The Deed of Driving is Dangerous

The Deed of Driving is Dangerous

Becca Zelten

It was the summer of sophomore year when I first stepped into my dank driver’s ed classroom. It was a cold, dark room that had a distinctive smell of mold. Even though the room was scary, it was nothing compared to what I watched in that room. My instructor, like most great teachers, taught us the dangers of driving by showing us videos. These videos horrified me because it showed real crashes and the aftermath. It stunned me how one wrong action and your life could end. From then on, I made sure to drive safely because I didn’t want myself or others to get hurt. Driving is a fairly scary act that many do everyday with little thought.

Driver education is an important part in reducing driver deaths. In the class, you get an in depth view of how cars can cause incredible damage. Students learn that cars are machinery that hold surmountable powers. As a driver, you should be able to wield that power everytime your hands are on the wheel. In addition to using shock in teaching students the dangers of the road, driver education teaches students about the symbols you have to follow. I learned what every sign meant, such as yield, so I am able to not get into an accident because I couldn’t interpret a sign. Drivers education is basically the introduction to the road and instills the importance of being safe.

However, the details of driver education may be forgotten, so drivers can become reckless. To try and reduce this recklessness, a good plan is to have the car not start until a seatbelt is put on. This will insure the driver is secure because they wouldn’t be able to start the car otherwise. Another technology asset cars should take advantage of is knowing the speed limit. Google maps often has the speed limit listed. Your car should be able to compare this with your speed and warn the driver when they are going over the speed limit. The final technology upgrade is running lights for all cars. This will allow cars to be alerted of others presence, even if they forget to turn their lights on. Even with all these upgrades, some may still be reckless. So, there should be a yearly video that drivers have to watch reminding them of the consequences of their actions.

Much like others, I have experienced reckless driving. My mom often has anger issues, so if a car is trying to pass her, she sometimes will speed up. This causes the other car to speed up and in the blink of an eye you’re going 70 mph down a 40 mph. Then, the other car will get ahead and brake check my mom. When this happens, I am scared and don’t like the battle. I tell my mom that it isn’t worth it, that you shouldn’t let someone get under your skin. When someone passes me, I let them do it because I don’t want to be the subject of road rage. For me, I try my best to drive in a safe manner.

The horrific images from driver education are always in the back of my mind, so I drive safely. There are sometimes where I drive 5 mph over, but slow down once I realize I’m going a bit fast. When driving, I will get tunnel vision, so to improve my driving I would like to have my eyes go in a sweeping motion, ensuring I don’t miss anything. We all are human, which means I am not the best driver; I may take a turn too fast or drive past the stop line. But, I try my darndest to protect myself and others while driving.