The Freedoms and Faults of Driving

For much of my youth, obtaining my drivers license was the ultimate goal, the light at the end of the tunnel. The freedom that came with being able to transport yourself wherever you needed or wanted to go was almost too good to believe. And, when I finally did receive my drivers license, it was all I had hoped for it to be and more. I no longer needed to ask my parents to drive me to a friend’s house, I could transport myself to and from school. I could also drive where I wanted when I wanted, whether it was a late night visit to Dutch Bros for a caffeinated drink that definitely wouldn’t let me sleep, or a 4 A.M. trip to the Grand Canyon to see the sunrise and the glorious transformation of the canyon into a mural of orange, red, and pink.

Certainly driving is a liberating and useful privilege. But it is just that, a privilege, one you have to earn by demonstrating your knowledge of the laws and rules that keep people safe on the road. Driving is such a staple, a piece of everyday routine in the lives of most that it is easy to forget the consequences, the life-changing accidents we risk every time we get behind the wheel. Some are unavoidable as there will always be hazards when driving. Others, however, are caused by a lack of proper knowledge on the rules of the road, a carelessness or irresponsibility.

For those caused by a lack of knowledge, there is a solution in increased education, specifically drivers education courses. There is convincing research that shows that young drivers who complete drivers education courses are less likely to receive moving violations or be involved in or cause an injury or accident. According to a study done by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, young drivers who had not completed a driver’s education course were 75 percent more likely to get a ticket and 16 percent more likely to have an accident than those who had completed a drivers education course (Newman et al, 2015). Clearly, drivers education effectively lowers the rates of accidents on the road, making it a viable solution for decreasing fatal accidents. Drivers education courses should be more widely encouraged as a part of the drivers license process. However, drivers education courses are expensive, and I know many drivers, like myself, are unable to take a course due to the price. Therefore, in order to reduce the number of deaths, drivers education courses should not only be more extensively supported, but should also be made cheaper so more students can enroll in the courses.

I still vividly remember the day when my father and I rounded a corner on our dirt road and saw my brother’s truck smashed into a tree. He had driven off ahead, planning to make an early start and reach Flagstaff before us. However, he was driving too fast and hit a patch of washboard on the poorly maintained road, which caused him to fishtail, lose control of the car, and hit the tree. Thankfully, he was mostly unharmed, sustaining only a few small cuts and bruises from the accident. The truck was quite a bit more damaged and cost quite a bit in repairs to get it back into working order. But the fear my father and I felt when we first saw his wrecked car, and the apprehension towards driving my brother felt for a long time afterward could not be fixed with a trip to the repair shop.

My father is a driver for a living; he spends his days shuttling people to and from Phoenix or the Grand Canyon. While I have full faith in my father’s driving abilities, the stories he tells of the drivers he encounters, people on their phones, texting, unwittingly drifting over into his lane, worry me. Such a small and seemingly inconsequential event as checking a text can have disastrous consequences when you’re behind the wheel. Yet so many people do check their phones while driving. Clearly, many people do not understand or do not think about the terrible results that can stem from distracted driving, a problem that can hopefully be partially solved through increased drivers education.

As someone who grew up surrounded by smart phones and social media I understand the addictive pull a text or notification has. The excitement, the agitation makes it seem impossible to wait to check. But it is possible. And it is necessary. A text about your plans tonight or a new comment on your Instagram photo is not worth your life, or anyone else’s. To prevent myself from feeling that tug to check a notification, I turn my phone off while driving. I believe this helps me to block out any phone related distractions while driving, and keeps me more focused on the road. I also plan to look into online and affordable driver’s education courses to increase my knowledge of the rules of the road. I intend to get my family and friends involved with me on these plans and encourage them to also take steps to increase their knowledge of driving rules.

Driving is by far one of my favorite pastimes. It has allowed me the freedom to make and change my own plans, and the liberty to go places I never thought I could while blasting Drivers License as loud as I can. But it is important to remember the risks and responsibilities we take on as we get behind the wheel, and to do our best to educate ourselves on the rules of the road to make it a safer place for everyone on it.

References

• Newman Ian, and Shell Duane. “Study: Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets.” University of Nebraska–Lincoln UNL News Releases, 13 Aug. 2015,newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver%27s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets.