Non Driver- Soon to be driver

Today, I don’t have a driver’s license, but by the end of the calendar year 2025 I will obtain my first driver’s license. I’ll admit I have not been interested in driving for myself at all. Living in a robust city with adequate public transportation, I never had a need for a license of my own. I work and grocery using the public transportation system along with convenient ride sharing apps. I seem to get around pretty good not withstanding some timing issues and surge charges at peak times. All and all, I’m generally satisfied with not driving and not owning a car. Why is that? What makes a fully grown adult so opposed to learning the basic skill of driving? Why is obtaining a license and a vehicle simply not relevant to my day-to-day lifestyle?

As a young adult I became first aware of the importance of driver education. As I muddled through high school my friends and classmates obtained their driving permits and licenses. It was a cause for celebration and convenience off campus lunches and trips to the mall. When I got into college as an unlicensed freshman, I was blindsided with the realities of the high numbers of deaths because of driving. A dorm-mate of mine invited me to her hometown of Minster, Ohio where she graduated from Minster High School. I noticed a poster on her wall above her bed with about 30 classmates on it. When I asked her who those students were and if we’d be meeting them at the Oktoberfest celebrations? With a sad reply she informed me that the students on this poster were deceased. Tragically they had all passed away in driving accidents. I couldn’t believe it at first, so I needed clarification. She explained to me that those some 30 or so classmates of hers, were deceased and had died in car accidents over the span of the school year. I don’t know the circumstances of any of these accidents, however the seriousness of operating a motor vehicle has always weighed heavy on my heart, knowing that my dorm-mate and friend had lost so many of her friends and classmates so early in life and so tragically. With that said, my friend is an amazing driver herself. It was so easy to be comfortable in her passenger seat, knowing I was safe with every ride we took. Always knowing that driver education is extremely important to reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving.

A step that should be taken to reduce the amount of deaths related to driving is to continue periodic education requirements. These periodic driving education requirements are just updates on what drivers already have shown to have knowledge of in the written the driver’s test. This is a shorter test that has basic questions but, a timed assessment taken after the first two years of driving. This could ensure that the driver has retained the knowledge they learned when first obtaining their license to drive. Perhaps the results of such a test should allow for more informed drivers to qualify for insurance cost reductions. Since we know that newer drivers are often charged a higher price in car insurance due to lack of experience.

There are a lot of things to learn when it comes to the rules of the road. I don’t have much experience driving but just about everyone I know has had many relatives with SR22 insurance policy requirements. I have relatives who weren’t aware that driving a 2 wheeled motor vehicle required a license. Driving irresponsibly is something that is often unmentioned. Carelessness on the road is far too common regardless of demographic. There are drivers who drive way above the speed limit regularly and other drivers who don’t pay attention to bikers in bike lanes.

So the only steps that I can take to ensure that I am a safe driver and to help others be as safe on the road as possible, is to remind myself and others to stay calm and slow down. Reminding myself and others on the road that driving faster doesn’t get you to your destination any quicker. Rather if you leave the house a few minutes earlier you could make it to your destination on time and possibly even early. So relax while driving and I hope that I can relax when I’m on the road. As a new driver I’ll spend a lot of time in the right lane. Just like the old adage says “slow and steady always wins the race.”