No Room for Error

One day, on an undivided two-lane highway in Oregon, I was driving with my dad down the west coast, moving at around 70mph (per the speed limit). Something felt off, however as a car approached us in the lane to our left. After a moment of consideration, my dad and I shared a bewildered and frightened look as we realized two facts. Firstly, we were not, in fact, on a two-lane highway (the north-bound lane was across a wide grassy ditch). Secondly, the person that was about to pass us (at roughly the same speed we were moving) was on the wrong side of the road. By keeping calm and staying out of their way, we avoided a head-on collision.

One afternoon in Seattle, a man and his leashed poodle patiently waited for the pedestrian light to signal it was their turn to be in the roadway. This ordinary crosswalk experience was subsequently interrupted by the blaring honk of a truck approaching the crosswalk — with no sign of slowing down. The pair quickly moved back (the action followed by a mix of panicked shouting and barking), narrowly dodging the truck who had blatantly run a red light. My aunt and I looked on from the opposite end of the crosswalk in disbelief, having witnessed what was nearly manslaughter.

One of my friends refuses to disclose how many times they failed their driving test before succeeding (but has confirmed it took more than five attempts). When they first shared this, we laughed. The first time they gave me a ride, however, I had to stop them from running a red light they’d failed to notice. My excitement at their newfound freedom was replaced by fear for their safety. By blatantly displaying a lack of skill and road awareness, they became a danger to themselves, their passengers, and other road-users.

One dark evening a few blocks away from my home, a freshly permit-ed driver failed to notice the slue of cars stopped at the crosswalk a block ahead. Had the driver’s mother not been in the car, not noticed the stopped cars, or not instructed the driver to slow down, the driver likely would have hit the pedestrian now crossing into view. The unwitting driver was me, and I am eternally grateful for my mom demonstrating proper driving awareness, and potentially saving that mans life.

Every situation I just recounted involved a lapse in the judgement of somebody given the privilege of driving. Lapses of judgement, that could have cost innocent people their lives. Poor judgement, that can be improved at the source with the teaching and cautioning of drivers education. With over 40,000 annual motor vehicle fatalities, young drivers (under the age of 24) are the cause of a disproportionately high percentage of these accidents. Making proper driver education affordable, accessible, and mandatory is essential in the fight to lessen the number of driving-related deaths.

I went in to my own first driver’s-ed class not expecting to learn much. “How hard can it be?” I thought, having already driven a few hours with my permit, “I already know how to avoid other cars and follow signs.”

I finished the class not only with an understanding of the “driving basics” I was expecting, but more importantly I finished with a newfound mindset of defensive driving, a wealth of knowledge on the safest techniques for existing on the road, and a healthy respect for the two-ton metal box I was now entrusted with controlling. Driver’s education provided insights I never would have learned through experience alone.

On an individual level, I’m constantly assessing the risks that other cars and conditions pose, and reacting accordingly. By practicing habits such as eliminating distractions, creating ample braking distance from the vehicle in front of me, and staying aware of my road positioning, I minimize the amount of danger for myself, my passengers, and the people around me. These are all strategies I learned in my driver’s-ed class, that I was able to put into practice with supervised behind-the-wheel training before braving the open road alone. Similarly, I refuse to be complacent if I’m the passenger of someone driving unsafely.

Where I grew up, high-quality drivers education programs were extremely affordable and easily accessible through the public school system (mine costing under twenty dollars). Not all states are as fortunate, however, as the same certification can cost young drivers several hundred dollars. What’s even worse is that not all states require proof of formal training to obtain a license!

We can reduce the number of driving-related deaths by making driver’s-ed mandatory for unlicensed people across the United States, as well as affordable (and thereby more accessible). There is no room for trial-and-error when “minor” errors can claim lives. Educated drivers make safer roadway users, period.