Righting Wrongs

How
often do you turn on the local news channel on television just to be
greeted for a barrage of stories of fatal crashes, drunk driving
accidents, and road shutdowns due to wrecks? How often are you
driving to work or school and see a car on its roof, swarmed by first
responders, just off of the highway? How often do you hear stories of
a pedestrian in critical condition because of someone texting while
driving? Driving related deaths are all too common in America, a
plague on our society that has caused numerous families immense, and
unnecessary, grief.

A
commonly asked question today in regard to driving accidents is
“Why?” Why does our society suffer tens of thousands of
driving-related deaths per year? The most important thing that we can
do as a collective is push for better drivers ed. Typically,
drivers ed may be thought of as a class given to high school
students looking to get their license a few months early; this
perception on the definition of drivers ed has to change to see
a positive impact on drivers as a whole. A large emphasis in driver
education is placed discouraging being aggressive, while the focus
should be shifted towards encouraging defensive driving. As a driver,
it may not be possible to control the actions of other drivers on the
road. However, what you can control is yourself and your vehicle.
Defensive driving is all about threat assessment and risk management,
terms not usually thought of as driving-related. These are crucial
skills for all drivers to have because the more capable a person is
of recognizing potential issues is, the more capable they are of
preventing themselves and others from falling into these pitfalls,
thus reducing the number of driving-related deaths caused by
irresponsible driving.

Many
steps can be taken to improve the knowledge and ability of drivers to
maintain a level head and keep tabs on their environment. In many
places, drivers ed and driving tests are a one and done
situation for most. This specific aspect of the driving system can be
changed to benefit drivers on the road, perhaps by instituting a
renewal test. By requiring drivers to test to renew their license,
drivers who fail can go through a drivers ed course to refresh
themselves on what safe driving looks like.

Everyone
has flaws while driving, everyone is always at risk of wrecking
because of this. I’ve seen friends get impatient, even been in the
car while a parent got caught speeding. Often, I even find myself
getting irritated at other drivers and I become slightly aggressive
in acceleration and lane changes. This is something I am definitely
striving to improve myself in; the thought of hurting someone because
of my own driving incompetency is terrifying to me. Perhaps we as a
society all need to consider reeducating ourselves on what it means
to be a smart, safe, and defensive driver, and maybe then we can see
a positive change.