When I signed up for driver education, I believed it a waste of money because I was confident in my driving and thought I knew all that there was to know. This thinking was quickly disproven. In my very first lesson, my instructor taught me a trick to be more aware of my surroundings. In order to know how much time is left at a red light, you can look at the crosswalk signs as indications. While now seeming like common sense, I would have never known about this without my driving education. Now at stoplights, instead of being bored or being tempted to check my phone, I remain vigilant and therefore become a better driver. However, I would have never known about this helpful trick along with many others without my experience with driver education. Therefore, I personally recommend taking driver education despite any initial concerns because the benefits will truly surprise you.

Another time I was surprised was during a drive with a peer. Unfortunately, this was not a happy surprise like the one above but rather an alarming one. This friend had high grades, was involved in many volunteer activities, and was overall a kind, intelligent individual. Therefore, I had no qualms about getting in the car with them. The drive started off peaceful. We were talking about our days when gradually I realized that we seemed to be going too fast. I looked over and we were going well over 100 in a 70 mph limit. Alarmed, I mentioned that to my friend and he laughed at me, dismissing my fears. But I persisted with my concerns and begged him to slow down. After much reluctance, he finally slowed down to the speed limit. He seemed shocked that I actually cared about following the limit. He seemed even more astonished when I told him I always follow the speed limit. It was then I realized how many of my fellow peers took the speed limit as an optional suggestion.

These mindsets need to be changed. Speed limits are not optional just as life shouldn’t be taken. To reduce the number of deaths stolen by reckless driving, law enforcement should be stricter. I have known too many driving well over the speed limit yet being pulled over and only given a warning. Well in an ideal world, this belief in humanity is refreshing, the number of deaths caused by driving don’t reflect this ideal world. Stricter law enforcement will result in increased obedience of the speed limit, seat belt usage, and other traffic laws. Another improvement to be made is with the road regulation themselves. Many accidents occur not only at fault of the drivers but bad weather, dangerous intersections, or inadequate visibility due to poor lighting. These problems could be minimized with increased patrol on the street identifying these problem spots and creating solutions to fix them.

But, the solution does not only lie at the hands of the government. We are responsible for decreasing deaths caused by driving as well. Following the speed limit and traffic laws regardless of the threat of the police should be the top priority. This includes staying off phones while driving. Your undivided focus should remain on the roads ahead of you. Most smartphones have created assistance with this issue by creating voice-activated intelligence to whom tasks can be stated in order to ensure that your eyes stay on the road. Lastly, it is important to always drive in the defensive, not the offensive. You should always be ready to react on the fly because that is what is expected of you when in high stakes situations.

Driving is a liberating experience offering freedom and escape to many drivers. But this should not take away from the dangers of driving. Numerous accidents are caused by simply a split second decision to drive in an unsafe manner. It is important to recall that you are responsible for the lives of all those around. Drive safely so loved ones can welcome their person home. So you get home safe.