WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE BEHIND THE WHEEL

Being a safe driver is one of the most crucial aspects of being on the road. With the immense amount of drivers on the road everyday, some being defensive and some being aggressive, a simple lapse of concentration could be the difference between life and death. While sad, and yes almost harsh sounding, it is the facts of driving. Though the probability is low of being in a crash, it is not uncommon to be even in a minor accident. Drivers education is the foundation of safe driving because the more educated drivers are, the less injuries and crashes will come as a result. Deaths that are resulted from car crashes seem to be more common than ever, even with all of the new safety features that cars have. Deaths, particularly among younger drivers, have been continuing at rates that must absolutely go down. It is simple to understand that if we educate the younger drivers, then we will see safer highways, safer neighborhoods, and safer back roads. However, in order to accomplish this, it must start in the school classroom with the implementation of driver’s education in both public and private schools. As someone that goes to a private school, I was never able to get any sort of drivers ed class. That is something that I believe would change the thinking process of driving for many kids that are as carefree as possible when they are behind the wheel. That step is the most crucial in starting the change with driving.

Being an eighteen year old driver, I have already been involved in car accidents before. When I was just twelve years old I experienced my first major car wreck, and since then I have actually seen quite a few accidents even while I am driving. The cause of the vast majority of those accidents are drivers who are simply not paying attention and not utilizing the valuable tools they have such as their side mirrors. What I view as a huge downside of being a teenage driver is the peer pressure to become a “cool driver.” I have been in the passenger side of the car when my friends are driving incredibly recklessly and every single time I get that pit feeling in my stomach that senses that something is wrong. What is so difficult for many teenage drivers to grasp is that it only takes one mess up to cause irreversible damage to themselves or to others. I view this thinking as a pure mindset issue. What scares me sometimes even more is when I see family members driving in a fashion that they would scold me for doing. It is truly saddening knowing that so many adults still participate in such bad driving habits. In my own personal experiences, every time that I have been put in danger has been as a result of an adult driving dangerously. It truly forces one to think that if adults are showcasing this type of behavior when driving, then any future generations could showcase much worse behaviors. That does not have to be a guarantee though. If we prioritize safe and defensive driving more in the classroom then our roads would be significantly safer.

For my own experiences, I was almost in a bad car accident just the other day when I was driving to school when a car swerved in front of me to pass another person, which in effect forced me to jerk onto the shoulder to avoid any sort of accident. It was a moment that made my breath hold and an influx of anxiety and fear swept over my body. If somehting like that does not make someone want to drive more defensive than I do not know what will. Even going outside of just other people, there are many more dangers when you drive that do not involve people. Things like deer, rainy conditions, and most of all, icy roads, can prove to be way more dangerous to a driver than other drivers. Roughly six years ago when almost every road in St. Louis was covered with ice, my family made a simple turn going very slow and being very safe, hit an ice patch. When this happened my head went flying into the window, giving me a large bump on my head. From that moment on when I see how many accidents happen as a result of ice, I want to just tell every driver to be ten times as cautious because I know that icy roads do not even faze some people and they continue to drive as normal. To make sure that the roads I drive on are safer, I will continue to remain alert and defensive when I drive because I fully understand the implications of what could happen if I choose to be a distracted driver. What that means is the phone goes away, and my eyes stay focused on the road ahead.