The Reality of Being Behind The Wheel

To me, the ability to drive was a sign of maturity. It was a sign that a person was getting their life together and in order. But now as I am but a few days away from my own drivers exam as a 17 year old teenager. I feel nothing of the sort. I still feel so immature, which makes me wonder how other teens my age feel? And are they just as capable as me? I know the many dangers and responsibilities that come with driving. Some of those being how easy it is for your life to be taken away from your family and friends with a simple but detrimental mistake on the road. Which is why I believe that driver’s education is vital in reducing and preventing the number of car related deaths as a result of driving.

Many things can be done to reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving, but the most important one starts in the very beginning with driver education. A greater emphasis of driver education in and out of the classroom can reduce the number of car related deaths, as it can remind students who are in the process of learning how to drive just how serious driving is. Because having more exposure to what it is like to sit behind the wheel in a car can give students a huge reality check. Which will in return allow students to have more experience and a firmer understanding on what to expect from the road and other drivers. An outcome that will greatly benefit not just them but others who are also sharing the road with them. Gradually reducing the number of casualties on the road.

Another process that can be put in place to help reduce the number of car related deaths is having experienced drivers watch a mandatory video on driving etiquette and rules every few years. In an effort to refresh their memories and remind drivers what they should be demonstrating everyday on the road. Because as drivers gain more experience on the road, they can have the tendency to become more confident and comfortable. This confidence and comfortability gained over the years of driving can then translate and turn into carelessness. Which is a result of experienced drivers being so used to having no accidents during their time as drivers. This carelessness that is the product of confidence and comfortability with the road can be what is the undoing of many experienced drivers.

This carelessness is something that I’ve seen in my own parents, especially my mother. My mother has the tendency to speed when she drives, because she’s always on the run doing errands. But because nothing bad has ever happened to her, she does not feel the need to change her ways and continues to speed and make risky moves on the road. I am thankful for this luck my mother has had, but it still worries me and my family. I believe that one of the few reasons why she has been able to drive between recklessness and safety for so long is due to some “sobering” moments she has had on the road. One of those moments was when my mother was waiting to enter the main road, after picking me up from school. When a car coming from the left on the main road was driving very fast and in an effort to swerve away from another car, it flew into a ditch. Thankfully we were only observers to this accident, but it was enough to scare my mother and give her a reminder of how dangerous driving can be. But not everyone is able to have moments like these where they realize the gravity of driving and come out alive or with no scars.

In conclusion, driving is no silly matter. But it is something that should be taken seriously from the very beginning of one’s journey to learning how to drive and even way after when they have their license. Which begins with driver’s education. As there are a multitude of things that could go wrong on the road and the importance of driving safety can only really be imprinted in an individual’s mind in the very beginning or sadly if they go through an accident. Even with this in mind more efforts should be put in place, so that driving can become safer for all and something that should not be as feared.