“If Only She Looked Both Ways”

“If my wife had looked both ways, she would still be here today.” These were the words of the quirky man named Matthew who taught my drivers ed course. He told us his wife was killed after she drove into a green-lighted intersection, and was hit by a car that didn’t stop at the red light. Matthew also repeated many times that a car is a “lethal weapon.” These words are ingrained in my mind, along with all the other life-saving information that I learned in the course. In Minnesota, every new driver is required to take a similar course, and so a major step in reducing deaths caused by reckless driving would be to petition Congress to establish a nation-wide requirement. But this alone would not be effective.

The key to educating drivers (especially teens) in a way that sinks in, is finding teachers who are knowledgeable and can connect with their students. I drive the speed limit and check my blind spot because of Matthew—who was experienced, down to earth, and comical—not because of the videos we had to watch. People are stubborn—we can be surrounded by the same message for years, and still cling to our own beliefs—and likewise students can sit through a driving course and then speed all they want. After passing drivers ed as federal law, funding should be provided to educate course teachers, or at least support the quality of teachers in the private setting.

Drivers ed is especially potent in instilling safe driving habits, because many start driving as a teenager, when it is easier to accept new beliefs or attitudes than if they were older. Along with education, it takes a personal commitment to drive safely. Every time I get in the car when I’m running late, I still must choose to ignore the clock (temptingly close on the screen of my parents’ Tesla), and drive the speed limit. I still must choose to scan for potential hazards, and drive defensively, even though this requires more effort.

Helping others drive safely is another matter. My own dad speeds constantly, a couple times going twenty miles over the limit. He hasn’t exactly crashed because of the way he drives, but he did crash once while driving over black ice on our way to mass. I was ten at the time, and I mostly remember how quick it all happened. Before I even had time to be frightened, my life could have ended then and there, if the crash had been more than minor. It’s difficult and uncomfortable thinking about when or how to correct a parent, versus another adult or a peer, so drivers should be educated in ways to talk with those who are driving recklessly so that they will listen.

But when we see an opportunity to speak out against reckless driving, no class can prepare us. We have to do so using our own courage, fortified by a strong desire to protect human life.