For a Safer Future

For
a Safer Future

Sitting
in the back seat of the car, my stomach feels uneasy—but not from
the bumpy road. Rather, staring at my relative in the driver’s
seat, the cellphone in his hand is what unnerves me. Every few
seconds, he glances down at the bright screen, his phone apparently
more important to him than the road ahead of us.

Such
instances prove how distractions like phones are a big issue in
driving. When drivers allow themselves to be drawn in by the
distractions around them, they endanger not just themselves but the
hundreds of lives on the road around them. With so many at risk, it
is imperative that all drivers exercise safe driving skills.

I
know some of these skills: silencing my phone before driving, turning
down the radio, not eating while driving; in regularly exercising all
these habits, I reduce the effect potential distractions could have
on me. After all, if my phone is constantly beeping, or the music
blaring loudly, these distractions could tempt me into diverting my
attention from the road. Even one second glancing at a phone or
taking a small bite of burger could spiral into a disastrous
accident.

However,
ordering other drivers to exercise these habits will not eradicate
distracted driving. That is because the root of this issue does not
lie in the phone or the food or the music, but in the attitudes of
the drivers. I practice all the habits mentioned above because I
believe in the importance of driving safely. But not all drivers have
my attitude; many are so confident in their skills that they believe
they cannot possibly get into an accident, no matter what they do.
Other times, drivers are just ignorant about being focused on the
road. Either way, a drivers ed combats these damaging
attitudes. Knowledgeable and passionate about being vigilant on the
road, experienced adults in drivers ed help the new not
just avoid common mistakes but understand the importance of not
making them. In this way, drivers ed sets a foundation for
the values people hold while on the road.

Usually,
this important education begins in the teen years; yet, a lot of our
values and beliefs are grounded in what we learn as kids. By starting
to teach safe driving habits at earlier ages, therefore, the new
generation will more firmly grasp the importance of staying focused
on the road. Health classes in middle and elementary school, for
example, could have a day dedicated to avoiding distractions on the
road. It is a small change but one that could have crucial effects
later in life.

Indeed,
focusing on what happens later in life is all we can do. That drive
with my relative is in the past; therefore, we can do nothing to
change it. What we can do is learn from it to help the next
generation of drivers, all for the sake of a safer future.