Driving is a privilege, use it responsibly

Driving is a Privilege, Use it Responsibly

By Kori Barnhill

Depending on what state you’re in, most teenagers begin driving around 16 years old. At this point and time the human brain is not done developing, and any bad habits that are formed behind the wheel will likely stick with the driver for the rest of their lives. Driver education at this age and the enforcement of these rules by parents and other drivers is an important aspect of keeping the roads as safe as possible while driving from one destination to the next.

I have experienced first hand what distracted driving can do, although it could have been way worse than what actually happened. Everyday of my junior year of highschool, I had the opportunity to drive to and from school, sitting at the same traffic light, waiting to turn right, every afternoon. However, the morning of February 2^nd, 2020 would be different than every other afternoon. At this stoplight there is a gas station, where drivers waiting to turn at the stoplight leave a gap for others to be able to turn into the gas station without clogging the other side of the road; this afternoon, this was my job. Once the light ahead of me turned green, I began to move forward, when out of the blue a woman who was talking on the telephone, distracted, came full speed into the side of my car, trying to turn into the gas station. If this woman had not been distracted on the phone, she would have seen that the cars at the light were moving forward and that she would need to break and wait her turn to pull into the gas station. This would have saved over a thousand dollars in damage to my car, and well as a sore neck and mild concussion for the next couple of weeks. Distracted driving can be fatal, and drivers need to be educated on what not to do on the road to keep themselves, and everyone around them safe.

Drivers Education is a mandatory class that all new drivers in the state of Maryland have to take before getting their license. However, from experience, this class is full of students who are dozing off and not paying attention to what the instructor is trying to teach them, only because it is a requirement and not something that the students are interested in. That being said, these students also must have a learners permit for an extended amount of time, making it mandatory that another driver must be in the car with the new driver. This is the most crucial time in forming the new drivers habits that will last their lifetime. The driver who is accompanying the new driver should always insist on healthy habits, including not using or looking at a mobile device, being observant by using their mirrors regularly, and being a defensive driver (always expecting the unexpected). Habits formed behind the wheel are more important than what is being learned in the classroom. That being said, if a new driver is already expressing bad habits that could put others in danger, they should have their privileges of driving revoked for an extended period of time to find a way to correct them. Driving is a privilege, a responsibility, and risky; drive like your life depends on it.