Never Trust anyone

I remember my second day of diving after receiving my driver’s license, an experience that changed my perspective on driving forever. I was leaving school, giving a friend a ride home, and noticed another car following me. I knew the driver of the other car, and also knew he had been driving much longer than I had. As I slowed down to make a turn to exit the parking lot, my vehicle was struck with such force, the rear window shattered. Apparently, the driver following me had not been paying attention and struck the rear end of my vehicle so hard it totaled both cars. Luckily, no one in either car was hurt, but easily could have been.

One point that drivers education needs to emphasize is that you can never assume other drivers will do the right thing. I remember hearing that in class, but never realized how significant it was until my accident. Most accidents are caused by drivers making mistakes. I can help compensate for the mistakes of others, by never assuming other drivers, or myself, will drive mistake free.

New cars are becoming more technologically advanced in attempts to reduce dangerous consequences of drivers’ mistakes. Cars can brake on their own to prevent collisions. Bluetooth technology allows us to take phone calls “hands free” so we can concentrate on the road. Other features include rear view cameras, blind spot detection, and lane assist all prevent drivers from inadvertently getting into the path of other moving vehicles. The question then must be asked, can we trust this technology, much like other drivers, to be reliable and always do the right thing on the road? Only time will tell, but experience has taught us technology has glitches just like everything else. All these advances can never replace the need for all of us to be responsible drivers.

Drivers Education courses can do everything they can to teach everyone the importance of staying safe, but it is up to the individual driver to decide whether they take these principles seriously. I think it’s common to see many young people look at driver’s education as simply a means to pass an exam in order to get their driver’s license as quickly as possible in order to get out on the road. At which point, many of the concepts of drivers education tend to be forgotten, especially some of the less obvious principles that include never assuming all other drivers are responsible drivers, using your seat belt, avoiding distracting driving, and many other principles designed to keep us safe on the road and not to make driving less enjoyable. If we all could simply make the efforts to be safer, more responsible drivers, the roads would be much safer, comfortable places. We could put an end to countless, senseless injuries and fatalities. Remember, safe driving is a responsibility, a privilege, and a choice. I wish we could all make better choices to be more responsible while driving and learning to drive.