In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

By: Antonia Morgan

Driving on the road can have fatal consequences if not following the driving laws, paying attention to the road, and consuming illegal substances such as alcoholic beverages. Driving is a privilege, not a right. Driver education is essential for preventing severe car accidents and preventing future deaths on the road. However, driving education teaches an individual how to make a proper stop at a safe distance, using blinkers when making right or left turns, following an adequate speed limit on the road or highway, and parking correctly.

Drivers education teaches you the basics of driving, unlike a defensive driving class. I believe every new driver should take a defensive driving class to help prevent panicking and over correcting. The driving instructors teach you how to handle car control and skid recovery, collision avoidance, drop wheel/off-road recovery, distracted driving, and panic stop. My parents made me take a defensive driving course a few months after getting my license. Many of the exercises the instructors taught me I still remember and use occasionally. Teens taking driver education are less likely to be involved in crashes or to receive a traffic violation during their first two years of driving.

Four years ago, my younger sister and dad were in a car accident. Altogether totaling the car and sending my father to the hospital to be examined, nobody was seriously hurt. My father wasn’t driving irresponsibly; the person behind him was distracted by their phone. Knowing my family was in a car accident because of a distracted driver keeps my driving in check. I don’t want to be responsible for someone losing a loved one because I wanted to be on my phone while driving. Most of the time, I offer to be the driver when going out with friends because I am more comfortable driving than someone else. Driving responsibility and safely getting from point a to point b without any problems will set an excellent example for fellow drivers who are passengers in my car. When I am in the car, I put my phone in the cup holder, away from my hands. Precariously, how vital can a text be that you have to answer it as soon as the notification pops up? The simple answer, never that important. Nothing is more important than your life and the passenger’s lives that are in your car.

As the driver, I always pay attention to my surroundings, following the three to four-second rule. When someone honks at me to go, I get stressed out and put myself in dangerous situations. I rather wait five minutes until I’m comfortable rather than gunning it and hoping the other driver doesn’t rear-end me. Understanding everyone has a personal comfort level, so never force someone to do something they aren’t comfortable doing. To me, it’s painfully sickening knowing some people want to get somewhere faster than safer. Being a safe driver doesn’t mean following the driving laws; it means getting home safe and not putting your life or some else life at risk.