Time to Be Enlightened

Driving in America is a rite of passage for every adolescent, but as with any coming of age moment, while there is great freedom bestowed upon the individual,  there is also a great responsibility.  I know that I never truly thought of the ramifications of my behavior behind the wheel until I was presented with my symbol of freedom, my driver’s license.  I never thought about the power that I held in my hands to change the course of my life or someone else’s in the blink of an eye. Because these were not natural thoughts, I am grateful that the state of California requires certain criteria to be met in order to obtain that license.  One of those criteria being driver’s education.  

I truly believe that driver education is important to reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving.  According to the Webster’s Dictionary one definition of education can be, “an enlightening experience.” Driver education is just that, enlightening.  Enlightening the hazards and pitfalls that new drivers can make.  I remember back in 8th grade, we had to write an argumentative essay about how texting while driving was distracting and dangerous.  As an 8th grader who has yet to begin to drive, this topic went right over my head.  Little did I know that just in three short years, the information that I learned then and during my driving courses would be some of the most important and the most enlightening of my high school career. Never did I realize that certain rules of the road were not only a driving courtesy but actually can keep you from having an accident. Small things, like never passing on the right, giving pedestrians the right of way can keep you and others safe.  With solid educational foundations of not only the mechanics of driving but the rules of the road and the whys, driving deaths can be reduced.  

Deaths are going to happen, but they can be reduced. I think one of the best steps that we can take as a society to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to strengthen the laws that we have on impaired driving.  Impaired driving is when the driver is driving under the influence of alcohol historically, but drug impairment is gaining more recognition from policymakers.   According to the US Department of Transportation, more than 10,000 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2012.  The site goes on to state that among those fatalities more than half were passengers.  Innocent victims to a senseless crime.  This is a significant number of deaths that could have been avoided, through educational campaigns, sobriety checkpoints,  the use of technology, and probably most importantly the enforcement of existing laws.  Accidents happen.  You can’t always prepare for them, that’s why they are called an accident, but driving impaired is a choice that people make and one that we need to help people not make.   

I have never experienced a car accident firsthand, but I have experienced people driving irresponsibly.  My mom is notorious for checking email and replying to texts while she is driving. She usually does it when she is stopped at a light, but there are many times when she is moving also. She has never been in an accident because of this behavior, but there have been some scarcely moments.  As my siblings and I have gotten older and have begun driving ourselves, we have really been able to impress on her the dangers of this bad habit.  She has admitted that this is definitely something that she would not any one of us to do.  She has lectured us all countless times about the repercussions if she ever found out that we were engaging in this type of behavior.  It was during one of these lectures that my older sister was able to gently point out the hypocrisy of her lecture.   She received this message well and she has committed to making better choices too.   

I think I am a pretty safe driver, but we can all make improvements to ourselves and our driving.  I have found, especially lately, that I always seem to be in a rush.  I find myself speeding down the freeways faster than I should.  I know that I really need to slow down and not let the rush of my senior year affect my driving.  If I don’t, I may not see the end of my senior year, or even worse, I might be the cause of someone else not seeing theirs.