The Danger of Driving Culture

“Driving isn’t dangerous”, a mindset shared by many Americans, and me at one point in time. Driving is an everyday part of life and something that everybody does, and due to this most people have become desensitized to its seriousness and the responsibility that accompanies getting behind the wheel. I cannot say that I’m any different, since I was little, I never saw driving as something potentially dangerous but instead something I couldn’t wait to do. Perceptions of driving are also what they are today due to people’s conduct while driving. I always saw the people who were behind the wheel distracted, either talking to friends or on their phones. Due to this being my introduction to driving, I thought it an easy task requiring little to no thought. Due to my exposure to driving, I even failed to car accidents seriously. My whole life my dad got into a car accident about every year, with us always getting a new car. He was never injured, and my parents never complained about how dangerous it was only the impact on our insurance or the burden of replacing the car. Driving isn’t taken seriously due to the culture around it, the way people behave when driving treating it and accidents as unimportant formalities.

Driving isn’t the only thing that is treated like a formality, but driver education is as well. I too saw driver education as a chore and dreaded having to sit in a classroom for three hours a day. However, it was the first place where I heard the dangers of driving truly discussed. Driver education is also the first place where I learned how much goes into driving, from monitoring your speed, to constantly checking your environment, and making sure you’re heading to the right place. Driving education was my exposure to the importance and dangers of driving. Due to my experience, I feel that driver education’s importance lies not only in teaching students how to drive but also in imparting to students the responsibility of getting behind the wheel. I feel that the lesson driver’s education provides young drivers is key to reducing the number of deaths caused by driving. Driver education creates more knowledgeable and responsible drivers that are less likely to cause danger when on the road.

Despite the positive impact of driver education, driving still causes far too many fatalities. The main cause of car accidents is driving under the influence and distracted driving. I feel that this traces back to an even deeper issue which is people’s attitude towards driving. An attitude that makes them think that it’s okay to drive under the influence or while on their phone. I believe that this attitude stems from the culture around driving that I previously mentioned. That is why I also believe that the most surefire step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths by driving is to change the culture, or the way people view driving. The first time that people hear about the seriousness of driving shouldn’t be in driving school. Children shouldn’t grow up thinking it’s normal to be distracted and, on the phone, while driving. If kids are taught and shown from a young age the right approach to driving, they can implement that approach when they become drivers themselves. While I have never been in a car accident myself, I have experienced and understand the impact of irresponsible driving and hope that someday others won’t normalize the same.

While I think that the culture around driving needs to be changed, I also know that there are things that I can do to be a part of the change. I can be a better driver by exemplifying the change that I want to see. I can be a responsible driver who focuses on the road when behind the wheel and encourages my peers to do the same. I can’t force people to become more responsible overnight, but I can attempt to lead by example. I can also make sure any child who rides in the car with me doesn’t think it’s normal to be on your phone or unfocused. I may not be the best driver on the road, but I can be the most focused one and make sure to always do my due diligence to be as safe as possible whilst on the road.

Many drivers view driving as a means to an end and a frivolous task. At the same time, about 34,000 people die a year because of driving. This is a paradoxical statement but also seems to be a cause and effect of sorts. The number of deaths that occur because of driving is significant. This number could be higher but is lowered by the quality of education provided in driver education. This number, however, could be further lowered by changing people’s outlook towards driving. I hope to be part of this change by exemplifying responsible driving and being a positive role model to others. By changing the way people view driving we can change the way they drive themselves. I hope that others can come to see driving as the important responsibility it is so that the road can be a safer place for everyone.