In the Driver’s Seat

Enzo Vertucci

Palm Beach Gardens High School

12th grade

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

In the Driver’s Seat

Fatalities due to vehicular accidents are a tremendous problem in America. There is not one answer to solving this problem, as there are a plethora of reasons for why accidents happen. Incompetent drivers range from all ages, so different actions may be taken amongst different age groups, in order to maximize the amount of applicable knowledge one receives when learning. Improved driver education, in addition to various laws and other measures, may help the number of accidents decrease.

Driver education is extremely important in teaching prospective drivers about the ways of driving. This is due to the different aspects of driving. These aspects focus on the way to handle one’s car, how to act in situations regarding other drivers, the actual rules of the road, and the hands-on experience behind the wheel. Each one of those has its own significance. It is important to have background knowledge on the workings of a car before getting in the driver’s seat, so that the new driver will know the basics such as the gas, brake, windshield wipers, blinkers, gear selector, and things of those sorts. This may sound miniscule, but it is important so that the questions do not arise when a person is on the road. Questions which arise on the road cause panic, which can lead to a multitude of potential disasters. Scenarios are taught to those being educated, and this prepares them for the proper way to act in a given scenario. When pertaining to the rules of the road, driver education is important so that drivers are aware of the way to act while driving. Driver education helps affirm that everyone is driving under the same set of rules, which helps to limit accidents, because all drivers become aware of how the people around them act. The last part of driver education is hands-on action with a supervisor. This is very important, due to the fact that drivers get a feel for the way to make decisions on the road, with the help of someone experienced. If drivers are to go straight into driving without someone aiding them in their initial excursions, there is destined to be a situation in which they are unfamiliar. This can lead to a problem. For these reasons, driver education is of extreme importance.

Amongst young drivers, one way to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to raise the legal age of obtaining a license. States have laws stating how many hours must be driven by teenagers who have their permit, prior to obtaining their license. However, in being a teenager and having conversations with other teenagers, it has become evident that not everyone achieves the given amount of hours. This number is crucial for drivers to reach, as it sets the standard for an adequate amount of hours before driving alone. The best way to fix this problem is to add six months to the time in which one is eligible to acquire their license, which is based on each individual state. On the opposite end of the spectrum, elderly people need more monitoring, too. Their lack of awareness and slower responses in situations is very harmful to everyone surrounding them. Therefore, they should be required to take a driving test every other year, starting at age 70, in order to obtain a valid license. If this test were to be taken on the actual road, their capabilities could be measured by set standards, and their overall proficiency could be assessed. These are two ways to lessen the amount of fatal car accidents, especially because these target two of the most involved age groups when fatalities result from a crash.

Fortunately, to this point in my life, I have primarily been surrounded with friends and family who are safe drivers. However, there was one particular incident involving a friend where the situation could have turned negative. My friends and I were driving from one set of baseball fields, which were closed, to another set of fields, which were open. There were about eight cars involved in going from one place to the other. While making a left turn, the light turned yellow, and one of my friends came to a complete stop. Although this would not have been a terrible course of action, he then stepped on the gas to go through the light. The confusion and chaos then led to the car behind him, and the car in which I was a passenger, to go through the light, which by then was red. This situation did not end badly. But, it represents the greater whole of drivers, and the types of drivers that you want to be around versus those that you do not want to be near.

The main way in which I could increase my safety as a driver is to be less distracted while driving. I can do this by turning off notifications on my phone, so I do not get distracted by the sound. I have attempted to hold myself more accountable over the course of the last year, since my cousin died in a single car accident. It’s not that phone usage was a factor in that, however after his accident, I became much more aware of everything driving related. I could also start allowing more space between the car in front of me and my car. I think that I follow behind the car in front of me too closely at times. In a sudden situation, if that car in front of me stops quickly, an accident could happen. A way that I can help others, to become safer drivers, is to discourage reckless tendencies which they deem “cool.” I have many friends who think it is fun to drive twenty to thirty miles an hour over the speed limit. In situations where they brag about this, I can do a better job of explaining the dangers of speeding, rather than staying quiet. Speaking up to others and voicing the reason that driving safely saves lives, is a simple, but important way to help others be safer drivers.

There are numerous ways to help reduce the number of car accidents and to make the roads safer. Driver education is the first step in promoting safety. There are additional policies which could be implemented to help in this quest, such as adding six months to the required age to obtain a license, or to add driving tests for the elderly age group. I can personally become a less distracted, better driver, as this contributes to the overall goal of having the safest roads possible.