Driving as a Teen in America

Driving is becoming a necessity in today’s world. Nothing is truly “walking distance” anymore. Many teens see driving as “a new experience” which is completely true but there is much more than just that. Every year people pass away on the road, it could be an accident, or it could be a purposeful act, either way, live’s that could have been, become lives that can’t be. It is very important that the first thing that is considered before driving is safety. In fact, within driving safety is a necessity. We cannot enter a car with the mindset of driving for “myself” you must go in with the mindset of “driving for all”. I was never taught that idea, it simply came to me the first time I went behind the wheel. The actions of others to inflict changes on the actions of yourself. We must remember that lives are at stake and we should do everything in our power to protect each other by respecting that fact. Even with those teachings in place, there are still lives lost. This brings the question of, why?

One idea to combat unsafe driving practices would be to restrict the entire “risk factor” as a whole. For instance, technology usage during driving makes up a large percentage of death’s on the road. To combat this, requiring all phone manufacturers and carriers to implement a mandatory “safe driving mode” would ensure the safety of all people. The “safe driving mode” that we have today, does not fully limit system functionality nor is it mandatory for all users, meaning that the temptation to continue the unsafe practice is still present. With the new idea of implementing a true “safe driving mode” the only programs and apps that would be accessible on any device would be GPS, emergency services, and a strict “receive call” program that would only allow the user to make and receive calls by hardware built into the car itself. Cars that do not have this feature would not allow the user to make any calls whatsoever, because the risk of misusing the device is much higher in those situations. From what I have learned, driving is about quick decisions with accuracy and precision. Reducing the factors that disrupt that flow of accuracy and precision would mean that the road would become a safer place for all people. Not to mention much more “new driver friendly” to give the people that need the extra confidence boost a chance to also get on the road.

Personally, I have not been in an accident, so I cannot give an exact representation of how I felt during or after the act. This is a good thing however, because from what I have heard from family that has been part of an accident, it does not bring anything pleasant. My father was sadly a victim of an accident which resulted in some minor back injuries and a completely destroyed car. I was very happy that he recovered successfully but the car itself was destroyed, meaning that money that could have been utilized for other important reasons was now forced to be spent on buying a brand new vehicle. My dad also mentioned that getting in an accident, even if it wasn’t your fault is not something that brings any sort of satisfaction. That feeling of fear and anxiety of the outcome serves nothing but bad.

Steps that I can take as a new driver would be to respect every single rule that is needed to ensure the safety of myself and others. The road is not just for me, it is a community shared utility. The only requirement for utilizing the road is to follow the designated rules that are needed to safely operate on it. However, enforcing those rules can be quite difficult when drivers take for granted the luxury that we have. It should be our duty to enforce those safety laws, no matter the area, no matter the circumstance, driving is a privilege, it’s time to show some appreciation.