I can and I will

Ramon Medina

24 January 2020

I can
and I will

Would you give somebody with no
firearm experience a revolver for his birthday? Of course not. Why?
Because as much as you like your buddy, he has no training in the use
of guns; no scope of the responsibilities, risks and duties of using
them. The same is true with cars. Even though many people drive every
day, driving is at least as dangerous as using a gun. Think about,
the driver is guiding a hundred-ton structure of metal, with only his
and feet (and the power-steering) at high speeds, between other
hundred-ton structures and fragile human bodies. Putting someone with
insufficient experience or training in the driver’s seat is as
dangerous as handing an assault rifle to a man with no training, both
create a situation in which there is a high probability that the
person will harm others and himself. Education is indispensable in
any field that carries risk, especially one as widespread as driving
a car. Additionally, the attitude and perspective appropriate for
driving are as important lessons as the technology used.

One of the things I was taught in
driving school was the importance of maturity and patience. A patient
driver doesn’t give in to the need to try to rush into traffic
lanes or speed passed other cars unnecessarily. A mature driver
doesn’t slow down at a speed bump only to accelerate exponentially
after its past and doesn’t race to try and beat the traffic light.
They respect speed limits and are aware of pedestrians nearby. They
drive defensively and backdown when other drivers try to pass them or
cut them off. This mindset of maturity, patience, and humility is
something that should be taught and reinforced in schools everywhere
to make sure students understand the responsibility the driving
entails. A moment of immaturity is all it takes to cause an accident.

When I was eighteen, my mother
and I were coming back to our car where we had parked it in the city.
As my mother was waiting for an opening in traffic to exit parallel
parking, a small bus slammed into the cars side, causing us to careen
into the parked car in front of us. Nobody was hurt, but our driver’s
door was dented and refused to open. Even though nothing was injured
except metal and pride, it was a scary experience. And all it took
was one irresponsible fellow, probably driving his car around the
corner to fast. It’s easy to point fingers at reckless drivers, but
what will I do personally to be responsible and not do what that bus
driver did? Well, I’ll keep my attention on any pedestrians near me
and take corners at a decent speed. I will make sure that I am not
tired when I’m driving, or stop and rest when I am. I’ll plan to
leave early to appointments, so I don’t feel tempted to rush and
then don’t rush even if I’m late because it’s better to arrive
late than not at all. I’m not saying I can do this these things,
but I will do these things. This is something I will tell myself
whenever I get in the car: I’, not just able to drive responsibly,
but I will drive responsibly.