Put in the Time

Put the Time In

By Ethan Ruttenberg

If one is to strive to be the safest possible driver, one needs to be willing to put in extra time. Even before I got my driver’s license, I spent hundreds of hours driving with my parents. I live in a rural area in Colorado, so my parents would ride with me on countless trips to Denver, so I could get used to navigating in traffic, using my mirrors and paying attention to traffic signs. By the time I got my license, I had more hours of driving than almost all of my older friends.

It is also really important to commit time in driver’s education classes. Before receiving my license, I completed the National Drivers Training Institute, driver’s education course. After receiving my license, I completed State Farm’s Steer Clear course and this winter I’ll complete the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Something else that is helpful for learning to be a safe driver is to listen to your parents and learn from their experience. My parents have combined 68 years of driving experience and in that time have one traffic ticket, that my mom got when driving her new truck and learned that her speedometer was off by 3 miles an hour. I have learned a lot from my parents abut being a safe driver. I’ve learned to always be scanning the terrain and mirrors, remain at least a hundred feet back from cars and understand that speed limits are for when the roads are clear. When it’s dark, snowing, raining or anything else that is not clear daylight, one should drive below the speed limit.

Something else my parents have taught me is that speed doesn’t help. They’ve shown me that if I drive over the speed limit, I don’t make up enough time to make it worth the risk or the ticket. Drivers stress out about going as fast as they can, but they don’t get to their destinations much earlier. It’s just not worth it to speed. In this instance, putting in time means being willing to drive at a safe speed even if it means that you’ll need more time to get to your destination. If you’re worried about getting somewhere at a certain time, leave earlier.

When thinking about teaching others, I think about my friends and their safety. When you’re in high school, you want to be cool. I’ll be honest… I want my friends to think I’m cool, but driving recklessly is not cool. Cars can be lethal for the people in your car and out and I don’t want to put my friends, others and myself in danger by driving like an idiot. I’m going to show my friends I’m cool because I don’t care how other kids are driving, I’m going to drive the way that thinks about others safety.

I’ve had my driver’s license for 21 months and still have a lot to learn. Hopefully, I have done my part to learn to be a safe driver, but I know I need to do more. I need to keep putting time in to make sure I keep learning and keep myself and others safe when I’m behind the wheel.