When We Take the Wheel

When We Take the Wheel

Just as with medicine, prevention is always preferable to treatment. Driver education is critical because it can save lives before they are endangered. 

In order to reduce the number of driving-related deaths, we need to educate and warn all drivers of the dangers associated with driving. We need to make sure that everyone understands that human life is the most valuable and important thing to consider when driving. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, over 38,000 people die due to vehicle crashes every year in the United States, and an additional 4.4 million are seriously injured. These numbers are too high. 

Even if someone is not a “bad driver,” and even if they have been educated, there will always be “bad drivers” out there. These are those who are reckless, who are in a rush, who did not receive a proper driver’s education, and more. But we can start creating change today. By promoting driver education to all people, no matter their age, we can begin to create safer roadways for us all. As students, we can tell our friends, parents, neighbors, teachers, and more about the shocking statistics about roadway travel. By spreading awareness about this highly overlooked issue, we can make everyone more cautious when driving on the road. We should encourage safe driving, even if it means having to speak up about safety to those older than us.

Two years ago, I used to carpool with my neighbors. My next-door neighbor’s dad would drive us to school early in the morning, but even though there were four kids in the car, he sped through the neighborhood up to 15 miles over the speed limit. This experience was terrifying, and just goes to show that anyone can be a reckless driver, and anyone could encounter reckless driving. After this, I talked with my parents, and we discussed how important safe driving practices are. 

What we all can do is watch carefully—watch the road when we drive and watch the people who drive us. By sharing fun facts about good driving habits and stories of bad driving, we can instill a sense of caution in those around us, protecting ourselves and others on the road. It is important to be aware of the speed we drive at, prepare snacks and music playlists before we start driving, and to find the nearest place to safely stop if there is an urgent call or situation. We should never drive with an impaired state of mind, whether that be drunk driving or even just driving while upset, angry, or tired. And most importantly, we should keep in mind the safe driving practices we have learned, whether it be through driver’s education or experience on the road. Every single time we take the wheel, we need to be fully attentive and working to improve our driving skills—for the sake of every single person on the road.