Responsibility of the Driver

Driver education is important because it reduces the number of deaths on our national roadways. Young drivers are especially at risk due to their inexperience on the road. Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading killers of our young people here in the US. In 2019, alone 2,400 teens aged 13-19 died during a car crash and 258,000 teens were admitted into the hospital for crash injuries. This age group is three times more likely to be involved in a crash than age groups 20 or above.

Three steps to take to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are to inform, to educate, and to make boundaries for these young people. Informing people is the number one way on how to prevent something from happening, if no one knew there was a problem there would be no need to fix it. Most people know that teenagers are known to be wild and reckless, but many do not know the extent of the damage these car crashes have onto our young adults here in this country. We see car crashes often on our highways and side streets but never stop to wonder how that person has someone they care about at home who will miss them terribly if they are gone. The next step is to educate the young and old alike about how big of a responsibility it is to be behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound hunk of metal. Several young drivers have gone through driver’s education to get their driver’s license and yet this does not reduce the number of crashes per year. However, what has bene proven is a set of graduated driver licensing laws (GDL) that help to manage the risks teen drivers will face as they mature and grow more experienced in driving. That leads into making boundaries for young drivers. GDL’s are one way to manage teen drivers and the risk they have on the road, but another boundary is making the teen wait longer for their license. The studies show that the brain does not fully mature until the age of twenty-five, so many of our drivers on the road are more prone to making risky decisions which would endanger the drivers around them. Not only do state and national laws help teenagers drive more safely but also the involvement of the guardian is crucial as well. As the prime legal parent or guardian of the child, it is your duty to ensure their safety as they go into adulthood. This includes setting personal barriers for the teen like curfew and ground rules that they must follow. Driving involves the responsibility of the lives of the driver and those around them. Setting guidelines can help in the prevention of an accident and the death of your or another’s child on the roadway.

I have been in one accident myself, though thankfully it did not involve another vehicle. I just got my permit and was driving home after school with my dad in the car. I have been given some confidence in my ability as a safe driver since I started to learn how to drive, and I thought I was a good driver. I had driven all the way home with no issues whatsoever, I did my turn signal when I need to and obeyed the speed limit. There was a little construction on the side road in front of my house, so the road went from two lanes to one, which I was not experienced enough to do. I somehow turned into the driveway at a diagonal, with the hood facing the middle section between the two garages of our and our neighbor’s condominium. I was still in drive and though I hit the brake to go into reverse but instead I hit the gas pedal and slammed the grate against the brick, mortar, and rock of the outside foundation of the condominium. I was in shock of what I have done and as a result, the damage to both the house and the car would amount to $3,000 dollars in damage. I learned a valuable lesson in responsibility, the impact an accident has on everybody, and how much money a little mistake cost. I am just lucky that it happened near home, and nobody had gotten hurt during the ordeal.

Three steps I can take to be a better driver are the following: more experience on the road, continue in driver’s education, and know the law. Since I am still very inexperienced, the best teacher is experience. There are multiple things you will never learn in a textbook and can only truly be mastered through training. I am continuing in my driver’s ed course, and I am learning about the dangers experienced on the road and gives me an idea on what to do if that course were to act. I also learn new things as I drive myself to school every day and encounter new obstacles to overcome and learn from my mistakes. Before driving I had a vague idea about the state laws but now as a driver, it has become real that I am now apart of the many citizens who have the privilege to drive on America’s roadways. Driving is a privilege many take for granted, safety should be number one priority when you get into the car on account of yourself, your passengers, and the other drivers around you. You never know what will happen on the roadways so be prepared and stay safe.