Driver Education Initiative – In the Driver’s Seat

In
the Driver’s Seat

In
the wonderful, beautiful state that I have come to grow up in (New
Hampshire), the law states that once a driver becomes of 15 ½
they may be allowed to drive a vehicle with stipulations (it’s not
called live free or die for nothing). My personal driving career did
not start when I turned 15 ½, it started much earlier than this. 

From
a young age I have always had an inclination towards anything with
wheels and motors. My family is largely involved with snowmobiling
and other pleasure vehicles such as four-wheelers, boats and
motorcycles. In saying this, I’ve had the opportunity to be in
control of many so called “killing machines”. My family never
treads lightly when explaining the importance of safety and
responsibility when using these toys. I was always taught to know how
to use the machine before you leave the designated area, if you’re
not ready; do not use.  All these things were ingrained in my
head as I was entering my first day of drivers ed. 

Drivers
ed for me was a blast, my best friend and I took it together with a
really amazing teacher. This teacher taught me so much of the
real-life struggles that you will encounter as a driver. Now of
course in large groups everyone moves at different paces, therefore
we were all starting at different places in our driving careers. One
of the most important results of taking a drivers ed course is that
we were all in the same mindframe leaving on our last day of class.
Not only did the people coming from no experience be fully informed
of all their duties but for the ones who are knowledgeable of killing
machines learned new and helpful tips as well. I think drivers ed
sets everyone up for success because no matter the experience you
have had prior, you will quickly realize you do not know everything
there is to know about driving on the roads. There is nothing wrong
with a perfect mix of confidence and fear when driving. 

I
will shamefully admit that I have been stopped for speeding, which
happens to be one of the leading causes of crashes and deaths in
motor vehicles. This was one of the biggest life lessons for me. I am
not recommending for anyone to be pulled over by a police officer,
but I can say it is very frightening with a great lesson. I have
learned from this and have been much better with my speed. This was
the only thing that has happened to me personally, but I do believe
that phones are the fastest growing and most deadly implement we are
bringing into our vehicles every time we drive. Not to state the
obvious danger of using your phone will driving but the fact of “just
checking” to see who texted or snap chatted. The fact of “just
checking” is not worth your life as the driver, your passenger’s
lives, and the other motorist’s lives on the road. 

After
a long deliberation with my parents, they have allowed the purchase
of a 2002 SV 650 Suzuki motorcycle. This has opened my eyes to many
more issues than the common ones we all think about when it comes to
cell phone usage in the car. If you were to be a “safe” driver
and checking/sending a quick response at a stop sign or red light,
you are still causing large amounts of danger. I’ve noticed this
particularly when I am riding my motorcycle, as I am already smaller
and harder to see. When at an intersection, folks may have been on
their phone and not paying attention to what is going on around them.
As soon as their light turns green, they slam on the gas (finished
the text or not) just assuming that everyone is out of their way. I
have come into several instances where this has been a close call for
me. Again, I do not think everyone needs to hop on a motorcycle to
see the issues with our driving, instead we need to realize our
faults as drivers and take steps to prevent them from happening in
the future. 

The
biggest piece of advice I could give to all motorists with cell
phones is to leave them in the back seat, whether it is in a bag, on
the seat or in the pocket behind your chair. Either way you cannot
reach it, it also eliminates the temptation to; switch songs, check a
message, send a quick reply, all actions that if not dealt with
properly will end up in more fatalities. One fatality is one too
many.