Knowledge Behind the Wheel

Meghan
Zeytoonian

15
July 2019

Knowledge
Behind the Wheel

I
started taking Driver’s
Education classes right after I turned 16, the first things we talked
about were some of the biggest contributors to deaths behind the
wheel. While to some it may feel like fear-mongering; knowing the
reality of what poor driving and poorer choices can cause is what we
should be well aware of. There’s a reason that insurance companies
charge those who have taken drivers ed less, they know if someone
takes the time to educate themselves for the betterment of their own
driving: an accident is less likely to occur than it is with a person
who didn’t.

Don’t
text and drive, keep your eyes on the road, avoid speeding, avoid
aggressive driving, and make well thought-out decisions. Once you’ve
been behind the wheel for even a few months, you’re more confident
as you drive from place to place. Those who drive the same routes to
work or school everyday pay less and less attention to what is going
on around them just because they’re accustomed to that routine.
Even though the driver themself has been lulled into a sense of
security, there will always be people that are new drivers, driving
aggressively, or paying as little attention as you. These small
mistakes can lead to an accident, and depending on the route you take
or who the collision is with, that accident can lead to severe bodily
injury or death. The biggest thing that any of us can do is stay
aware and never be too confident in the driver’s seat.

I
have only been in one accident in my two years of driving experience;
and the accident wasn’t
my fault either. It was around 8PM on a Sunday night, it had been
eleven months since I had gotten my license: a basically clean
record. I was driving home from work and I went to turn left into my
neighborhood, but the person on the other side of the road ran the
red light. While this accident wasn’t my fault and nobody was hurt,
to this very day I get anxious when thinking about it. The
consequences of that person’s actions left me with a totaled car
and a fear of that turn every time I drive home.

I
could have turned slower, I could have waited longer before leaving
my work’s
parking lot, I could have gone straight despite there being a green
arrow, but I’d done everything right and was just in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Sometimes that’s all that it is. But,
remember a few things: you never know who you’re speeding towards,
how fast another person is going, how well that person is paying
attention, and running a red light is never okay. Keeping in mind
that there are other people on the road with you is life saving
knowledge. So, keep this essay in mind the next time you get in the
driver’s seat.