In the Driver’s Seat

In
the Driver’s Seat

By:
Nathan Fowler

Drivers ed was my first real exposure to driving where I
actually had to concentrate. We are in the car every day, with other
people driving, and honestly, not really paying attention. When you
are young, you think you can do anything, and do it better than
everyone else. The drivers ed opened my eyes, mainly
because of all the statistics it talked about. Sometimes, just
hearing people tell you that a lot of teen drivers make bad choices,
is not very effective, but seeing those numbers on the screen is a
different story.

The more that
police can crack down on illegal driving, the more the number of
deaths will decrease. I know that there are only so many police out
there, but I really believe sometimes it takes something happening to
you, to force you to make changes. Also, some schools have those
simulated crash demonstrations. Those are very realistic, and I think
that they reach teens on a stronger level because they can actually
see what a similar situation might be like if it happened to them or
if they caused it. It would be nice if every school was forced to do
one of those annually. Lastly, when you hear about other people who
are like you talk about their experience and how they made a bad
choice, it makes you think harder about not making that same poor
decision. Having guest speakers tell their stories can really help.

I have never been
a bad car accident or really seen anyone drive irresponsibly. I have
a really good family and group of friends; however, my parents are
very good about telling me when they hear of something in our
community. They usually have me read the news and we talk about what
happened and who was involved and whose lives were forever changed
because of someone’s bad driving decision. It makes me want to be
more careful, especially if it involves someone I am aware of through
mutual friends.

The best thing I
can do to be a better, safer driver is to try to be courteous to
others on the road. Sometimes I am frustrated because I see someone
driving too slowly (in my opinion.) I try to remind myself that maybe
that person is going slow for a reason, maybe they are having a
medical issue or maybe they just don’t feel as comfortable driving
as fast as I do. I try to tell my friends the same thing when I see
them getting frustrated. Being completely aware of my surroundings
was a little bit of a learning curve for me, however, it is so
important to have that skill so that you can be prepared for things
that happen that are unexpected. Most importantly, the best thing to
do is keep distractions at a minimum, use all of your senses to focus
on your driving, and remember, it’s not only your life on the line.