Driving Our Future

Driving
Our Future

I
was in a few car accidents when I was little. Regarding these, I was
relatively fine, just a mild concussion on one. When it was my turn
to get behind the wheel, I was terrified. I put it off for as long as
possible, but eventually I grew comfortable with my own abilities.
However, my fear lingered as I was not afraid of myself, but of other
drivers around me. All of the accidents I was in were at the fault of
other people. From the day I got behind the wheel I drove
meticulously and thoughtfully; I wanted to be the perfect driver,
because I thought I would be safer.

March
of this past year I got in my first accident as the driver. My head
slammed into the airbag (not as soft as you would imagine) and
various car parts went flying. I didn’t know what to do, my hands
were shaking, I couldn’t think. I found that the other woman was
fine and no real harm was done luckily. I felt guilty and mortified
that I was part of this disaster; it wasn’t my fault, my light was
green and hers was red, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling of
shame. How could this happen? As much as I would like to blame this
on alcohol, drugs, or even texting, none of that was the case. It was
unfortunately just human error. The question isn’t how it happened,
but how to prevent it in the future.

More
efficient and widely utilized public transportation is not only a
more environmentally friendly solution, but would also eliminate the
possibility for more car accidents. As for the people who would still
drive, there would be a decrease in traffic, which also decreases the
probability of the occurrence of collisions. While this is nice
solution for an ideal world, a more immediate and practical solution
would be to increase the amount and/or quality of motion sensors in a
car. Though not all cars have them, in the future they could be as
abundant as door handles. These really help drivers be aware of what
is around them, even if they are trying their best to stay alert.

Driver
education is also extremely
important; it gives us the basic knowledge of road safety and
ingrains good driving habits. Maybe even an incentive program could
be created for teens who continue to practice good driving. I
personally make sure to use my blinkers at all times (even if I am in
the middle of nowhere with no other cars around) and make full stops
at stop signs, as I know some friends who lazily cut corners by
avoiding these actions. It helps me maintain good driving habits, as
skipping even one of these could lead to disastrous results. I hope
through this essay, and maybe even future incentive programs, people
will be more mindful and intentional drivers to make the roads and
the world a safer and happier place.