Learnings of the Road

In seventh grade on a snowy Saturday morning, my dad, brother, and I were involved in a minor car crash. This was because of my dad’s quick thinking to prevent an incoming head on collision with the car barreling down the hill. I remember I couldn’t stop shaking following the minor fender bender. From then on out I have taken from my dad on how to be a defensive, smart, and safe driver.

Freshmen year I took drivers ed, the nine-week course taught me the basics and fundamentals of driving. What I learned in that class has been vital to me now looking back at now in my senior year. Since I began driving, I have never been behind the wheel in an accident. This is due to passing drivers ed. Not only passing it, but passing with a 97%. While only needing a 70%+ to pass, I believe that should be raised to a 90%+. My parents believe anything below an A- is an F, this outlook should be preached in drivers ed. It shouldn’t be about just scraping by to get a freedom that is overlooked and valued. It shouldn’t be about passing the tests and following the rules the instructor gives you while driving with them, those rules and skills you learn should be retained.

The skills we learn in drivers ed should follow us as much as our keys do. Hands should be at 10 and 2 so we are always in control of our car. Taking the minute before entering our car to check and see that the tires are good, no new scratches or dents, that all headlights work. While driving, observing what surrounds the road, keeping our eyes on the road at all times. Checking mirrors to keep us in check. Knowing the speed limit at all times. Come to a complete stop at stop signs, use turn signals to indicate turns. This is just the beginning of what every driver needs to do every time behind the wheel.

My friends, teachers, even my parents will always be talking about how slow old people drive, making them late and just being a pain in their butt. Sometimes I’m in that same boat, if the speed limit is 25, we shouldn’t be going 15 and slamming on the break every two seconds. But if you were to ask an adult which, would they rather have, their kid or loved one going 20 or 40 in 25, they will respond with 20. Teenagers are given the right to drive at the young age of 16, a majority of them will abuse it to drive fast, be reckless, put themselves and others in harm’s way. Driving isn’t about you; it is about everyone else on the road. We do not need 100 mad maxes on our roads and we don’t even need one. Driving is about keeping everyone on the road safe by following what we’ve learned and practiced.

So how do we become better drivers? It is a simple task that will come with time but once it’s done, it will make a huge difference. Obeying the rules of the road, sounds easy? I cannot count on my fingers how many minor rules are broken when driving to one side of my town to another. Whether seeing someone not wearing a seatbelt, not using their turn signal, speeding, or worst of all, texting and driving. They are rules for a reason, it is to keep the driver and other drivers safe. Not only is it common courtesy, it is the rules of the road. Rules are rules, if you don’t believe in them, you shouldn’t be driving!

A huge cause of deaths in motor accidents is the same story, distracted driving. Diving deeper, distracted by technology. Cars and phones are a lethal duo, just as bad if not worse than a car and alcohol. By just peering away from the road again for a second can lead to a fatal, horrid crash. Technology will continue to improve and do it’s best to prevent these accidents but it is up to us to prevent those accidents. Being able to just drive, don’t worry about who that snapchat is from, what song is playing, what news article popped up, that can wait. Even talking on the phone while driving interferes with the attention that should be focused on the road. Driving takes a 110% concentration on the road, its surroundings, and other drivers.

Creating a culture of better drivers for the future starts with ourselves. There is a difference between saying something and doing something. To get a change going, we cannot be hypocrites, telling people to drive the speed limit while blazing 50 in a school zone. If we want to make this change, it comes down to us, being the light, showing people how to do it and how easy it is.