Driver’s Education Saves Lives

Being born and raised in Glendale, California I am no stranger to dangerous drivers. I have always noticed that the way people drive here and the car-related accidents are way more prevalent compared to surrounding cities in California. There is a culture created around the act of driving that deems danger and uneasiness for everyone including the drivers themselves. There is even a long strip of the street “Glenoaks” that is infamous for its fast drivers and fatal crashes due to its wide lanes and slightly higher speed limit. The second people here turn 16, it becomes a competition of who can get a driver’s license first and who can drive the nicest car. Not mentioning all the car meets that officially happen in Glendale, everyday feels like a car meet because of this. It becomes dangerous because people are not behind the wheel with the right mindset. There’s a large population of this city that constantly tries to race each other and show off, even if it means they could be putting themselves and other people in harm’s way.

I have so many personal stories about car accidents and deaths due to driving that I wouldn’t know where to begin or end. I can confidently say that it has taught me about the depth of the importance regarding driving education for reducing deaths. Having a deeper education instilled in us would surely only result in positive outcomes. I personally even think including this as a part of our highschool curriculum would have served as a more effective way of ensuring safety. My ideas include interactive workshops, presentations, and simulations about the consequences of distracted driving. Partnering with organizations like local traffic safety authorities or non-profits could also be beneficial for the community and for raising a broader sense of awareness. I think the first steps should be assessing what can be done before people start driving which includes education and proper training. After this, it becomes harder to control and prevent but measures can still be put into place. There can also be more repercussions revolving around reckless driving that would help ensure that the chances of the accidents repeating are minimized. This can involve things like more traffic school, higher fines, etc. The goal here is not to punish people harder because at the end of the day, accidents can happen even when drivers are being extremely safe and cautious. The goal would be specifically regarding the accidents that are caused by irresponsible or reckless driving that could have easily been avoided. These situations need reinforcements in order to drill the practices of safe driving moving forward, especially with younger drivers. This means advocating for stronger laws and enforcement related to distracted driving, such as stricter penalties for texting while driving. Another idea is to work with policymakers directly to support initiatives that aim to reduce distracted driving. When it comes to addressing the age ranges, using platforms popular with young people (such as Instagram or Tik Tok) to share powerful statistics, personal stories, and eye-catching infographics about distracted driving, a real difference can be made. It is simple yet effective to create engaging content such as videos, memes, and challenges that can be easily shared.

Going back to where I grew up and all the experiences surrounding that, I thankfully have never been in a serious car accident but I have definitely known people who have. I’ll use one of the more recent examples that involves my significant other. He was on the way home from a friend’s house on the freeway, minding his own business. A reckless truck driver crashed into his car and fled the scene, causing a four car pile up. The damage totaled his car and caused him to blackout, waking up outside of the freeway along with the others affected. This experience was traumatic for me to even hear about, let alone for him to experience. It makes me so sad and upset that all the pain and trouble he has gone through since that day could have been avoided if the car next to him was driving normally. This is only one of many stories that I could share about how my day to day life and mindset has forever changed due to accidents like this.

Overall, I still see this topic as a widespread problem not only where I live, but at the very least across the rest of California. Combining the strategies that I mentioned above can help create a comprehensive approach to reducing distracted driving among young drivers and fostering a culture of safety and responsibility on the road. Raising awareness and actually taking action to combat this is crucial. For me personally, I know I am also not the world’s safest driver myself but I am passionate about this topic because of how much it has affected me and those directly around me. I am so conscious of my surroundings at all times but I know that sometimes I do tend to hover over the speed limit from time to time. Making sure I am more aware of little things like this will ensure I am driving safely enough to prevent causing any accident in a timely manner. This is why distracted driving is so important to prevent. You never know what the people around you can do while driving so it is crucial to always be ready to adapt to the driving environment. As far as helping others, in my personal life I am always pushing safety and making sure it is in everyone’s minds 24/7. With my closest friends I even have an app downloaded that allows us to see driving reports each week about phone usage, speeding, etc. In a broader sense, I would love any opportunity to implement the measures I stated in this essay to increase driving safety and mitigate the dangers. I hope to one day possess the status in my life to be able to do those things.