Measures to Protect Citizens On and Off the Road

Ever since I was 12, I have been driving all types of motor vehicles. So much that I fell in love with driving ever since. I believe that I’m one of very few people who still drive standard transmission vehicles over the automatic, mostly from personal preference. It has taken many years of training and learning to become a confident driver when you add in the thought of physically shifting the vehicle on top of all the other things that one must think about when driving. With that being said, I believe that there three main things that should be taught to teens while they are learning to drive. These would be to not depend on other’s driving around you, eliminating distractions from the vehicle, and maintaining basic safety habits behind the wheel.

Part of being a responsible driver includes the ability to trust your skills behind the wheel. It takes a certain and specific level of confidence to operate a vehicle in a safe manner. For example, someone that lacks the ability to assert themselves on the road can potentially cause accidents or some type of incident. On the contrary, an overconfident driver can turn reckless and cause an unsafe driving atmosphere for not only others on the road, but for themselves as well. As a calm, controlled driver, you should be able to get from your position to your destination in an efficient and safe manner. This includes being able to monitor your space on the road and monitoring other vehicles or other things that could interfere with your driving. Knowing things such as the amount of brake power needed to stop your vehicle from a certain speed is a valuable skill that all new drivers need to know before they even think of driving for fun. Another safe practice is to learn how to interpret the movements of other drivers. For instance, if you see a car that is hanging out towards the right side of their lane, chances are that they are about to switch over to the right lane of traffic. So, make sure to slow down and anticipate this move to avoid entering the other drivers blind spot and creating a problem that could easily be avoided. People also make some stupid decisions, so being able to react accordingly never fails while on the road.

Being able to concentrate on the road and not on inside interferences can immensely create a safe driving environment for everyone. To eliminate the distractions in a car are truly quite simply, however some are not always taken too seriously. For starters, loud music tends to be a little distracting while driving, especially in high-volume areas like big cities that require a larger attention to detail. Having loud friends in the car can also be a major distraction, so maybe telling your friends to be quiet isn’t as bad of a choice as opposed to the alternative of a potential crash. All it takes is one second of a shift in a drivers focus to create an unsafe roadway. This can lead to a large array of bad situations, such as accidents. No kid wants to get in an accident, especially when they are at fault. Insurance rates can rise, parents can restrict driving privileges, or a fatality can occur, just to name a few situations that could rise. Nobody wants to deal with any of these consequences, so it’s better to just concentrate on the road around you rather than Cardi-B’s freestyle.

To maintain safe driving habits is also a fairly simple concept, however they do go unrecognized every once in a while. This usually happens once a driver becomes too comfortable with their driving, which I myself am guilty of a couple of these examples I am prepared to list out. First off is an extremely common on that I see just about daily, the use of a turn signal, or lack thereof. It happens quite frequently, mostly when another driver is either too lazy to flip the switch or if they simply just forget, it happens. It becomes a problem however when you are around other drivers and then put them and yourself into danger. Failing to use a turn signal doesn’t give drivers around you the opportunity to know where your vehicle is intending on moving, so therefore they can’t interpret your movements. Another is a lack of attention to mirrors. Not setting all your mirrors to their necessary positions puts you in quite a spot when they are needed. Let’s say that you are driving and notice that your rearview mirror is not in the correct spot. You pick up a hand from the wheel and move it to the mirror along with your eyes. Now, you aren’t focused on the road ahead and putting all your attention to this mirror. Not having eyes on the road is an extremely dangerous mistake that a lot of drivers can say does not end well. To prevent this, all you need to do is check the mirrors on your car before you even put it in gear to move. One final situation I want to touch on involves the seatbelt. Not having it on or not having it secure is an extreme liability for all drivers. I am aware that some states have removed a seatbelt violation as a viable reason to be pulled over, however it is still labeled as a secondary offense. This simply means that if you are pulled over for any justified reason and you aren’t wearing a properly fitted seatbelt, the officer is now able to write a ticket for that violation. It also is an extreme safety hazard if one is not wearing a safety belt, especially in the event of an accident of any kind. One becomes a significantly higher risk of catastrophic damage without a seatbelt rather than a user who does wear one.

With all of these being said, driving itself is not a very hard concept. All it takes is lots of practice and knowledge of the road. Simply put, most teen drivers wont experience anything that will be life threatening but knowing some valuable skills to prevent these incidents explain it perfectly. Being able to react accordingly to any type of irregular situation will make you that much better of a driver, so being able to learn skills for this turn a good driver into a perfect and safe driver.