
Name: Patrick Osborn
From: Gretna, Nebraska
Votes: 0
Cautious Driving
Driving
has an interesting sociological effect on our society today.
Teenagers yearn for the day they get their driver’s license as they
are endowed with a freedom never before realized. However, driving
also has many negative connotations along with it. Many kids are
afraid of getting behind a wheel and learning how to drive. There is
certainly a risk of driving that can cost lives. That is just one
reason that an effective drivers ed is critical.
One
aspect stressed in the drivers ed many people receive is
the importance of being considered a “cautious” driver. Let’s
look at what a non-cautious driver would look like. For example, say
they need to drive for an hour. They would not see a problem in
driving close behind the other vehicles, or with speeding if there
are no police officers around. All of these choices will greatly
increase the likelihood that there will be an accident related to
this driver.
There
are other ways that not being educated in proper cautious driving can
be dangerous. Such as driving while distracted. Many people do not
see a problem in checking their phones or replying to a text if it is
quick. Practically everyone has seen the commercials where a family
member talks about their loved ones dying from someone texting while
driving. It seems that an event like this could never happen to us,
but every time we peak to see what someone has to say, the chances go
up that we will be a part of the statistics.
One
final way that being an educated, cautious driver helps reduce the
risk of accidents is that they would know how to deal with
non-educated, non-cautious drivers. Road rage is an issue that can be
very dangerous. Even the best drivers can lose a grip on the
importance of safety precautions if they begin to let their emotions
get ahold of them. When someone else does something on the road that
is not correct, it is typically seen as normal to get upset about it.
However, this is a practice that desperately needs to be phased out.
If we let go of the practices that have always managed to keep us
safe, then in that moment of weakness is when our own faults will
become revealed to us in the worst ways.
The
facts have been out in the public for a long time, at this point it
is everybody’s responsibility to know that texting while driving is
not okay, that becoming angry at other drivers does not help anyone,
and that not being an educated cautious driver creates a dangerous
environment for everyone else. It is also the responsibility of the
friends and family members of drivers to ensure that these things are
not happening. While it may feel uncomfortable at the time, telling
someone to not text while driving is going to be a lot easier than
telling someone else what happened when you watched that person text
their last words.