We Need Change

The windows are down, wind rustling my hair. Music is playing, I’m singing along. My car cruises down the road to my house. Driving plays a huge role in modern life. I need to drive to go almost anywhere. The day a teenager gets their license is a long-awaited day, it’s a coming-of-age moment and a symbol of freedom. Driving is a key part of American culture, for better or for worse, after all with the freedom and taste of adulthood comes a price, and it’s a steep cost, millions of Americans die each year due to driving-related causes. Most people barely think about the dangers of driving, it’s something so commonplace in our society, it’s something that just is, how could it be dangerous? Yet, driving is the leading cause of death for most Americans.

There are many ways that the driving epidemic can be alleviated, such as improving driver education requirements and changing the toxic culture around unsafe driving. Driver education candidly teaches new drivers the cost and risks associated with driving, it’s not something that can be sugar-coated. Driver education lays bare the facts about driving and encourages new drivers to be careful and avoid becoming a fatality of unsafe driving. However, once a person finishes the required class, they’ll often forget everything related to the course, and instead are enamored by their newfound ability to drive anywhere they want. We need to ensure that people are constantly reminded to safely drive by guaranteeing people take refresher driver education courses periodically. The culture around unsafe driving also needs to change. Despite the seriousness of driving and efforts made in driver education to make people aware of the dangers, driving culture is dangerous. Pop culture depicts high-speed, reckless driving as desirable and cool; it promotes a culture that worsens the driving epidemic. This can be seen in the parking lot of my high school. People constantly speed, roll stop signs, and are distracted as they drive to, from, and around the school. It’s not something people try to stop, if anything people do it to make their friends laugh. We need to change the culture around driving by stressing safe driving in pop culture rather than fast, high-risk driving.

Driving is dangerous, yet people still drive unsafely. In order to save countless lives, we need to change the culture around driving. We need to make safe driving cool, something to be desired and applauded. I can encourage others to be safe drivers by setting an example and making sure to drive safely and also making sure to hold my friends, peers, and parents accountable by calling them out when I see them driving unsafely. Will you join me?