Making The Road a Safer Place

“It gets easier with practice” is the mantra of driver’s education teachers everywhere. While this statement is true, it doesn’t do much to assuage the nerves of a jittery fifteen-year-old as they finally grasp a steering wheel (a real-life steering wheel, not the Mario Kart controllers). To be frank, driving is like trying to bike uphill in an electrical storm. One must be on the lookout for a zillion little dangers all while zeroing in on the main goal: safely arriving at the destination. However, despite the many dangers and the sheer amount of death that occurs on the road, there exists several ways to make driving a safer experience. 

One must first seek to absorb as much as possible from Driver’s Education class. While the class may seem mind-numbing after a long day in school, Driver’s Education actively reduces and prevents casualties on the road. The class provides an extensive outline on road signs, automobile functions, and rules of the road, serving as a safe introduction to driving before getting behind the wheel. Moreover, through lectures on driving while texting or drinking, Driver’s Education provides real-life examples of tragedies that work not just as cautionary tales, but learning experiences for all new drivers. After seeing a myriad of gory, bone-chilling testimonies from former drunk drivers, I was utterly terrified of even sniffing at a can of Coors. Besides being simultaneously informative and horrifying, Driver’s Education is effective. Though I groaned at the mandatory “learning checks” I had to pass while attending the class, those tests were not solely for my own good, but that of everyone else I’d soon be sharing the road with. Driver’s Education teaches, but more than that, it ensures the students have developed a basic yet clear understanding of road rules and behaviors. 

Paying full attention during Driver’s Education class is a step all new drivers can take to make the road a safer place. However, driver’s safety can also be improved by changes to the law and general tweaks to Driver’s Education. While laws against texting while driving are in place, it’s no secret that many people see those laws as suggestions. How many times have you sped past a slow-moving car on the highway only to see a Snapchatting teen behind the wheel? Stronger repercussions, such as higher fines or even jail time, would likely decrease the blatant apathy towards texting laws. As for tweaking Driver’s Education, the program could benefit from being more interactive. While the importance of the classroom learning cannot be understated, in my experience, most kids just don’t retain the information. In a classroom setting, many are prone to zoning out, or just forgetting crucial tidbits in the overwhelming amount of information thrown at them. For several drivers, including myself, the first time getting behind the wheel was long after attending Driver’s Education, when even more information had slipped through the cracks. If Driver’s Education were to allow students some time behind the wheel, or even just time to get acquainted with a car and the important functions, they would feel much more in control on the road. 

Fortunately, I have never been in a car accident. However, I’ve been witness to several acts of reckless driving, by strangers and even friends. Sometimes, while driving home from work late at night, my knuckles would turn white around the wheel as drunk drivers swerved around me and large trucks completely failed to abide by the rules of the four-way stop. Driving, especially for new drivers, can be a terrifying, poleaxing experience.  In order to help others make the road a safer place, I’ll teach my younger sister about all the crucial car functions and help her plan ahead in case of unpredictable conditions. Moreover, I’ll teach her to leave three seconds worth of room between herself and the car she’s following. The “three second rule” as it’s been dubbed, not only forces one to be mindful of their surroundings, but decreases the risk of rear-end accidents. As for myself, I’ll implement quick safety checks into my driving routine to ensure all my seats and mirrors are in order. I’ll work towards becoming more fit in order to reinforce the mind-and-body connection that is so vital to attentive driving. 

While I compared driving to a terrifying downpour, it is possible to withstand the storm. Awareness of road rules and a mindfulness of one’s own behavior can transform driving from a terrifying bike ride into a sunny, joyous trip downhill (while going the speed limit, of course).