Accountability; Buckle Up, Phone Down

My stomach turns every time my brother gets in my car. Though I always remind him patiently to put on his seatbelt, it always slips his mind. I wonder what could happen if he got into a car crash with somebody else, somebody who didn’t prompt him like I did. I wonder if he knows how that “annoying” strip of polyester could save his life. I hold my breath when I see my friends look away from the road to put on some music. Don’t they know how much the scenery and road changed while they were playing DJ? I am told not to worry about stuff like that. They tell me that they are “so used to it by now” or “skilled enough” to get away with it. Little do they know; 3000 drivers die each year in auto accidents caused by cell phone related distracted driving.

They might not know these terrifying factoids, but it is important to respect the dangers of driving. By no means do I want to scare the up-and-coming generation away from the road, but proper education about the reality of being a driver is crucial for safety in transportation. In North Dakota, 30 hours of driver’s education is required. A study conducted by AAA in 2014 found that driver’s education classes reduced crashes by nearly 5%. To quote a 2015 study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident, and 16% more likely to have an accident.” However, just because driver’s education is a requirement in my state doesn’t mean we can forget the other 18. Other states do have their own requirements, but I think that all kids should have the experience of learning alongside their peers in a classroom setting. This can ensure that we all learn the same traffic rules, not whatever their parents use on backroads. Driver’s education is necessary. The steps that I believe should be taken as we progress into a hopeful future with safer roads are driver’s education becoming mandatory in all states, driver’s education classes and courses available in all schools, and an increase in mandatory hours spent behind the wheel before a driver’s license can be granted.

Availability of quality education in the rules of driving is necessary to ease kids into driving and give them the skills to drive safely. Once teens have these skills, they learn how to be responsible as drivers. They need to be taught driving etiquette and how “goofing off” can have serious consequences. I personally took a driver’s education class in eighth grade. Though initially I was annoyed that I’d be spending a week of my summer vacation back at school, the skills and information I gained during that week were paramount. We learned about how dangerous driving could be, but more importantly how to make driving as safe as possible. Taking a driver’s education course with other kids in your age group also keeps you accountable. Accountability is something all drivers need to have to keep themselves, and their passengers, safe. It is up to me as a driver what happens in my car, like who wears their seatbelts, how attentive I am to my surroundings, how fast I drive, and how careful I am. I know now that how I drive reflects how much I will pay in car insurance and that staying accident-free saves lives. Accountability is what makes me remind my brother, among others, to put their seatbelt on before I put my car into drive. Accountability as a passenger is offering to change the playlist or text someone for the driver, so that their eyes can stay on the road. Driver’s education taught me accountability by showing me what could happen in a car accident and making me want to prevent them as much as possible.

Accidents are the most terrifying thing that you can imagine as a new driver. When I got behind the wheel for the first time, I sat paralyzed in the driver’s seat with my hands glued to the wheel. By the end of my hours of guided behind the wheel lessons, I found my confidence. This confidence in my skills along with the skills is what has made me the safest driver that I can be. In North Dakota, teens make up 5.5% of drivers, yet account for nearly 21% of crashes. Americans spend an average of 4.3 years of our lives driving. A message I have for any driver is to have accountability, “your vehicle, your rules, your accidents”. Keep yourself accountable, keep your passengers safe.