Driving Makeover Era

“It’s time to enter your makeover era!”

These are the words I would use to encourage a transformative shift in the driver’s education curriculum. Every citizen deserves comprehensive and engaging driver education to make informed decisions, understand driving rules and regulations, and ultimately reduce the staggering number of fatalities caused by car crashes each year.

A revamped driver education curriculum is crucial in achieving this goal. By modernizing teaching methods and content delivery, students can learn essential skills such as emergency response, traffic management, and resistance to peer pressure in a more impactful manner. For instance, simulations and interactive lessons could simulate real-life driving scenarios, teaching students how to react appropriately under pressure and emphasizing the consequences of reckless driving.

Beyond classroom experience, practical learning is vital. I will never forget the day after my twin got her permit, my mom let her drive us to Walmart on the main road. Keep in mind my twin did not have prior driving experience outside of the behind the wheel training that she completed several months before getting her permit. I recommended that she start out driving in the neighborhood for a few minutes before going on the main road, but she was persistent in driving straight to Walmart and my mom agreed. Within minutes my sister almost ran into someone! My mom told her to get over in the right lane, so without checking her blind spot she shifted the wheel and then all of a sudden we heard “BEEP”. Afterwards, the driver gave us a dirty look. This experience taught me firsthand the complexity of driving and the importance of gradual exposure to different driving experiences. Practicing in controlled settings like neighborhoods and empty parking lots can help new drivers build confidence and master basic maneuvers before facing more challenging road conditions.

In my junior year of high school, I witnessed a group of seniors presenting their prototype at the annual senior expo event. Their creation, a virtual reality game named DriVR, was aimed to help young drivers learn and practice safe driving techniques. The game simulated scenarios where players would lose points for infractions like running red lights or speeding. Projects like DriVR have the potential to revolutionize driver education by providing accessible, risk-free practice opportunities for those without access to a vehicle or experienced supervisors.

I will be the first to admit that I have driven irresponsibly, and before I point fingers I honestly am the only reason for my actions and the consequences. Nothing severe happened like crashing my car or getting into an accident. However, I have made a few mistakes that helped me to realize driving is not something to take lightly. One day when I got my limited learner’s permit that only allowed me to drive with a supervisor. I was approaching a traffic light that was green then quickly changed to yellow. In hopes that I would be able to make it I slammed on the gas and ultimately ran a red light. At this point my mom was fed up with me driving like that. She told me in irritation, “You need to stop that, because you aren’t going to like having a broken body part or a messed up car! And if someone doesn’t have insurance to repair the damages, I’ll have to pay for that.” Honestly, that helped me to see that driving has serious consequences if the driver is not being responsible.

This leads to the steps that I have taken to be a better driver. First, I have gotten into the habit of simply being alert. Before I unlock the door to my car I double check that my tires have enough air in them. After getting into the car I put my seat belt on before I turned on the car. Following buckling my seat belt I check that all the mirrors are in their proper place. Once everything is properly set I begin driving. I make sure to use my turn signals and check my blind spots when necessary. The strategy that I find works best is look in the direction that I am driving in, but also dart my eyes in my rear view and side mirrors throughout my driving time. Further, a decision that I have made that pushes me to be self disciplined is to put my phone on “do not disturb”. This reduces my chances of getting distracted and causing an accident. Overall, it is important for young, new, and seasoned drivers to be educated on driving. Along with the components that makeup a responsible driver which are to pay attention, stay alert, and drive attentively to foster a safe driving environment for all.