The Responsibility Held Behind the Wheel

Hannah Redlin

The Responsibility Held Behind the Wheel

Teens that enrolled in a driver’s education class are less likely to get in a crash or be involved with any type of traffic violation. Students who did not enroll in the driver’s education class are 75% more likely to get a ticket, 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injuring accident, and 16% more likely to be involved in an accident. These statistics from the University of Nebraska speak for themselves. There are around 34,000 people who pass away each year because of car accidents. By encouraging more people to enroll in these driver education classes, those statistics will begin to go down. It is important to teach adolescents the responsibility that is held behind the wheel. Fatality rates involving car crashes are at their highest at the ages of 16 through 18. By reviewing these statistics, people who have enrolled in driver’s education classes are more knowledgeable when they are on the road. Taking in the knowledge they have learned from driver’s education class; these educated adolescents are more aware of the dangers that can come with reckless driving.

Many simple steps could potentially save lives. When getting into a car, you can always make sure your seat belt is secured, along with the other passengers’ seatbelts as well. Another thing to check before you start driving is all your mirrors. Your mirrors need to adjust to you, along with the seat. Before you start driving, you should check your windshield wipers, brakes, and your tires to make sure they are all suitable to start the drive even with different weather conditions. Make sure all distractions are away from the driver. If you need to listen to the radio, make sure you turn on the radio and pick out your channel before starting your drive. When you are a passenger, never distract the driver. Always obey the laws of the road and keep a good distance between the car in front of you. When driving, you need to take precautions and be aware of the other driver’s actions as well. If everyone did their part and took all these precautions when getting in the car, the roads would be a lot safer.

At my school three years ago, three students suffered from a severe car accident. This wreck hugely impacted our whole school. Two of the students survived with severe injuries, but one did not. Her name was Sydney Foster. Sydney Foster was a senior that everyone looked up to, including me. She carried herself with such a positive outlook in life and was always inspiring people. The thought of her life taken so suddenly was frightening and eye-opening. We always hear about tragedies but never expect it to happen to us. This story is just one of the many that occur every year. Driving fatalities affect more than the people in the crash, but everyone involved with those people as well. Being a driver holds a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly. It is important to be a well knowledgeable and cautious driver so more life ending incidents like this one do not happen.