A Message to New Drivers

A Message to New Drivers

As I was removing my high school parking pass from my totaled first car, I was just happy to not be another statistic. When I was 17, another driver pulled out in front of me, totaling both of our vehicles. Thankfully, we both walked away unscathed, but many others involved in driving accidents every day are not as lucky.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.35 million people per year lose their lives to a driving accident. Many of these deaths include those under the age of 25. To reduce this, it is essential that all new driver’s participate in a driver’s education course.

One of the most important concepts one can learn in this course is general rules of the road, especially those that may be confusing for an inexperienced driver. These include how traffic should flow at a 4-way stop, how to navigate a traffic circle, when it’s acceptable to turn right at a red light, etc. Learning these traffic rules also helps new drivers be able to anticipate the actions of others on the road and act accordingly, which ultimately reduces the amount of accidents. On top of the benefit of learning the rules of the road, an added benefit is learning what to do to prevent an accident. I can still remember my driver’s education teacher explaining how to recover if you hydroplane or run off the road, two extremely common incidents faced by new drivers. Learning what to do in these situations allows one to maintain control of the vehicle in an emergency and prevent an accident. Being prepared for situations like these helps to greatly reduce the amount of the anxiety that comes with being a new driver. Taking a driver’s education course is a great way to become more comfortable with driving before getting behind the wheel.

In addition to completing a driver’s education course, there are safe driving behaviors that should be exhibited in order to maintain one’s safety and the safety of others on the road. One of the most prevalent dangerous habits today is cell phone use while driving. A few ways I exhibit safe driving and stay off of my cell phone is by using the “Hand’s Free” option if I receive a call, asking a passenger to read me a text or change the song for me, or putting my phone on “do not disturb” so I do not even think to touch my phone. Another way to exhibit safe driving behavior is to learn and avoid risky driving mistakes. These can include unsafe lane changes, not properly scanning the roadway, or not regularly monitoring the speed limit. It may sound like a simple concept, but many of us forget to practice this when we are under stress and become impatient. Whether we are in stand-still traffic or waiting for what seems like forever at a busy intersection, it is important to remain patient, level-headed, and remember the consequences of these mistakes to avoid making rash driving decisions that can leave an impact forever.

Since my accident, all of the seemingly acceptable things I observe on the road daily, such as quickly changing a song or going a little over the speed limit, I now see as dangerous, potentially life-threatening behavior. After that day, I made the decision to always put the well being and lives of others first while on the road, and I hope others will choose to do the same. A short text, changing a bad song, or being a few minutes late to work will never be worth a life lost in a driving accident.