A few things I have learned, and a few things I want to teach.

For better or for worse we live in a very car-centric society. We have a lot of individual freedom because of this, having the ability to come and go whenever and wherever we want. But freedom should still have limitations, because you must recognize that your actions can cause immense consequences. I myself drive frequently, whether it’s to school, work, the store, or anywhere else that isn’t in my immediate vicinity, I must get behind the wheel and brave the sea of traffic. I realized early on that being a driver comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility, all it takes is one wrong move for a tragedy to occur. Exactly one week after I got my first car, I was involved in a minor car accident. A person backed into the passenger side of my car as I was passing their driveway. What I remember the most was the immediate jolt I felt as our vehicles met. We scrambled out to see what happened and to check if everyone was alright. I was very lucky, the first car accident I was involved in occurred at a very slow speed, and with no injuries whatsoever. The drive home was pretty grim though, all I could think about is how I have no control over other people’s actions, and that any one of them could hit me without a moment’s notice. It is times like these that shake the way you think about the world. I am glad that I had this experience early on before I was driving too much. It was a great wake-up call, because since that has happened, I am always aware and alert of the others around me. Defensive driving is probably the most important concept to remember when operating a vehicle. You must be vigilant at all times, solely being safe and following the rules on your own isn’t enough, you need to learn to anticipate the actions of those around you. Many instances have happened where my quick reaction to others’ mistakes has saved me from a potential accident.

A coworker of mine talked to me offhandedly about a car-related experience of his. His family was a little more loose with the rules about driving, so he started earlier than most. When he was fourteen he was driving at a very high speed, in a more hilly area. There was a motorcyclist he was following, who was also driving at this speed, and together they went over hills and around sharp bends in a dangerous manner. One curve they went around was just a little too slippery for the motorcycle to handle, and they skidded off of the road. My coworker witnessed this motorcyclist fall in such a way that narrowly avoided a potentially fatal injury. He was saying all of this in a joking manner, but I could tell that he was still shaken up about this experience. I thought about how it could have been him to skid off of the road, and how it is a miracle he wasn’t in an accident at all, since he was too young, and going too fast. This story made me think about our driving laws, and it is strange to me how so many people are completely fine with breaking them, and feel even justified in doing so. Habits start early on, and if we let dangerous habits like these persist, something awful could happen to those we care about. Fourteen is too young to operate a machine that can easily cause death or damage. Speeding, especially in diverse terrain, can cause small mistakes to compound into large ones. Many don’t understand that these driving laws have been built up over time, that so many tragedies had to have happened for them to be in place, and choosing to ignore them is also ignoring those who suffered for reasons that these laws are trying to prevent. If we nip these poor driving habits in the bud, we could prevent future drivers from being reckless on the road, and create a safer street environment.

Inspiring beginner drivers to be safe is a difficult process. People don’t like to be told not to do things, and so many aspects of learning to drive is about being told no. Parents and guardians teaching student drivers have a vital role when it comes to safety. If you learn to drive from someone who takes a lot of risks, bullies other drivers, and is overall very aggressive, you yourself may think that is how one is supposed to drive. If you learn to drive safely and with awareness, you will have a much lower chance of being involved in an accident. How as a society can we teach safe driving practices to everyone, especially including those who are learning from aggressive or dangerous drivers? A solution that I think could be both fun for those involved, and helpful in creating safe driving practices, is to create an organization, if there isn’t one already out there, whose main goal is to visit schools and teach students about these safe practices. They might come once or twice a year, and teach these practices in a fun and engaging way that will stick with those who participate. Students won’t pay attention to yet another boring lecture on safety, or a worksheet on traffic laws, but they just might pay attention to a game that quizzes their knowledge, or a driving simulator that rewards safe behavior. We must evolve the way we teach, and I am sure that there are all sorts of entertaining and informative ways to train future drivers. I know that if you have fun doing something that also happens to teach you, you learn much better that way.

In conclusion, driving is a responsibility, and requires constant vigilance. You cannot always anticipate the actions of others, but you can guard against them. If we find new and motivating ways to teach our children these concepts, then the danger that comes with driving could be reduced to a minimum, and we will have safer surroundings because of our desire to elevate our standards for drivers education.