In the Drivers’ Seat

Aiden Rosales 

March 30th, 2021

In the Driver’s Seat

The purpose of drivers’ education is more important than just knowing how to drive. People often drive offensively, as in how can I get to this destination as fast as possible?  Which in itself puts many people at risk such as the driver, the passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians. The driving community should focus more on driving defensively, it should not be “how can I get to a destination as fast as possible?” when it should be “how can I get to this destination as safely as possible?” If we all can do something to get drivers to stop driving offensively then that would reduce the total number of deaths related to driving.

Plenty of steps can be taken when it comes to reducing the number of deaths when it comes to driving. Back in 2019, the NHTSA started reporting alcohol data to prove that deaths due to drunk driving alone have reached the lowest percentage since 1982. That doesn’t sound bad at first, until you realize that over 10,000 people lost their lives due to drunk driving. When someone is driving under the influence it can affect their judgement and reaction time. All of these deaths could have been prevented by being responsible when you drink and knowing that you are putting lives at risk when getting behind the wheel intoxicated.  In addition to drunk driving, another big distraction when driving is cell phone use. Now, I’m pretty sure everyone has been on their cell phones at least once while driving, but we all need to understand that the moment we take our eyes off the road is the moment we are putting ourselves and others at risk. In 2019 the NHTSA also claims that over 3,000 people have lost their lives from distracted driving. From personal experience, when I get a call while driving I tend to respond, while using a hands free system, with “hey, I’m driving I’ll call you when I get a chance”. Letting the person on the other end know that I do not want to put anyone at risk while I’m behind the wheel. Another factor that must come to a stop is speeding. The national safety council states that back in 2019 26% of all traffic casualties were due to speeding, killing over 9,000 people in that year by itself. On average, that is killing 25 people per day. 

As a senior in high school, I have been a passenger to plenty of friends behind the wheel and all though I’ve never been in a serious car accident I can say that I do see teenagers drive more offensive and be on their phone while driving. Personally, I feel that often most teenagers’ parents that buy them a car feel that they have all the freedom in the world. This thought creates a false sense of immortality and safety isn’t their top priority. There have been situations when I was a passenger with a friend behind the wheel as they kept driving very offensively.  They would always be on their phone to change the music or go on social media and it caused me to feel unsafe. I asked them to pull over so I could get out and have someone I trust pick me up and take me home. I’m not saying all teenagers are careless when it comes to driving, but I see the majority of teens not being as safe as they should be when they’re behind the wheel. Throughout my high school years I have always had friends with cars and I would often be a passenger. I remember before I had my own car, I would see all the mistakes my friends would make when it comes to driving and I always said to myself that I would make it a point not to make the same mistake. 

In closing, I feel it is important to note that the more comfortable we become driving offensively the higher our chances are of creating avoidable car accidents. For example, often I see cars in my neighborhood not using their blinker while in the safety of our local streets. This makes me wonder, if it is that easy for them to not follow the law while driving in our neighborhood are they doing it on busier roads as well?  Now that I have been on the road for some time, I have learned how to fix a lot of my mistakes, I have learned what to look for, and I have learned what to avoid. I have realized that It is imperative not to rely on other drivers on the road, but to be the best defensive driver I can be.