Guardians to our Children: How adults can be just as vital to driver education

It is undeniable for me that my parents and other adult guardians have always been the biggest influences in my life. My decision-making tendencies reflect theirs tremendously, and their examples are ones I can remember from my earliest years of life. Nowhere is this seen better than with them in the car. I have vivid memories of my mom putting on her turn signal two blocks early, or my grandma braking until she’s crawling to the stoplight, or my practically-aunt blasting Britney Spears from her speakers with the windows down and her hand out the side, all when I was younger. This is a universal experience among all of us. We find our influences with those we look up to, which is why I believe that our guardians’ examples should be the first step to safe driving instruction.

Of course, when we arrive in a driver’s ed class, we are taught as students the formal rules of the road. “This is what a hand held left means,” “this is how much time you should have between you and a yellow light if you’re continuing through,” so on and so forth. While we get to experience these guidelines in action during drives with our instructors, our time in the car is not only relegated to these short instances. Being in the passenger seat beside our parent is just as integral to learning to drive as being behind the steering wheel. There is a moment from my life I don’t think I’ll ever forget. My grandpa was driving my grandma, my sister and me back from a daily outing, when we witnessed a grisly car crash. Instead of any sort of panic, my grandpa immediately got out of the driver’s seat with a certain calmness, moving to assess and assist in the situation. Seeing his actions then inspired me to be collected in the face of emergencies on the road, and I still carry that energy with me to this day. This is what I mean by having the examples being the first step to safe driving. We deserve to have good impressions of what it looks like to be on the road, so that when we inevitably put the car into drive, we have an expectation for ourselves.

Unfortunately, I do not believe my practically-aunt was the most wonderful example of being safe on the road, as much as I love her. I can recall certain instances where over the volume of her music, it was tricky to tell where an upcoming car was at, and I’m pretty sure she’s had to pull a last-minute swerve at least once or twice. I never got into an accident with her, which I’m absolutely grateful for, but I occasionally wonder if the conditions she drove in could’ve made it more likely. In turn, my mind wanders to “how would I manage driving as she did?” Admittedly, I have had years less experience than she has, but that’s exactly why it’s important to acknowledge these behaviors on the road. She set the example for me all those years ago, and I remember being in her car to this day. It is vital that our guardians be as integral to the learning experience as our driving instructors are, and this includes when we are merely a passenger in their car.

How would I propose we acknowledge these conditions? I believe that our guardians should receive classes on how our driving instruction could be done, before the students arrive in driver’s ed. My mom went to a parent-instructor meeting before my first class, but I could tell that there were times when my mom still wasn’t certain how best to instruct me. I believe having a number of classes beforehand, as well as a number of check-in meetings with guardians afterwards, would be beneficial for the education of everyone. By checking in regularly, our adult guardians can ask any questions they may have, voice any difficulties their child is having, or receive reminders on what behaviors they should simulate while driving.

As part of these classes, I think it’s worthwhile to keep guardians informed on the most up-to-date statistics about teenage driving. What are the likelihoods of teenagers driving while texting, while under the influence, while partying hard with friends? Giving forth this information would give guardians the baseline for what reminders or conversations they could be having with their teens. It can be tricky to approach a driver’s safety discussion without knowing what all needs to be said, so having this teaching would be an absolute benefit. Additionally, I propose that older siblings or people of similar relationships also be included in these classes. As much as a child might look up to their parents, they might also look up to their older brother or sister, so having everyone in the household setting a good example is a must. With the active encouragement and involvement of everyone in the family, it’s much more likely that we are positively influenced while behind the wheel.

The world of driving is a scary place. At a moment’s notice, everything can change for the worst. In those times of sheer distraughtness, it’s to our loved ones we look, so it should be to our loved ones we can look before anything happens. Our guardians should be our mentors and should be accountable as such. By learning from them and their example, and by making certain their example is strong, we can guarantee a safer world for any driver.