YOLO

When learning to drive many people even myself, fall victim to fear. We doubt ourselves more than we need to, and it causes us to overcomplicate the simple things. As we continue to drive muscle memory is built, and everything starts to feel easier the more experience you get. The muscle memory that everyone builds however is different because of the habits they do in the first couple of months of getting their license. Before taking the test people seem to stay within the rules and don’t take too many conscious risks, but as they gain freedom on the road bad habits start to form and it is hard to catch them until it is too late.

Drivers’ education is very important in today’s society because of the large amount of teen drivers on the road. The number one cause of death for teens is traffic accidents that are cause by bad habits such as speeding, driving under the influence, and distracted driving. All these have simple solutions that are constantly being pushed to everyone around the world. I for one cannot scroll on social media without seeing an ad or just a positive message telling me to not text and drive. With all the helpful resources catered to drivers, it is hard to understand why there is such a large number of deaths caused by reckless and dangerous drivers.

One way to assist in reducing the number of deaths caused by driving is to make the drivers test more standardized. So many different DMVs around the U.S have so many different variations of a driving test which can be easier depending on the day and time you go, the person testing you, and the location in which you are testing. This makes it harder to assess the actual skills and discipline of the drivers attaining their license. Another way in reducing the death count is by making rules on the road stricter and enforcing mistakes made. The more consequences enforced on people as they drive can reduce the number of rules broken in the long run.

Before I knew how to drive, I wasn’t paying too much attention to how people drove the car I was in, but as I started to learn and watch the road I realized how unsafe some people were and how much lack of concern they had for safety. I am lucky enough to have never been in a car accident, but I have witnessed countless times people blatantly breaking laws. The most common example I can give is driving under the influence. My family is very close and active so we have many parties and get togethers year round. During the party the adults will drink, laugh, and have a good time while others will smoke and have a good time as well. After the events however everyone will get in their cars, drive home, and go about their day without a second thought in their mind. Even though the drive may be close and the road may be clear there is still a chance for any of them to get into an accident because they had been under the influence before driving. I often find myself hoping and praying that nothing bad happens to them because I know it doesn’t take much for someone to slip up and make a mistake. I have also seen many friends drive while allowing themselves to get distracted by their phones. Whether it be an incoming text, funny social media post, or just a way to kill time they know exactly what could happen in a worst-case scenario and still allow themselves to fall into the trap.

Because I now have my license and have been observing other people’s habits while driving I now know the best way to free myself of all unnecessary dangers. While driving I should always have two hands on the wheel, put my phone face down, unless I am using a GPS of course, and I should also refrain from eating or grooming. All these things allow me to be a safer driver for myself but also for the people driving in the cars around me. I try to inform everyone I know about the safety precautions they should take and about how easy it is for them to have a fatal crash because of careless mistakes. It is very frequent in our society that people make decisions and think about the risks after. This is a mindset that will not only have a lot of young people dead but also on a data chart as a statistic. Life is not guaranteed, so people should take more initiative in preserving it. YOLO.