Confidence, not fear

Mason Stauffer

June 2020

In the Driver’s Seat

Driving is a daily reality for most Americans, a simple mundane task, yet every year thousands die from auto accidents. Because of those accidents, the conversation on driving must continue. We need to continue to talk about where the problems come from, promote intelligent driving and the constant continuation of the basics, think about our own experiences with accidents, and then apply those things in our day to day lives.

To solve any problem, it must be thought about and analyzed to find the various sources and solutions. In order to accomplish that, education is a necessity. We must teach about the deaths that occur annually to ensure that the reality of the problem is understood, and then focus our discussion on those things that have been found to lower fatalities to ensure that we educate and not terrify, upcoming drivers. If we only focus on the bad, we will raise a generation of white-knuckle drivers, instead of safe ones.

To discover what can be done to lower driving fatalities, several factors must be considered. We must give upcoming drivers the realization that when a person drives on the road, they are taking the lives of everyone around them into their hands. Once that has been established, it is next important to remind them that while driving is serious, there is no need for fear. Many drivers have minimal accidents and even enjoy it! Safe drivers spend enough time driving to gain experience and feel comfortable in a variety of scenarios including highways, ice, snow, rain, and mud. Experience fosters safe drivers. Safe drivers know to take precautions when driving in foreign environments, and to actively avoid those things that make driving dangerous like alcohol and texting. Those conversations, and the following applications can help make the roads a safer place.

I have been in a car accident myself. I was waiting for oncoming traffic to pass so I could turn left and a car behind me failed to stop and slammed into me. The driver of the offending vehicle was a young woman who had only received her license recently. I don’t think the cause of the accident was ignorance or stupidity, but simply the natural mistakes that come with inexperience. As we teach young drivers to take driving seriously, but without fear, they may be more likely to keep their wits about them as they drive because they recognize that they do not have experience yet, so they need to take extra special care when they enter their car.

If my theory that experience and education help make roads safer, than the things I can do are to educate and gain experience. I can take the time to write this essay and talk with others about the dangers of driving and the importance of acknowledging, but not be paralyzed by them. I have been lucky enough to enjoy driving. I have driven in all sorts of environments, from torrential downpours, to salt flats, and I can continue to gain that experience and share what I learn with others.

Education and experience are two big tools that can be used to create safer roadways. As we teach young drivers to recognize, but not fear, the dangers of driving, then driving will be taken seriously, not light-heartedly or with panic, but with genuine knowledge.