Universal Responsibility

Universal
Responsibility

For
American teenagers, getting a driver’s license is one of the most
impactful rites of passage. The ability to oversee one’s own
transportation offers an entirely new freedom for young people. When
going through a drivers ed program, teenagers often are shown many
videos and testimonials displaying the dangers and consequences of
irresponsible driving practices. While these warnings may communicate
the importance of these issues to some students, others will not
comprehend the weight of the responsibility they are taking on. When
driving, one becomes responsible for their own life, the lives of
those in the vehicle, and the lives of those they share the road
with. Everyone has their own responsibility to share in ensuring the
safety of all those involved. Unfortunately, this concept can be
daunting and difficult to fully grasp at the age of 16. I personally
understood the consequences of irresponsible driving when a family
friend was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Although the
irresponsible driver was the one endangering others, he was able to
walk away from the incident while the safe driver lost his life.
Accidents are often unfair in this manner when a driver may be
practicing perfectly safe driving and still suffer the consequences
for someone else’s irresponsibility. Anyone who chooses to drive
must accept the responsibility of making safe choices not only for
their own sake but out of respect for everyone else’s safety. It is
a matter of choosing to care not only for your own interests but also
to be invested in your role in maintaining a safe society. No one has
the right to endanger another person through careless driving.
Society ought to cultivate a sense of community between all drivers
to promote this universal responsibility. We must step outside of
ourselves and recognize that the driver who just cut you off on the
freeway is still another human being who you must respect as a fellow
driver. By teaching young drivers about the weight of their
decisions, we are preparing them for the many important choices they
will soon face. As an emerging adult, young people must navigate job
interviews, voting, and moving away from home. All of these
challenges require a thorough understanding of oneself and one’s
place within society. This self-awareness can be effectively
cultivated through driving experience. As one learns to become a safe
driver, they develop a sense of personal independence as well as an
understanding of their responsibility to the community as a whole.
The most important trait that we can instill in young people is
empathy. We can attempt to scare them with crash videos or lectures
in order to understand the weight of their choices. However, the
better path is to teach them that everyone deserves to make it home
safely and that they are personally responsible for doing their part
to ensure that happens.