Confident, Not Cocky

Driving is one of the most unique necessities for many Americans on an international scale. While most American adults get the privilege to drive, a large number do not respect or regard the responsibility that comes along with said privilege. Some may argue that the number of deaths in car accidents every year is negligible considering the number of drivers there are. However, on average 34,000 Americans a year die in a car accident. That is enough people to fill up FAU stadium with 4,000 people waiting outside. Additionally, that figure only refers to the average number of deaths a year, if we include the number of individuals who end up incapacitated, that number would skyrocket into the millions. I notice bad driving frequently where I live and on my daily commute to school. From young, new drivers going triple-digit speeds to elderly folks ramming into stop signs and mailboxes, bad driving cannot be attributed to one single demographic, rather it is an epidemic. 

Driving education is one important step in the path to reducing driving deaths. I was lucky enough to take a driver’s education course in high school. There was a substantial amount of information I learned thanks to that class that I do not think I would have learned otherwise. For example, I remember learning about the actions to take in various driving emergencies, such as if my brakes suddenly stopped working. While the likelihood of such occurrence is low, it is better that I know what to do than be clueless should it occur. While newer drivers taking driver’s education classes is quite common, I believe that every driver should be required to take a refresher driving course at least every 5-10 years. While it is important to be confident in your driving abilities, you should not become cocky and let your guard down which a lot of experienced drivers often do. I am also a huge proponent for having to re-take your driving exam every few years after you are 60 years old. I feel this way especially because I live in an area with a high population of senior drivers who often lose their driving abilities but are allowed to keep their license because there is nothing in place that could take it away, unless there is a medical issue or if the individual has multiple accidents. I believe the implementations of required refresher courses every 5-10 years plus required re-testing every few years after your 60th birthday would decrease driving deaths as people would remain aware of their abilities and remain confident, not cocky. 

My brother, unfortunately like many individuals, was one to often text-and drive. He felt very confident in his ability to take his eyes off the road to reply to a text message, despite the fact he had crashed on his bicycle more than a few times thanks to doing the same thing. However, one day that all changed. My brother was driving home from an appointment when he was involved in a car accident. He was hit in the back by a driver who had been texting and driving. My brother was thankfully okay for the most part physically, just some back and neck pains, but was mentally quite shaken up. The back of my brother’s car was totaled, but that was not why my brother was frightened, yet relieved. My nephew, his son, Giovanni was visiting us but was thankfully home with my mom and I. Giovanni wanted to go with my brother but eventually we convinced him to stay home. Had he gone with my brother, Giovanni would have been sitting in his car seat in the back. While his car seat was not impacted, the jolt on Giovanni’s body would have likely caused some injury or if anything, great mental distress. I would get angry when my brother would text and drive with me in the car as it made no sense since I could have easily answered the text, just like I do for my mom. But, ever since that day, I have never seen him text-and-drive again. My brother is one of the lucky ones though. He is lucky that he was not heavily injured or killed. 

The best thing for all drivers to do, young or old, is to be confident but not cocky in their driving. Being unconfident about your driving will cause you to become anxious which will cause you to feel a lot of bad feelings when you are driving, thus distracting you. On the other hand, when you become cocky with your driving, you feel like nobody can touch you and that you are on top of the world, you let your guard down and you begin to do dumb things when driving. I will say I am guilty of letting this happen, especially when I’m in a more isolated area. But I know that I should not change a song while driving or look at my notifications, even in an isolated area. Why? Because you will get used to doing that and you will begin to do those same dumb actions everywhere. While you should be a good example to others while you are driving, you should also remain a good example for yourself.