Defense Is The Best Offense

Driving is a privilege, one that is often abused by new drivers and teenagers. I often wonder why this happens since all students are required to take a Drivers Ed class before obtaining their license, but it makes sense because not all people heed the warnings that are exclaimed. Regardless, Drivers Ed does present the necessary knowledge to become a good driver: what does a blinking yellow light mean, what to do when traffic directors are out, etc. This is why the high number of deaths due to driving accidents is not even higher than it is now.

To help limit the number of driving-related deaths, we should emphasize the importance of being a defensive driver. I recently learned this when I was bringing my little sister back from church. While driving, I noticed a man wearing sunglasses in cloudy weather and texting on his phone. While he had his eyes away from the road, his car began to drift to the left and closer to mine. Because we were going over 60mph, I was forced to quickly glance left and then swerve over to avoid being hit. This act of defensive driving is something that can save lives and if more people put it into action, there would be far less accidents. There is also one small thing that I intentionally do to protect young passengers: putting them in the back seat. This is to ensure that, in the event of a crash, they will not fly forward into the windshield. So, rather than letting her sit in the front, I positioned my little sister in the backseat so she had a better chance of survival if we were to crash; of course with her seatbelt on as well. This is the simplicity of taking precautions and being a defensive driver.

While it may seem like I am a responsible driver, that has not always been the case. I remember back when I first got my license and did not take many of the warnings that I was informed of during Drivers Ed seriously; I broke rule number one: do not text and drive. I was on my way home and I needed to send an email to one of my teachers before I went to work in 20 minutes. Because I still had to change my clothes, I decided to drive with one hand and text with the other. At first, it seemed like everything was going fine, with the occasional swerve; however, when I was almost done with the email, I needed to send it. I ended up choosing to use both hands for five seconds and then focus on driving after. Although, when I looked up, I saw that I was in the middle of the road and turning into incoming traffic. Panicked, I swerved to the right and came to a complete stop. I was so shocked that I completely disregarded both work and the email to reflect on the fact that I almost just lost my life. Thankfully, I was able to correct myself just in time to avoid a car but this was the thing that made me realize that warnings should not be taken lightly. This experience could have been much worse, not only because I could have lost my life, but also because there was an entire family in the car I almost collided with.

Realistically, road safety is not that difficult, it simply takes acts of wisdom and the ability to ask yourself questions of common sense: am I going too fast, is this safe, is this defensive driving? What I have learned as I continued to perfect my driving is that the best way to teach others the importance of road safety is to show them.

When it comes to driving, my parents were complete opposites. My mom was very calm and cautious, just like the prime example of a defensive driver. On the other hand, my father was the epitome of how not to drive. He often texted, sped, drifted into other lanes, and truly did not pay attention. I still love him, but he seems to be better at anything other than driving. There was one time last year when someone cut and flicked him off on the highway. After this, my dad proceeded to honk and chase them for the next five minutes before my mom was finally able to calm him down. Fortunately, as time passed, he got his road rage under control but this experience allowed me to realize that this is how a lot of Americans behave. They want to take some sort of vengeance after being wronged and completely forget the risks that they take. If my mom were in that situation, she might have done so much as scoff, but she would have ultimately moved on. If everyone were able to do this, all road fights and altercations would become completely obsolete.

Throughout my life, my mom has taught me to be calm and keep my composure while driving so that my mind is able to make logical decisions. Now, I am teaching the same lesson to my younger sister so that, when the time comes, she can learn to drive safely as well. Besides, defense is always more important than offense in basketball so why wouldn’t driving be the same?