Driving is a Privilege Not a Right

Getting your driver’s license is arguably on the same level as getting a gun license, if not more serious. If our society wants to reduce driving deaths, we need to collectively make an effort to start educating on specifically how severe of a responsibility it is to get a driver’s license or a car. When you are driving a car, you are piloting a giant deadly weapon that some have begun to not even acknowledge in public spaces. If we made more of a targeted effort towards pointing out the fact that hurting another person or yourself, along with what will lead to hurting their friends and family as well, I believe there would be less injuries and deaths with cars. Of course people will still get too comfortable driving and start to forget this, but I don’t think people realize the dangerous level of power they have in their hands when they get behind the wheel. 

Most people have a pretty short attention span these days. With social media I would guess the average person has about 45 seconds before they scroll onto the next video. I think displaying images and videos of the possible dangers of driving a motor vehicle to teenage drivers would be an effective way for young adults to understand the importance of driver safety. Understanding the different driving laws and why they are created while showing what happens when they are not followed would help those new to driving have a better respect for the rules and regulations of the road.

I live outside of Philadelphia and recently was saddened by the news of a National Hockey League player and his younger brother who were killed the night before their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey. Not only was the driver allegedly under the influence of alcohol-he broke the law by passing a car on the right side of the road onto the shoulder-something as a 17 year-old driver myself I learned to never do-first because it is against the law and secondly because I know it is not safe. 

Another way I think we can keep the roads safe is having those with a driver’s license have to retest every 25 years or so. When I was little I had a neighbor that was still driving well into her 80s. My mom would have to back the car out of the driveway for her because she found it too difficult. As people age their eyesight, reaction time, mobility all decrease, in addition to simply just forgetting some of the driving laws. Having people have to retake the driver’s test would be a simple way to ensure that drivers of all ages are equipped to continue driving and keep the roads safe.

I have been in one accident since I started driving last year. It was in a convenience store parking lot so thankfully neither of us were going fast and it was more of what one would call a “fender bender”. I will say that I have become more confident since first getting on the road with a license, however that confidence also makes me more relaxed and therefore a little bit more prone to getting into accidents. Staying alert and focused is so important and I have realized why some laws for teenage drivers are implemented. For example, limiting the number of non-family members in the car during the first six months, at first this seemed silly to me but then I realized later on that driving with friends can in fact be distracting at times. With music playing, people talking, people using their phones along with other distractions outside the vehicle, I now understand the importance of giving me time to become more experienced in a quiet space when I first started driving with my license.

Driving a car is a privilege that I think many people take for granted. It is an amazing thing to experience. The power one has behind the wheel is pretty incredible. It’s fun! But the dangers that come with that fun should be taken seriously. According to a study conducted by USA Today in, “from 2018 to 2022, the number of deadly accidents in the United States increased by more than 16% — from 36,835 fatal car crashes in 2018 to 42,795 fatal car crashes in 2022”. With the technology we have today one would think car crashes would decrease but to be honest I am not sure it even matters. If people learned the rules of the road, followed those rules, took driving seriously, and remembered that a car can kill if used incorrectly–I think those numbers could decrease dramatically.

One last thing to note-I think the student driver magnets are a game changer for both the student and those driving on the roads alongside them!