Destination: Drivers Education, Responsibility and Safety

Many people do not realize it but when you get behind the wheel, you assume responsibility for many lives: your own, your passengers, and those outside the vehicle. If we thought about driving this way on a grand scale, many would surely prefer to take the bus, get their licenses after ensuring they have more understanding of driving safety, or walk, a safer but less lavish and time-efficient option. The responsibility safety demands emphasizes the importance of driver education. If more people were properly educated drivers, they would be more likely to take safety precautions seriously and the number of driving-related deaths would be dramatically reduced. My views on driver education are influenced by my experiences with two very safe drivers; one who has never been involved in an accident, and the other who caused a life-changing one.

My mother has been a professional bus driver and worked in transportation my entire life, which is twenty-three years. For ten of those twenty-three, she has been a driving instructor–lecturing others on the importance of driver education and driving responsibly. She always says “Most, if not all vehicle accidents are preventable” and “Being on time or rushing somewhere because you’re running late, is not worth someone’s life, be it your own or a stranger’s so take your time while driving to make sure you’re driving responsibly”. Her stress on driving education and responsibility made it difficult for me to learn how to drive as a teen, as her rhetoric would cause me great anxiety and I would feel like my mother was always watching over my shoulder as I drove. It was not until a close friend of mine experienced being in a car accident due to driving irresponsibly that I realized the truth of my mother’s words and the true responsibility of reducing the number of driving deaths on those who drive.

 

I have ridden with my close friend, Emmett, whose name is changed in this essay for privacy purposes, many times before and had always known him to be a safe driver. He would not even start the car until seat belts were buckled, he would change lanes with great care, control his emotions while driving so that his judgment was not impaired, and rarely drove when it rained, even if it was a drizzle, for the safety of himself and others. One day, Emmett was driving home from a late-night workout session at the gym. He was tired from an especially challenging workout and wanted to get home quickly so he was speeding hastily down a seemingly empty street–something he had safely done many times before. However, on this particular night, Emmett was playing loud music to stay awake as well. This combination of hurried speeds and loud distracting music made it impossible to see the biker that he would strike and kill instantly. Emmett stopped immediately, called the police, and stayed at the scene for questioning. The incident was ruled an unfortunate accident and Emmett was able to avoid sentencing because the man killed was not wearing reflective gear. This accident has changed Emmett’s life as he cannot do much of anything without thinking of the incident and is often consumed by remorse. This experience has also changed my relationship with driving and driving safety as Emmett was the most responsible driver I had known outside of my mother. In doing so, in the smallest moment of irresponsibility, he had ended a life. Since learning about this incident, as well as helping my dear friend cope with its realities and consequences, I have a difficult time driving like I did when I was a teen. However, unlike when I was younger, the image and feeling of my mother watching over my shoulder as I drive, reminding me of the steps I can take to be a better and safer driver, and help others become safer, has provided me great comfort and ease.

 

There are a lot of steps one can take to be a safe and responsible driver, to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Besides ensuring everyone wears a seatbelt, safe driving habits are following the speed limit, checking for blindspots and pedestrians, even in “seemingly” empty spaces and streets, avoiding distracting loud music, and driving tired. A preventative step outside these can also be spending the night where you are if you’re able, calling a car to pick you up from somewhere, or even walking if possible. Like in all realms of life, not just in driving, the actions of others are uncontrollable but if you take the steps to be a better and safer driver, that can mean all the difference.