The Little Actions are The Most Important

The most dangerous aspect of driving is overconfidence. I have seen this influence a close friend of mine and almost cost them their life. After having gotten dressed up to go to a restaurant, a group of my friends and I were waiting for another friend who was running late. While waiting we joked about what could be making him late, we all received a text. Not only had my friend gotten into an accident, but the car had flipped upside down. Immediately, we asked if he was alright and what happened. Thankfully, he sustained no injuries and no other car was involved. He told us, after almost missing an exit he decided he was going to make it. Speeding up past the speed limit, he attempted to swerve in front of the car to his right and enter the exit. He successfully passed the car but lost control when reaching the exit due to a tight turn. The first mistake he made was being so far above the speed limit. The faster a car is going, the more difficult it is to control, especially when making turns. The second mistake was risking swerving in front of another car. He put the lives of the people in the other car in danger because if he had swerved too late the other car may have hit him. However, the most crucial mistake was the overconfidence he had in his driving skill. As important as it is to be confident with the decisions we make while driving, it’s common to overestimate our ability to handle such large machines at high speeds and without much caution.

Most people become too trusting in their own ability to multitask. It only takes one moment when you get a text and decide you will quickly take a peek. You pick up your phone and start looking up to your windshield and down at your phone, up to your windshield and down to your phone, until you spend an extra two seconds to type a response. You look back up from your phone and… stop at the next light, successfully multitasking. This is the most dangerous success. Now that you’ve texted and driven without consequence, you’re less inclined to stop yourself from doing it the next time you receive a text. This false trust creates greater risks for mistakes and, therefore, greater risks for deaths.

Overconfidence can also keep us from doing mundane actions that take practically no energy. It’s easy to ignore turning on a blinker or checking one’s blind spot before switching lanes. These seem like insignificant actions, until they become a matter of life and death. At times of desperate need, it’s easy to quickly switch lanes in order to make a turn you notice at the last minute. However, having taken less than a second to turn on your blinker and looking over one’s shoulder could prevent another car from hitting the back or side of the car. A car can be fixed or replaced with another, a life cannot. Anyone in one of the cars is at risk of sustaining major injuries or even dying from a simple error in judgment. Driver’s education is important to instill the necessity of doing those seemingly insignificant actions that save lives. By demonstrating where a blindspot is and how it affects visibility, more people become aware of all their surroundings when driving.

An important step to take in order to become a better driver and help others become a better driver is to make a goal of being an influence on my younger brother. This means never allowing my phone to distract me, never excessively speeding, and always staying aware of my surroundings, specifically when he’s in the car. If my brother only ever sees me ignoring basic rules of the road he’ll assume it’s okay for him to do the same when it’s his turn to drive. If I would never allow my brother to become distracted by his texts, speed on roads and do other reckless actions, I should not be a representation of someone who regularly acts that way. Along with driving lessons, it’s equally important to continue the practices we learn from those lessons so as to not confuse those around us who may look to us for guidance. To become a better driver it’s essential that people drive the way they wish to see those they care most about driving.

Drivers education is important for creating a foundation of responsible driving and is used most wisely when continuously used in everyday driving. Lessons will create confidence in drivers while also teaching future drivers to always be cautious and to never assume nothing could go wrong on the road.