The Importance of Safe Driving

I’m a new driver. And I’m absolutely terrified to be on the road by myself. Not because I don’t trust myself, but because I don’t trust other drivers on the road to make the right decisions and not put my life in danger. That’s why the topic of safe driving is really close to my heart: driving is imperative for my lifestyle and I’d like to be able to drive without worrying I’m going to get killed.

Like everyone else, I took driver’s ed at the ripe old age of 15. I’d been in the passenger seat when my mom was driving, so I didn’t think I would learn much in driver’s ed. I was wrong. There were so many particular situations that I might run into on the road that they prepared me for. The order that you go at a 4-way stop, how to drive through a roundabout, who has the right of way in different situations. Everyone assumes ‘I can totally drive, how hard can it be?’ but there’s so many technical things to learn that keep drivers safe on the road. Driver’s education is crucial to young drivers—and all drivers—to be safe and educated on the roads, which in turn (hopefully) reduces the number of accidents on the road.

But even with all of the great things that most people learn in driver’s ed, very few people remember their driver’s ed wisdom 20 years down the road. With the amount of deaths every year by car accident, I think it’s safe to say we in America are not sufficiently educated in defensive driving and accident prevention. I propose more frequent ‘driving checks’ for older people who have long since aged out of driver’s ed and need a little refresh on the rules of the road. Something as simple as going to the DMV every 5 years starting when you’re 20 years old and taking a test on a computer that just reviews the basic rules of the road that you might’ve forgotten in your busy life. Let’s face it: adults are busy people, and they don’t have time for driver’s ed all over again, but a periodic quick refresh of driving rules and etiquette is something any adult can work into their busy life.

I’m not naive; I realize that a large portion of car accidents and deaths are caused by drunk or high driving. I could say that ‘we need to implement more drug testing’ and ‘we need to stop the supply of drugs in the US’ and ‘we need to lower the legal BAC to drive’ and I’ll be honest, I believe all of that, but I know we don’t live in a perfect utopian society and we will likely never be able to completely eradicate drugs and alcohol and thus reduce the number of drunk and high drivers. I agree with drug testing and alcohol education and using public transportation to get a ride home when you’re buzzed and all that stuff. But the truth is alcoholics are gonna drink and stoners are gonna get high and there’s not a ton we can do about that. That’s why it’s even more important for the rest of us on the road, the sober ones, to know defensive driving and caution on the road and be able to act quickly should the need ever arise.

Thankfully, I haven’t been in a car accident before and neither have most of the people in my family, but we have one family friend who got in a specific accident that I remember well. The lady is a baby boomer, in that age group where some people still don’t believe in wearing seatbelts, and this specific friend is a part of that demographic. Her car was T-boned, and it totally wasn’t her fault. A car hit her passenger side head-on, and it honestly wasn’t a huge accident. Well, it shouldn’t have been a huge accident. Her seatbelt wasn’t on and when the car hit her, she flew across the driver and passenger seats and slammed her head into the windshield, cracking all the glass on the windshield. An accident that should’ve left her with a few scrapes and bruises instead left her with a concussion, multiple cracked ribs, and all kinds of other horrible things that never would’ve happened if she would’ve just been wearing her seatbelt.

As for me being the best driver I can be, there are a few things I can do. First, to remember all of the things I learned in driver’s ed and not do stupid things just because I think I can get away with them. Secondly, I realize there’s a huge temptation—especially in teens nowadays—to use their phones while driving, and I will never do that. I simply don’t think any text or game or post or whatever is important enough to risk my life. Finally, I realize that there’s also a huge temptation for teens to try out drugs and alcohol for the first time to be cool like their friends, and I simply do not see the draw in that. I know how much stuff like that can mess up your life and I can clearly see that it’s just not worth it to give in to peer pressure and ingest things that aren’t good for your body. Knowing that I’ve taken all of the steps possible to be a safe driver myself, I need to be acutely aware of other unsafe drivers on the road who may be driving recklessly, and I need to pay enough attention for the both of us. Driving is a wonderful privilege, but I realize that every time I set foot in my car I’m putting the lives of myself and others in my hands, and my ultimate goal is to be the absolute safest driver possible.