Taking Driving Responsibly

I was never too eager to start driving. For quite a long time, I depended on my parents to drive me everywhere, but this began to limit my independence as a teenager. Especially since living in the suburbs, you need a car to be able to get anywhere….

My parents, who both grew up in a different country, were quite surprised to find out that they could be the ones who would teach me to drive, mainly because when they were getting their driving licenses, 30 hours of official driving with an instructor was required before taking a driving test. In other words, they were taught by a professional knowing the rules of the road.

When learning how to drive here in the United States, I encountered numerous perilous situations on the roads. For example, a driver entered the highway on a ramp in the wrong direction at nighttime. Another time, a motorcyclist dangerously cut my car off while speeding past in an inpatient manner. On my way to take my driving test, a pickup truck driver passed me on the right side, on a one lane road as I halted in front of a stop sign, even though I signaled that I would be making a right turn at the intersection. Overall, I learned that I always need to be predicting what may happen on the road. In order to be safe, I cannot solely be aware of my own actions, but must constantly pay attention to the actions of other drivers. 

It comes to my mind that if it is common for teenagers to be taught by their parents, who are not necessarily qualified as instructors, they will most likely not become good drivers. Additionally, the mistakes that their parents are making on the road, could translate to the student’s driving. This is an issue, as driving should be taken seriously, and should be learnt from a dependable person. Because of this, I believe that driving education programs provide the needed dependable source of information, ultimately reducing the number of accidents and deaths on the road.

In today’s society, people often mainly focus on themselves, and their own needs and goals. This selfish approach to life bothers me because I observe the same problem in the way people drive: prioritizing their wants on the road instead of paying attention to what others are doing on the road and responding accordingly. Everyone would become better and more responsible drivers by being more attentive behind the wheel. Each time someone gets on the road, all distractions should be removed, because people’s lives depend on how safely someone drives their vehicle.

Although brutal, perhaps one of the ways of teaching a cautious and defensive driver, especially one that does not only care about themselves, is to review scenarios of serious accidents. This way, the individual will be able to realize that collisions can happen to anyone, and carry serious consequences to the lives of others. If done in a class setting with the proper guidance and information, I believe this method could be extremely effective in widening the perspective of young drivers in order to establish the importance of being aware of your surroundings while driving.

Throughout my time as both a passenger and a driver, I am lucky enough to not have been involved in any serious car accidents. Fortunately, the same applies to my friends. I hope we all stay safe as we continue gaining experience as drivers. However, this does not mean that I was never in a car crash. Even though I don’t remember the only accident I’ve ever participated in– as I was only little over three and a half years old – my mom always likes to tell me about it. She picked me up one day from my preschool, and we drove home together with my grandmother. She had visited us to help my mother, who was pregnant with my brother. It was said that he would be born in three weeks. Thus, the four of us sat in the car, waiting at an intersection. As the red light changed to green, the trunk of our vehicle was suddenly hit from the back, before my mom managed to start driving. Ultimately, it turned out that the driver had not been paying attention. Even though it wasn’t a massive accident, and no one was injured, my mom ended up in the hospital and my brother was born the same night. The day ended with welcoming the newest member of the family into the world, and the accident was forgotten. However, for a long time, my parents wondered if the impact was minor, if the car had absorbed it, if all of us along with my unborn brother would be alright. Fortunately, our accident had a happy ending, but not all stories end this way, and things could have turned for the worse all because of a careless driver.

For now, all I can do is take driving seriously in my own life, but I wish we could all become more responsible drivers, and maybe learning how to be a better and safer driver from the start is the best way to do it.