Name: Natalie Jones
From: Prairie Village, KS
Votes: 0
On a Saturday morning, my mom asked me a simple question: “Want to get coffee?” Being a teenager, I of course agreed. We hopped in the car, and at the end of our street, instead of turning right, she went straight, into the church parking lot. Confused, I started to ask why we were in the lot as she parked the car. She didn’t answer and just got out of the car and told me to get in the driver’s seat, and I froze with panic. As a fifteen year old, I should have been close to getting my full license, but every time I was told to drive, I freaked out, however like most kids in a similar situation, It wasn’t my driving ability I was afraid of.
As a kid, my father struggled with addiction to alcohol, and multiple times he made the reckless and awful decision to drive drunk. Thankfully, he never hurt anyone including himself, but he received DUI charges. Thinking about how easily something could have happened to someone that closely related to me made me so afraid to start driving, afraid that there would be people driving impaired on the road and I would have no power. Impaired and irresponsible driving kills tens of thousands of people a year–and I was so afraid to become one of those lives lost to carelessness.
In the church parking lot, my mom helped me get over my fear, and I started to learn to drive–but the biggest thing that helped me long-term was my driver’s education class. I learned the concept of defensive driving, and it’s something I never cease to think about or apply when driving. In the classroom, I was taught to use all your senses to stay alert, and to think about defending yourself by avoiding possible collisions. I believe in this style of driving with every bone in my body, and that was further exemplified when I did my driving practice with another instructor. In the practice sessions, a kind teacher made all the difference with my confidence and safety. I felt secure on the road, and any questions I had were answered because she was an expert. Without taking a driver’s education course, I would have never learned the style of driving that has saved me in so many situations, and would have never felt capable enough to overcome my fear of driving.
Not only did the driver’s education course teach me how to best prevent possible collisions, it hammered home the importance of never becoming an impaired driver. Everyone talks and jokes about “the drunk goggles” being used to demonstrate what impaired driving is like, but I know from my experience how serious it can get quick–and the class demonstrated that as well. Collision stories and footage were told and shown to us, not to scare us, but to be honest with us. They also explained to us that impaired driving isn’t just alcohol or drugs, it can be caused by fatigue, emotional distress, or the most common in teenagers: distractions, especially from a cell phone. The class taught us that your life and the life of others on the road is not worth the quick text or changing of music. Driver’s education greatly impacted the way I, and countless others, see the road. Driving aware and defensively is the best thing you can do for yourself and others on the road.
In my current life, I drive my 2 younger siblings, including my 15 year old sister who cannot drive due to epilepsy, around daily to their various activities and school, to help out my mom who is usually at work. I also drive a few kids to and from swim practice, and I’ve also driven friends, classmates for field trips, my mom & stepdad, and many others around. All these people rely on me to be a safe and aware driver, and I take that responsibility very seriously. Many of my friends (and teenagers in general) are not good drivers, and more often than not those who fall into this category have not taken a driver’s education class. I’ve learned that driving is a privilege, and to treat it as anything other than that by breaking traffic laws such as driving impaired is not only dangerous, but disrespectful. Even if you don’t have people who rely on you directly in the car, there are people who love you and want you to come home, and there are people on the road who will be affected by your poor choices.
Driver’s education is one of the best resources available, and its importance permeates through every day I live. It helped me get over my personal fear of impaired drivers, taught me the proper way to drive as safely as possible, and showed me why to never become an impaired driver. Anyone who has been in the car with me will describe me as a safe driver, which is a title I take immense pride in. And anytime anyone compliments my driving abilities, I tell them why: because of my driver’s education class.
