Roundabouts are Not Clockwise: The Importance of Understanding How Roads Work

About two years ago, when I was seventeen, I drove my friend to dinner. In order to get to the restaurant, we had to go through a roundabout that I had driven on countless times. However, on this occasion, there was a car on the roundabout going the wrong direction. We had to stop and wait for them to slowly make their way out of the circle before proceeding to our dinner. While we laughed about the situation at the time, it was incredibly dangerous for that car, and they were lucky that they did not get hurt, or worse. This situation taught me two different lessons. It first showed me that I needed to always be aware of my surroundings. Typically when I went on a roundabout, I had not felt a need to look to my right, as it is a one-way circle, but now, I make sure to look all around me before proceeding. I learned to always expect the unexpected when I am driving. Additionally, the person driving the wrong way displays the necessity of having a quality driver’s education program. The driver either did not understand the traffic signs, or did not realize how to drive in a roundabout. I was taught these lessons in my driver’s education program, so this experience truly highlights the need for all drivers to have a basic understanding of how different roads work in order to be allowed to drive.

The safety of teenage drivers is an important public issue due to the inherent danger of operating a motor vehicle. According to the posted data, in the late 1900s, there were more deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes than the death tolls of the Mexican-American War, the Iraq War, the Philippine-American War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Spanish-American War combined. This startling number proves the shocking reality of the hazards of being on the road. While the number of motor vehicle crashes began to decrease around 2010, the numbers have been steadily rising back up, and in 2020, over 40,000 deaths were caused by motor vehicle crashes. If more parents understood these statistics, they may be more hesitant in letting their teenagers get their license, and they may be more likely to enforce their child’s enrollment in a driver’s education program. Driver’s education is important because it not only teaches teenagers about the dangers of driving in order to instill a healthy level of fear into them, but it also teaches them how to avoid these dangers and to be the best driver they can be. It teaches the meanings of road signs, what to do when driving in poor weather conditions, and gives students a chance to drive on the road alongside a trained professional who can give detailed, helpful instructions.

Teenagers face a few big challenges today, likely the most prominent being cell phones. Every time it buzzes, an innate temptation rises to pick up the device and check what the message says. However, taking one’s eyes off the road for even a second can be life-threatening. I have even heard about teenagers watching shows or videos on TikTok while they drive. This is immensely distracting and incredibly dangerous. This challenge may be difficult to overcome because of the increasing commonality of cell phone addictions. For this reason, a solution may be to teach teenagers the terrible consequences that can come from these actions in a driver’s education course, backing it up with plenty of statistics. Sometimes fear is a necessary component to keep others safe. Encouraging teenagers to place their phone in an inaccessible place while they drive may also mitigate this problem. Another big challenge that teenagers face while driving is the pressure to drive while under the influence. While this problem applies to others, not just teenagers, peer pressure can feel the most overwhelming for younger people. If someone does not feel too drunk, they may feel fine to drive, but driving under any influence is not only illegal, but also can be harmful to themselves or others. Though peer pressure can be easy to give into, teenagers need to learn what can happen if they find themselves in an experience like this. Similarly to the phone situation, a way to mitigate this could also be a detailed explanation during driver’s education as to why drinking and driving should be avoided at all costs.

Schools and communities have a responsibility to their teenagers to teach them safe driving techniques. Driving is a new experience, and it must be taught with careful attention and detail to promote safety. It would be beneficial for teenagers if schools would host a free, mandatory driver’s education program. From my experience, some people I know skipped taking a driver’s education class because of the costs. However, driving can cause terrible consequences, and many of these could be avoided through the lessons taught by a driver’s education class. These schools should also offer driver’s education classes for any homeschooled students to give them an opportunity as well. Implementing this action is the first step, but the rest is up to the teenagers. They must display genuine interest and attentiveness in their classes, as well as a desire to learn and be as safe as they can possibly be. Taking these actions will severely help teenagers to feel more comfortable on the road and reduce instances of unsafe driving.