Dare to Drive?

To begin this, there is some important background information to be covered. In the summer of 2016 I had experienced a head on collision getting onto an entrance ramp with my mom, her caregiver and my sister. No major injuries occurred, some cuts, bruises and seatbelt burn were the majority of it. There were no distractions that played a part on our side, but on the other end there was a 17 year old girl driving the wrong way after making her turn. She was on her phone in her parents car. As we all got out of the car, heads ringing with confusion and pain, accusations flew around from both sides. As each driver tried to defend themselves, phone records revealed the hard truth. A simple distraction caused an accident on a busy road near 1-74 in Colorado.

In my year of driving, I haven’t had an accident but have had a couple of close calls. Drivers who change lanes on the highway without a signal, people who don’t look before backing out or even people who are on their phones and don’t see my brake lights. Driver’s education is important in all of these. There are lots of factors to be taken into consideration when diving into the possibilities of drivers having confusion in regards to the road. Whether it be rules, regulations or laws, there are a ton of concepts to keep in mind and keep straight before even attempting to drive a car. Driver’s education is vital to students, because although they have seen their parents drive for around 15 years prior, they still might know what rules apply. Many adult drivers don’t even know what some road signs mean, or what the colors of them represent. This form of education will reduce confusion and make younger drivers aware, educated and ready for possible situations. Even if they don’t happen, it is good to understand what to do if it does end up happening. Concepts you learn in drivers training can be along the lines of what to do in weather conditions, what vehicles you can pass, when to yield, when to stop or even how to turn your wheels on a hill so you don’t roll into oncoming traffic. When students are able to react with confidence because of their education, it makes their driving habits healthy and therefore ultimately reduces the chances of an accident caused by them.

To reduce the number of deaths, first and foremost would be to get educated. Some form of drivers training is vital to new, young drivers who don’t understand concepts and are not confident enough to drive without a parent. The next step would be to limit the number of distractions that are put into the vehicle. This could be a variety of things such as passengers that are friends, a phone, food, or even as much as we enjoy it, music as well. Focus is important within driving because situations happen in seconds, not minutes. A small text can result in a rear end crash because you didn’t see them turning. Or maybe there is a loose coffee cup that you didn’t put in your cup holder, so now it is actively spilling and while trying to readjust it, you swerve off the road and hit a guardrail. There are so many situations that are there but not recognized. So, know who and what is in your car. Predictability is important for drivers to learn, especially “what if” scenarios. As a young driver myself, I make sure that my friends have their seatbelts on, I know where my directions are and I make sure there is nothing loose in the car that can be provided as a distraction. The last step is to just be cautious, never cocky. Have an understanding of situational awareness, being prepared for the word but hoping for the best. Being cautious allows for new drivers to understand the road and its laws, as well as understanding that it isn’t always you that causes the accident, there are other people. So, don’t get too cocky when driving as things happen at the most unexpected times. Lastly, I think the best idea to actually reduce deaths in drivers, especially young ones, would be to utilize insurance programs. This tracker allows driving reports to be sent out so that drivers and their parents know their driving habits like phone distraction, breaking, accelerating, turning and speed. While not ideal since it correlates with money, it would be beneficial to have something like this that doesn’t affect insurance rates, but rather be there for the safety of drivers. Each child’s parents are concerned when they start driving, as statistics say most accidents happen around the age of 17, almost immediately following getting a license. These simple steps would be a substantial aid and determining factor of life or death. Driving is important, and it is something that should not be taken lightly, but rather as a huge responsibility.