Safe Driving

I was 17, a relatively fresh driver, and was coming home from school in Houston. I started the turn from 610 to I-69 when I saw the car in front of me swerve; a piece of rebar was sticking out of the construction site and into my lane. I had another car on my left and no where to go, so I took the hit and was left without a right mirror.

I did not swerve. There was no major accident on the highway that day because I knew swerving would make the situation worse. I know not to break or steer if I hydroplane, I know how to tell if someone is likely to change lanes before they do, I know when to pass people and how far away to be. I know all of these because I learned these rules and saw scenarios where they were broken. I was allowed experience for situations before being confronted by them. But I had these lessons only two years ago now, so how does one remember what to do when they have been driving for twenty years? They forget. They make mistakes and have to face the consequences for forgetting. These consequences, though, are not the standard fines like other tickets. They are allowed to relearn all the unsaid, protective rules through defensive driving and return to the roads better, safer drivers.

Beyond education, reducing deaths and injuries due to driving is a science involving several different components. There are newer roads that don’t allow rain to kick up as much, providing much better visibility when driving in the Houston storms. There are ingenious structures of cable lines and break away pegs between opposing traffic lanes on the rural highways to prevent an accident on one side from crossing into the other. There are sensors on almost every knew car to trigger emergency breaks before the driver or beep to stop them from changing lanes into the car next to them. There are brand new types of airbags that line the entirety of the car to ensure the safety of those in it. There are constant innovations to protect the driver from the human error that is bound to happen, no matter how much practice they have, or those around them have.

In terms of accidents, I haven’t been in one with another car. I had my unfortunate rebar incident, but nothing that was truly harmful. My dad on the other hand, has gotten into more than a few minor accidents, but doesn’t drive as if he has. He is the one on the highway that zips between cars and tailgates and is generally not liked by the drivers around him. I grew up with his aggression mixed with my mom’s overly cautious style, so I saw the faults of both as I learned to drive. This allowed for me to learn how to correct them without being annoying or overbearing. I learned to use “I” statements and speak calmly to say a critique and have transferred this over into my friends.