Drivers training helped me

My name is Marissa North and I am currently a Senior at Cranston East High School in Rhode Island. I will be attending college next year. I have attended drivers training as part of the process of becoming a licensed driver and took driving lessons from a certified driving school. I have not gotten my license; I will be taking my driving test soon. I learned in drivers training the importance of following not only the local traffic laws but also the “Rules of the road”, and that they are tantamount in preventing accidents. Most accidents are caused by driver error and many are preventable. There is an increased chance of death related to motor vehicle accidents where alcohol, drugs and speed are present.

When I was a young child, I was in a vehicle being driven by my mother where we were involved in an accident. Thankfully, no one was injured but the other driver failed to stop at an intersection, and we were involved in a collision. This always left an impression on me, that things can happen in a split second. This has also caused some anxiety when thinking of becoming a licensed driver myself.

When preparing to get my license, my parents have always stressed safety to me from wearing my seatbelt, following the speed limit set on the road as well as conditions related to weather and when a passenger in a vehicle making sure the person driving is also capable of driving as well as responsible. I made a pact with my parents that if I am ever in a situation where I am impaired or the person I am riding with is impaired, I am to call them to get a ride with no questions or judgements being made at the time. I know many of my friends have made similar agreements with their parents as well. This was something they reiterated to me recently. My mother and I spoke of a work colleague who had to comfort a friend’s family who lost their daughter, only a year older than me, who died in a car accident. The driver had been drinking, smoking marijuana and was speeding. A girl lost her life, the family lost a child and the driver will face criminal charges and possible jail time for something that could have been prevented if they called for rides and never got into the vehicle. My parents have also stressed when driving to be a defensive driver and try to always anticipate what the other drivers around me are doing, so I can better avoid an accident.

The RI Department of Health has been using television commercials to get the message out that drunk and drugged driving can be prevented. These are powerful messages to see on television but when you hear of things happening in communities so close to your own by people you know personally it affects you on such a deeper level. Another campaign they have used pertains to distracted drivers being as dangerous if not more so than impaired drivers. The rule in our car is no cell phone use or texting when on the road. Our car is older, so we don’t have blue tooth, if we need to make a call, the passenger controls the phone. If we are alone, we get off the road completely before grabbing for the phone. Our state has also passed cell phone and texting laws due to the number of accidents caused by people not paying attention to the road and driving while using their phones.

I have also seen how fatal accidents have affected my parents; both are police officers. I remember the pain I saw in their faces when they spoke of having to tell parents and loved ones of the loss of their family members who died as a result of accidents. They rarely, if ever speak of the accidents scenes they’ve had to investigate but there is always a common theme, they could have been prevented if speed, alcohol and drugs were not present. Another factor they have mentioned is lack of experience of young drivers being a cause in some accidents. No one likes getting a ticket, but Police enforcement of local and state traffic laws are important. There is a correlation where there are active enforcements in keeping speeds low and seat belt use up in these areas.

It was important to me and my parents that I took driving lessons which I think has helped me become more comfortable as a young driver. Driver training gave me the basics and used in conjunction with the driving lessons I felt better prepared as a young driver.