Responsibility Behind the Wheel

Driving on the road is more dangerous than flying on a plane. Both planes and cars have sufficient technology to ensure safe travel on their own, but that technology is not enough especially when it comes to driving. What makes being on the road so deadly is a greater population of others on the same road as you. The carefully calculated path that each plane travels allows them to avoid any other pilots–greatly decreasing the chance of collision. When driving we do not have this advantage. So many people, including myself, rely on the same roads and highways for travel that it is impossible to not come across another driver while driving. This makes it so that, even though I am careful and lawful in the manner in which I drive, contact with one reckless driver is all it takes to get in an accident that may end in my death and any passengers I have in my car. The point of Drivers Education is to reach as many people as possible to reduce the amount of reckless drivers on the road. The more people who take these classes and learn how to properly handle a vehicle the safer the road will become.

Being a senior in highschool, I’ve only had my license for a year. My preparation, however, began two years back when I took a Drivers Ed class that my high school offered to students. At the time I took the class I wasn’t even sure if I ever wanted to own a license because the responsibility seemed too great and past experiences were holding me back.

In Middle School I experienced being one of the passengers in a full car when there was a high speed collision. I was in the back seat and my mother was driving my friends and I to a sporting event. While on the highway, a distracted driver pulled out infront of oncoming traffic causing a domino effect of collisions that led right to the car I was in. Luckily, my mother avoided collision with the car directly in front of us, but the driver behind us was not paying as close attention. The driver was a truck driver and in the blink of an eye they totaled my mother’s car. I was lucky to not have any injuries with lasting effects, but one of my friends and my mother suffered a heavy blow to the head. They both now suffer from migraines. Although I am healthy physically, I did not so easily escape the lasting effects of trauma. This is not the only example in my life where someone else’s driving led to my own injury or the injury of someone I love. This caused driving to be a point of anxiety in my life.

So when I started Drivers Ed I was a nervous wreck–to put it bluntly. Drivers Ed eased me back into the world of driving after being scared away. By learning simple things like how to use the blinker on a car, and adjusting the mirrors to maximize the viewing field, I regained my confidence. I learned that by going to the class and being a responsible driver I could make the roads safer. If I could learn to drive properly then I could avoid being the cause of someone else’s injury or loss of a vehicle. It is up to each individual to take initiative and improve their driving in order to make commuting a safer task.

In order to lead to a greater change in the safety of the roads, after taking these classes, we must encourage other members of the community to do the same. Everyone might not have the same access to Drivers Ed, but 92% of US citizens have access to the internet. We can encourage them to do research on driving safety and learn how to be responsible. Some people might not care about how responsible they are when driving, but one look into the driving stats and even the most careless person can see that it is others like them that make the road dangerous. If we create an environment where we remind drivers of the responsibility they hold when they take control of the wheel, they will become more aware of how they drive.

The country has done a good job on educating our drivers on the danger of drinking and driving which lowers the rate of crashes caused by drunk drivers. More could be done to warn of the dangers of distracted driving which can be just as fatal. Whether a driver is busy lighting their cigarette, texting a friend, or tending to passengers any attention taken away from the task at hand is dangerous. We must remain calm and attentive to the road because at any moment a fast reaction can be the difference between life and death.

Driving education classes and sources provide a way to inform people on how they need to drive. It is not how they want to drive that is important. To make sure this happens in my community, I can spread the word. I already speak to my friends and family about responsible driving, but I can take it a step farther and inform people at school. I can put up flyers and offer a safe space to talk about how reckless driving has affected our lives. I can encourage classmates to take Drivers Ed even if they already have a license. I can speak to my headmaster and arrange a time for me to speak to the school on driving safety. I can and I will do these things because I want to make driving a safe task that makes transportation more efficient and less worrisome.