Your Life is Not the Only One

When I was fifteen and learning how to drive, my parents would always tell me the same few words: to ‘be a defensive driver.’ And because I was a young driver and inexperienced on the road, I never really understood what the meant or how exactly I was supposed to drive defensively. But a few years after, when my family received a call from local police that my older sister had been involved in a hydroplaning accident and totaled her car into the cement columns that held up the expressway, things started to click into place. Thankfully, my sister survived the accident with only minor injuries—a light concussion, bruised ribs, and a couple cuts and bumps, but when she explained to us exactly how she had gotten into the accident in the first place, we had realized that it really was by a miracle that things did not end up worse.

She admitted to speeding in the rain and driving with one hand just barely holding the bottom of the wheel as she focused more on her favorite music that to the wet road ahead, and as she turned down the exit ramp of the freeway without letting up on the gas, she had lost control. I am incredibly lucky to still have my sister, but I know others are not. My sister’s accident, and the other accidents that happen every day where victims may not survive remind me of what my parents always tried to teach us. Be defensive. But how exactly can we do that? What does defensive driving even mean?

Defensive driving means to always be alert of yourself and your surroundings. You should always stay aware of the road conditions as well as those around you, and it is your responsibility as the operator of a moving vehicle to protect yourself and them with careful driving habits so that you do not end up like my sister, or worse. Being aware of your surroundings means that you should try to predict the behavior of other drivers on the road. If a care merges into the lane beside you without a blinker, cutting off another driver, they could do the same to you, and it is important to anticipate that in advance so you can either slow down, or advance safely.

Another way to practice defensive driving it to use the resources you have to your advantage. The speed limit is posted for drivers to know the safest maximum speed for that particular area and must be adjusted by the driver depending on construction or current weather conditions. Using your seatbelt and mirrors also helps to protect yourself in case of an accident and to anticipate danger from all directions. As important as it is for other drivers to communicate with you, you must also communicate with them. Signaling with blinkers and headlights can prevent an accident in many ways and allows you to easily indicate your intentions to those around you when merging or turning to safely transition on the roadway. And in dangerous weather conditions such as heavy rain or fog, your headlights can guide you so that you are able to see other vehicles and the lane ahead of you.

It is vital for you to stay defensive and alert on the road, but just yourself alone wont help to reduce accidents and deaths caused by reckless driving. Informing your friends and family of unsafe habits you notice while driving can make a significant difference in the way that they maneuver on roadways and how they potentially teach others in the future. You can also continue to study updated traffic laws and advanced driving courses to keep your skills sharp so that you will always know what to do should you find yourself in a potentially hazardous situation.

Overall, driving defensively can significantly help to lower the risk of death due to irresponsible motor vehicle accidents and there are many times that I wish I could go back and point out to my sister the bad habits she needed to correct. My sister’s accident only involved herself, and as I stated earlier, she was extremely fortunate to come out of the situation as unharmed as she did. But had she hit another car as she spun out, or had not been wearing her seatbelt, or had struck a pedestrian crossing the road, things could have turned out differently. It is important to remember that when you are on the road, the lives of yourself and everyone else around you are in your hands.