The Unexpected Dangers of Driving

Without proper driver’s education, people are more likely to get into car crashes which can lead to serious injuries and in some cases, death. This is why the topic of driver education is imperative to talk about. In my experience, the people I have seen who get into accidents are either new inexperienced drivers, those who lack self-awareness and cannot properly judge their abilities, or someone who is just not paying attention.

In the case for novice drivers, I find that the learners who have a combination of parent teaching and a driving school program are the best drivers. I had a friend who only learned from driver’s ed classes and I have found that they didn’t understand certain “driver’s etiquette” that others had who were taught by both parents and classes. But in general, you can’t be good at something until you have practiced it correctly for a while so I believe that new drivers need to be extra cautious and know their limits. That is why it is important to learn how to drive earlier. Most people will have to drive eventually and if you start learning to drive while still living with your parents, then there are more mentors around to help. Additionally, more practice can be achieved when people start young. If people wait until they are 18 and go off to college to learn how to drive, they won’t be as confident or skilled in driving on highways and in busy cities as someone who got their permit when they were 15. Having those extra years of experience allows people to have 2-3 years of driving experience under their belt before they have to go off into the real world.

However, I find that the most difficult type of bad driver to correct is the unaware bad driver. This type of person thinks they are a good driver, but they have overinflated their abilities. When you try to correct this person- they get defensive and are unwilling to learn. In this category, I know an adult who swears she is a good driver but I cannot be in the car with her for more than 10 minutes without feeling carsick and uncomfortable with their driving. She cuts people off, doesn’t wait her turn at roundabouts, and talks badly about the drivers around her even when it’s her fault. She has gotten in many crashes and taken out countless mailboxes. In cases like this, I believe that a driver’s skills need to be retested and monitored after a specific amount of incidents. There should be a scale to compare objective driver qualities to judge if they are a “good driver.” Then, once evaluated they should have to improve their driving skills until they are a good driver. It can be hard to judge your abilities when there are no clear guidelines on what a good driver is.

And finally, the last type of driver who tends to get into crashes is the distracted driver. This person can be distracted by their phone, the radio, their kids, or just something random on the side of the road. I got into a car crash over two years ago when I was at an unprotected left turn. I wasn’t paying attention and a truck hit the front right side of my car. Luckily, no one was hurt, but my car was totaled. In this situation, I was completely zoned out. I was coming home from the gym super tired after a long day and BAM! I was in a car crash. I never thought it would be me in a crash but after that experience, I make a conscious effort to completely pay attention to the road- not just look at it and zone out. I find that the best way for me to remain completely focused on the road is to choose music before I start driving, put my phone somewhere where I won’t be distracted by it, and make sure to leave on time so that I am not in a rush. It is ok to be late every once in a while it happens to everyone. The important thing to remember while being late is that you will be even later if you speed and get pulled over. And especially later if you get into a car crash. No one’s life is worth that, so there is no need to drive rushed and distracted. If you are traveling a distance where you will run into lights, typically, you will get somewhere at the same time no matter how fast you want to speed to “make up time.” If you want to be somewhere sooner, you have to leave the house sooner.

In conclusion, driver’s education should be learned by everyone as soon as it is legal in their state. So many people’s lives could be saved if we were better-educated drivers. Learning how to drive is a privilege and it can be taken away. Parents need to understand that if they aren’t teaching their kids how to drive, they are restricting them from learning, which can lead to more dangerous drivers on the road. And finally, people need to be more self-aware- no one is a good enough driver to be distracted while driving. The text messages can wait, but your life can not.