Put The Phone Down

How do we learn as human beings? Trial and error for most things but also from observation. When we watch the news or hear about a major crash that left passengers dead, we think “At least it wasn’t me.” But it could have been you. The reason we learn about driving is so drivers are aware that their actions and mistakes can impact someone else’s life. Most common death by car is texting and driving. With technology constantly becoming a priority for most people, we do not ever leave the house without our phones. By the time you look down at your phone, there is no going back. One glance is all it takes to hurt or end someone’s life. Driver education is important for everyone because it allows us to learn about how to reduce the number of death and injuries caused by cars. It is especially important when you are able to reflect on the information you learn and ask yourself, “Have I ever done that?” We learn from observation, by watching something happen and knowing not to do it. This really connects with how we learn about driving, if we are on the road that an accident happened on and see the totaled car, we may start to look at our speed or notice our surroundings a little more often. Driver education is there for a reason, and it is not just to inform you of the bad things that can happen on the road but to make sure you know that any time of any day, that car crash and those deaths could have been your doing.

There are a number of ways to reduce the deaths caused by driving and a lot of them may or may not be effective to the driver, but they are effective to others around them. The first one: Put down the phone. Phones or anything that causes you to take your eyes off the road even for a second can take your life or someone else’s. That second may feel fast to you but to others, it is a lifetime. With technology making up the world we live in today, like work and school, we have to be on our devices, but with driving, those minutes in the car should be considered a break. We should welcome such as a break from the emails and texts, a break from the bickering and gossip, a break to just be you. Cherish that break, focus on the road not on work, and be there in the moment. Because in that moment, you just saved a life. A life that has so much to live for and an impact to make on the world, whether it be yours or someone else’s. The second way: Be aware. As a driver remember, there are many reasons for a kid to run into the street after an animal or toy. Always be aware of everything going on outside the car, even if you have to glance out your side window. Anticipate everything, for example, a car pulling out of a street or a group of kids having a picnic in their yard. Everything around you becomes a hazard.

Personally, I have never been in an accident and my family consists of relatively decent drivers. As a new driver, I am constantly aware of everything going on around me. Outside and inside the car. I can be considered a cautious driver, staying on or under the speed limit. After getting behind the wheel of a car for the first time, you feel everything. It hits you all at once. I am in control of this heavy machinery, which means I am in control of what it does, even if that means injuring myself or someone else. A big problem that I have with being the driver is knowing that I could and can hurt anything and anyone and knowing that makes me question my choices. I would never be able to live with myself if I knew I ended someone’s chances at walking or ended their chance at living.

You can only be a cautious driver if you want to be a safe driver. Do not be too cautious where you get fidgety and white-knuckle the steering wheel. Just know everything that is going on around you, outside and inside the car. Know the speed limit and be prepared to make a quick stop for anything. Most importantly, leave the phone down. A simple device, so small it can fit in the palm of your hand, can kill someone. Being a good driver means being cautious and safe, never make a choice that you know is wrong.