In the Driver’s Seat

Education allows oneself to prepare for, appreciate and develop a clearer understanding of a particular issue or topic. From an early age, I have embraced my education. As I advanced through elementary school, more challenges in middle school, and the rigorous academics of high school, I have learned that educating myself serves as an indispensable mode of mental preparation when I want to learn, comprehend, or add value. When I invest the time to research or practice, mental preparation helps me to feel more equipped, more relaxed, and more confident in myself and my abilities. I consider myself to be a strong student, intelligent and hard-working, and I cannot envision sitting down for an exam that I was ill-prepared for. Yet, when it comes to driving a vehicle on public roads, we are tested daily, and I am not confident that the driving experience is managed with the same vigor and vigilance that it deserves to be.

In the case of driver education, there is little doubt that it is one of the most essential teachings that could be offered. In my home state of New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, I recognize that the fundamental teachings of my classroom learning combined with my behind-the-wheel experience were vital components of knowledge prior to obtaining my driver’s license. With nearly one quarter of a billion licensed drivers in the United States alone, there are few other actions performed by millions on a regular basis as grave one in which a slight error in judgment or miscalculation could end one’s own, or someone else’s life. I am confident that a more robust national driver education effort, with federal implementation, could serve to reduce severe accidents, thereby reducing traffic deaths because of driving.

With a new and improved national driver education impetus, drivers, specifically those whose history includes DUI, fleeing from a police officer, speeding, reckless driving, chronic accidents, and/or other serious traffic violations in which driver’s license points are accumulated, would be put into a system in which they are required to take a federal road drivers test at a predetermined interval, perhaps every five to ten years, or until such time as the points on their license were reduced to a particular level. If someone in the system goes the five-year (or ten-year) period without any reported traffic violations, they would not be required to retest, unless they incurred more violations. Another step to reduce driving deaths would be to reexamine the abilities of our elderly drivers. Since aging is known to cause changes in vision, our ability to hear also declines, and our reaction times are known to slow as we grow older. These three factors, while normal, are significant. No one should feel slighted or disrespected. Senior citizens would be required to take the federal written and road drivers tests during their 70^th year, and every five to ten years thereafter.

I have been fortunate to have been spared the experience of being the driver involved in a car accident, but when I was 17, I was the passenger in a vehicle driven by a friend who had a minor accident. I had just received my own driver’s license, and the experience was frightening, although thankfully, no one was hurt. In that case, a distracted driver crossed over the center lines and entered our lane of traffic. Gabby, my friend who was driving, was forced off the road to avoid colliding with the oncoming car, and her vehicle contacted a sign on the side of the street. The police were called, and a ticket was issued to the irresponsible driver. I realize how narrowly we avoided a head-on collision, and how devastating the outcome could have been.

Near-misses, plus my own observation of irresponsible and careless driving has continued to serve as a blunt reminder of what I know is right, and it reaffirms my belief in the choices I make while driving. While sitting in traffic, I am never surprised to see the person in my rear-view mirror staring down at their cellphone, but I know that the person in front of me won’t see the same thing from me. I will continue to take steps to be a better and safer driver. Every time I get behind the wheel, I make a mental pledge to myself and to my family to drive safely and deliberately, to not let emotions dictate how I drive, and to be courteous to other drivers. I will continue to lead by example in an effort to help other become safer on the road.