Freedom and responsibility

With great power comes great responsibility: we’ve all heard that phrase, in various different contexts. It’s no less true when we apply it to driving. When we drive, we have the freedom (one of the most powerful things in any person’s life) to go wherever we want, and even more, to drive however we want. If we don’t drive well, though, it could have disastrous consequences. Having the ability to drive is not a right – it’s a privilege we cannot take for granted. Consider this: 1.6 million people will never drive again because they or the drivers around them didn’t think driving was important enough to do well. Over 90 people die every day in the United States alone. That means 33 thousand people every year will never get the chance to see their families again. So what is the best way to prevent those accidents from happening? Cliched as it might sound, it’s through educating and informing.

The importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving cannot be understated. Though people may forget later on, everyone starts out with the same understanding: you are responsible for your life and the lives of those driving around you. If we don’t understand what we’re doing every time we get behind the wheel, then we risk putting everyone around us in very real danger. Driving is also not something that can be taught through trial and error without risking serious damage – it has to be taught by someone with lots of experience and the wisdom to impart it.

The second most important thing we learn (or at least that we’re taught) is that if we aren’t careful there will be consequences, mental and emotional but also physical and usually financial as well. When we drive, there is no one else to blame for what we might or will do.There are very real repercussions to when we mess up, and we have to have a clear understanding of what they are before we even get on the road.

Unfortunately, not everyone cares about how they might affect other people on the road. A friend of mine was driving home from college one day, and she came up behind another car. That car had it’s right blinker on, so she signaled and moved to the left to pass him. Then, as she was passing him, he suddenly swerved to try to get into a u-turn lane on the left, and smashed into her car. The car flipped, and she passed out when she hit her head. The consequence? She couldn’t walk and was in horrible pain for 6 months, and to add to that her car was completely wrecked. And the driver who hit her? He was gone before she woke up. It’s so important to understand that we have to take responsibility for the people we interact with every day on the road, and there’s no better way to do that than to educate ourselves.