The Responsibilities That Come with Being Behind the Wheel

I remember the first time I sat behind the wheel on my own. It was the day after my sixteenth birthday, bright and early in the morning, as I got into my car to leave for school. I was a little nervous but figured that everything would go smoothly and there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. I started the engine, backed out of the driveway, and slowly took off on my first solo adventure. While I was driving, I noticed someone pulling out of their driveway on the opposite side of the road. I didn’t think much of it until they started to pull onto the road, or more like pulling right out towards me. I hit my brakes, coming to a stop just before they finally noticed and hit their brakes, too. I looked over, my hands shaking on the steering wheel from this unexpected close call, only to see that the person in the other car was just as shocked as I, gripping a phone in their hand. I slowly gathered myself, realizing that they hadn’t been paying attention to begin with, and kept driving down the road. I was a little shaken, but it taught me to be aware that not everyone will follow the rules of the road.

What I experienced that day was the result of impaired driving. A lot of people hear the word “impaired” and automatically think about the phrase “drunk driving”. I know that I was one of these people as well. However, even just doing something that will distract you from paying attention to others’ actions on the road, and especially your own, is considered impaired driving. In driver’s education classes, sometimes texting-and-driving can be overlooked, while most of the attention goes to drunk driving accidents and the rules that come with being inebriated on the road. All the categories of impaired driving are important, which is why we must educate our drivers as much as possible. Driving will always have its dangers, so making sure that all topics of that danger are covered is definitely an important step for all driver’s education courses. My own driving instructor was a former police officer, who made a point to focus on all the details. From texting while driving to the effects that come from drinking and driving, he made sure to share the experiences he’d seen with us to further our knowledge on the tragedies that can come from impaired drivers.

In 2023, there were 12,492 deaths recorded involving a drunk driver. It was a decrease of 7.6% from 2022, but is this acceptable? In that same year, 3,275 deaths resulted from distracted driving, while approximately 700 deaths came from drowsy driving. The most common impairment in driving is the use of alcohol and/or drugs, but impaired driving takes numerous lives from us every year. Each impaired driver is someone who isn’t paying attention to those around them, their own actions, and the safety of all who are nearby. Impaired driving causes confusion and distraction from what we should be valuing most: the safety of others. So, for those still asking, “Is this acceptable?” the answer is no, it isn’t.

The amount of knowledge we have is based on the education we receive. In this case, that is driver’s education. Without it, many people would be uneducated about the trouble and danger that comes with impaired driving. When it comes to driving, hands-on experience is one of the ways that we learn best. I was always told to take that knowledge and apply it to everything we see while driving. Driver’s education allows us to do all of this at once. It is important for young people to have experience with someone who is a trained professional before driving alone. The combination of becoming aware of the rules of the road and experiencing them firsthand is valuable, especially when looking at impaired driving. Implementing awareness for impaired driving in young drivers is what will help grow a better driving environment for our future.

In conclusion, driver’s education is the stepping stone in understanding impaired driving. It helps people understand the importance of being aware on the road since anyone could be distracted, even if you’re not yourself. Being a driver comes with the responsibility of watching out for others. By being smart, aware, and cautious, we can help prevent some of those deaths that come from impaired driving every year. We may not be able to completely eradicate impaired driving from our roads, but we can take all the steps to improve the quality of driving in our country to the best of our ability.