My Mistakes as a Driver: In The Driver’s Seat

In my short time as a driver, I feel that I have made enough observations that have helped me understand not just my own bad habits as a driver, but also common bad habits that many people make, that can lead to serious injury and death. Having been in an accident, I have learned that it is very easy to make a small mistake, that can compound and grow into a disaster.

In late July 2022, I was driving home with my sister. I had been taking her to a few stores that she had wanted to go to because she does not have her license yet. On our way home, I found myself getting into an accident. We were on Dover Center Road, which is a very busy road in my area. What had happened was, there was a lawn service company that had parked its truck and equipment on the side of the road of which I was driving. This road is a simple road, two ways. This meant that cars would have to go around it, or stop when oncoming traffic was in the way. From my understanding of what had happened, a few cars ahead of me, someone tried to go around this truck while traffic was coming and had slammed on their brakes. This caused a very quick chain reaction of every car slamming on their brakes. I was going around 35-40 miles per hour, and when I slammed on my breaks, there was not enough space between me and the car ahead of me, meaning there wasn’t enough time for me to come to a complete stop. I essentially “slid” into the car ahead of me. Luckily, no one was hurt, but there was damage to the car ahead of me and my car as well.

After this accident, I immediately understood exactly what I had done wrong. The times I would drive with my grandpa had come back to me. His lessons on safe driving flooded back into my mind, realizing I had let these lessons slip from my mind as I became more comfortable as a driver. My grandpa would always stress the importance of keeping my space between myself and the car ahead of me, especially as my car increased in speed. I also realized that I had failed to really pay attention to my surroundings. It is very easy to focus on what is right in front of you, but you need to truly analyze everything around you, and especially ahead of you. This means not just looking at the car directly ahead, but what is going on further down the road. I should have been able to know that there was a vehicle parked ahead of me. I made many mistakes that day, and they have taught me that it is important to remember how easy it is to make a mistake driving, to keep my distance, and to never be too comfortable/be always alert. The steps I can take to be a better and safer driver come down to essentially refocusing on what I had learned. I should always focus on my surroundings, and never get too close to a vehicle, where if something were to happen, I wouldn’t be able to stop in time. I have to remember that these are machines, and if it is not properly handled, it can be disastrous.

Drivers’ education is crucial in reducing the number of deaths and injury from driving. Like all fields, the more one knows, the better. It is very important that a person who is entering a moving, metal, machine, that can go over 100 miles per hour, understands not only how that machine works, but also the ability for destruction it has. The machine, when used correctly, will not hurt or kill anyone. But the wrong person behind the wheel can be catastrophic. Drivers’ education is crucial to making sure that there are less uninformed drivers.

I personally believe that the best way to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to make the average driver better. I think we need to raise the standards for all drivers, new and old. I feel that many people (especially post covid) have managed to get licenses while being lesser drivers. I feel that to be true of myself as well. I also feel that there needs to be more penalties and abilities for law enforcement to deal with people who drive recklessly. Whether it is speeding, or texting and driving, I think that there should be less “warnings”. I understand why cops give people warnings; I do. But we need to be stricter in my opinion with how people drive. There is a viral body cam video of a cop stopping a young couple in a car for speeding, he gives them a warning about their speed, and lets them go. Later on, the same officer is called to find a vehicle rammed underneath a semi-truck with both drivers dead. Obviously, it isn’t the cop who is at fault, it is the young driver, but some people are not responsible enough to be left off with just a warning. So, I feel that if we raise the standards of getting a license/driving and are stricter with enforcement, I think we could reduce the numbers somewhat. You can’t stop people from making bad decisions, but you can try and help them to make the right decisions.