CRASH: The Wheel in Your Hands

Earning the right to maneuver a two ton metal juggernaut of a vehicle is a privilege, yet many teenagers treat it as an afterthought. They push it off, assuming next year they’ll be more prepared, more experienced. But time doesn’t hand out wisdom, only practice and education do, and on the road, hesitation and ignorance can be fatal. The ability to drive is more than a convenience, it is a form of freedom, a responsibility that shapes lives, and, at times, saves them. Learning to drive is a process, a journey that demands patience, discipline, and resilience. It is not just about passing a test, but about mastering a skill that can mean the difference between life and death.

Throughout my life, I understood that learning to drive would be both essential and inevitable. With parents over the age of fifty when I was born, I always knew that one day, sooner than most, I would need to assume responsibility for their well-being, including transportation and caregiving. Before I ever sat in the driver’s seat, my father ingrained in me the principles of safe driving, constantly explaining the mechanics of the vehicle, pedals, signals, engine functions, and right of way rules, whenever he chauffeured me. He often reminded me, “Drive like your grandma is in the car,” a sentiment that became a beloved joke between us, one that always made her chuckle when we were together.

My mother passed away when I was eleven, but before she did, I made her a promise that I would earn my license before I turned eighteen so I could drive her anywhere she wanted to go. We even laughed about how I would be the one to teach her, since her single attempt at driving ended with her crashing into a building, an incident she never truly recovered from. Despite the humor, I was serious about at least one of us getting our license. After she was gone, I carried that promise forward to my grandmother, vowing to drive her in my mother’s honor. The last conversation I ever had with my granny was about how I had passed my permit test in June and how, come December, I would finally have that license before eighteen, and I would be taking her out to eat. She passed away in August. When I finally earned my driver’s license on my first attempt, I was met with two seats that will always be for them.

Traversing the road requires dedication, and the process of getting a license is more structured and supportive than many realize. From the rigorous studying I did to earn a passing score on my permit test to the six months I spent practicing my skills behind the wheel, every step prepared me for the responsibility of driving. Practicing with my father, I worked tirelessly on mirror usage, parking techniques, and maneuvering in tight spaces. But the true road understanding was the mandatory behind the wheel training with a professional instructor. Without the bias of a parent’s guidance, the instructor’s honest feedback helped refine my skills in ways I hadn’t expected. For example, while my father had tried to help me improve my stopping and braking, it wasn’t until a single lesson with the instructor that I finally learned to slow my vehicle with precision, stopping precisely at the next car’s wheel line. These lessons weren’t just tasks to check off, they were the foundation of my confidence behind the wheel. And when I passed my driving test, the pride I felt was immeasurable. I had earned my independence, my right to the road, and the opening to the obstacles of the road.

One challenge came soon after earning my license. While driving through a neighborhood, I encountered an area where a power outage had disabled the traffic lights. With no aid in sight, cars approached from all directions, each driver hesitant to proceed. It was a moment that demanded quick thinking, knowledge, and confidence. Thanks to my Drivers Handbook studying, I understood the right of way rules and the universal turn system, allowing me to navigate the chaos safely and efficiently. Without the foundation provided by driver education, moments like this could easily turn disastrous. The pride in knowing I had made it through safely, without confusion or hesitation, was tremendous.

The importance of driver education becomes even clearer when considering the dangers of the road. Intersection related crashes account for more than half of all fatal and injury related accidents, and in 2021 alone, truck related accidents claimed about six thousand lives. Speeding remains one of the most significant contributors to deadly crashes, responsible for about 30% of all road fatalities. Even something as simple as seatbelt usage plays a crucial role in saving lives, reducing the risk of death in a crash by 45%. Despite this, more than half of those killed in accidents in 2021 were not wearing a seatbelt.

I know firsthand that the rules of the road can mean the difference between life and death. The first time I was left home alone, my father had just started driving for Uber. That morning, he reminded me to look both ways if I went out to get food, and I reminded him to wear his seatbelt. Hours later, I found out through a city news and incident reporting app that his car had been in a horrific accident, flipped upside down because another driver recklessly tried to turn left from the far right lane. I will never forget seeing the picture of his crushed vehicle and feeling every worst possibility flash through my mind. But my father survived. He had to undergo surgery, but he walked away from that wreck, he says, because he remembered one reminder: to put on his seatbelt.

Ultimately, earning a driver’s license is more than just passing a test, it’s an achievement, a responsibility, and an honor. It’s proof of dedication, of hours spent mastering the road, of learning to control a two ton machine with precision and care. Yet, far too many people take this privilege lightly, or worse, drive without understanding even the fundamentals. That’s why we need to ensure that every driver, before they take the wheel, has the knowledge and preparation to navigate the road safely.

Driver education is not just about passing an exam, it’s about survival, responsibility, and protecting yourself and others. Instead of stricter laws that punish mistakes, we should focus on support systems that prepare every driver for the reality of the road. Requiring more hands on training, increasing access to in vehicle courses, and ensuring that drivers have time to build experience before full independence could save countless lives. Because when we take driving seriously, when we treat it as the privilege and responsibility it truly is, we create a safer future for everyone on the road.