Safety on the Roads

There is nothing more exciting than going to the DMV on your sixteenth birthday, eager to take the computerized permit test. After all, it is a very big milestone… you are about to learn to drive. We all want that privilege and long to be independent going into adulthood, done with the days of mom and dad carting you around everywhere. As exciting as it is, the importance and responsibility that comes along with beginning your driving journey can truly not be stressed enough.

Thanks to Driver’s Education programs, each young driver starts out with a basic toolkit — but applying those concepts into real life experience is a completely different scenario. It may be easy to do worksheets in Driver’s Education, pass the final test, and pass the permit test; however once you get behind the wheel for the first few times, it is nerve-wracking and can be incredibly stressful. I remember my dad driving me to this big parking lot, where I started off simple. I just spent time learning to adjust my mirrors, my seat, finding the windshield wipers, my directional, and putting the car into drive, park, and reverse. I slowly worked up to going on backroads, and eventually moved up to main roads! I was so proud of myself, and thanks to the foundation I learned in Driver’s Education, I knew so much. While others were speeding and driving recklessly on the roads, my newfound knowledge was helping me navigate some unexpected situations I encountered on the road. Driver’s Education is so incredibly important, and truly is helpful, serving a real and serious purpose. That starting ground is essential to driving safely.

In my second month of my permit, I dealt with the unimaginable, something I thought “it’s never going to happen to me!” I got into a car accident on a road I had never been on, and neither had my father (my supervising driver). I had been on the highway for the first time that day, and finally I was building confidence as a driver. This was not just a little scrape on the car, or a little dent. The car was absolutely TOTALED. Ambulances came, passerbys called 911, and the police came. It was a single car accident. The airbags came on, the windshield cracked, and the front of the car and right front wheel was destroyed. Miraculously, I ended up safe and so did my dad. I could have died, so could have my dad. He had no injuries whatsoever. I walked away with a concussion, and some serious bruising from my seat belt.

Let that keyword be emphasized for a moment — SEAT BELT. The EMTs were shocked that I was okay, able to stand up after seeing the wreckage. I was lucky to be alive, thanks to my seat belt. If I had not put my seat belt on, I could have ended up with serious, life threatening injuries, or died. My parents always taught me the importance of putting my seat belt on, and that carried with me as a young child to sixteen years old, when I was the one driving. I am so grateful that I put my seat belt on that day.

To be frank, it drives me absolutely insane that some people refuse to put seat belts on. It is such a simple task — it takes literally five seconds. It is not a major inconvenience, and taking those few seconds to “click it, or ticket!” could very well be the matter of life and death. I just truly do not understand the opposition that some have against seat belts. They are proven to keep you safe, so EVERYONE should take advantage of their benefits. Take those extra few seconds, please.

Earlier, I mentioned that the front of my car was damaged. In order to reduce the number of deaths, research and implementing improved crumple zones is essential to keep drivers safe. I learned about crumple zones in about second grade, when the firemen showed a video on how to be a safe passenger, and crumple zones were brought up. I knew in the back of my mind that they keep us safe, but until I experienced myself I did not understand the gravity that they had. My legs and body were not affected thanks to the barrier the crumple zone provided. Instead of straight up smashing into that stone structure, I was safe, thanks in part to the crumple zone. I truly think that it is vital to continue research on crumple zones, making it mandatory for all vehicles to have them held at a certain standard, and to keep learning other parts about motor vehicles that can be altered and improved in order to keep drivers safe. After all, headrests are in EVERY car today, and there is always room for updates and positive, effective changes.

In addition, as a Rhode Island, I find our graduated drivers license protocol to be super effective. Heeding to the guidelines they state is something that must be taken seriously. My friends and peers at school would pile their car full of people with just their limited provisional license, which is in fact illegal. Driving with a supervising driver on your permit is necessary as well, and I know a few people whose parents let them drive on their own with just their permit. Thankfully I had my dad there when my car accident happened, and that is why that rule exists! I also want more parents and guardians to offer their assistance to their kids, picking them up and not screaming at them even if they have been drinking or smoking. The courage to reach out to a parent shows a sense of responsibility, which should not be overlooked.

Now at eighteen years old, I have my full drivers license and drive regularly. I drive myself as well as my younger sister to school every morning, drive to work, and the theatre I perform at. One goal I have set for myself to be a safer driver is to not play my music TOO loud. That can be very dangerous, especially with an emergency vehicle trying to get through — the “slow down, pull over” law could be the matter of life and death for the patient in the ambulance, or prevent law enforcement from getting to a crime scene, or saving a child from harm. My learning experience with driving is far from done, and I pledge to be a safe, defensive, and responsible driver. See you on the road, and you better have your seat belt on!