Out of Patience, out of time

For
most teenagers in the USA, turning sixteen is an exciting time. For
the first time in their life, they’re able to take control of a
vehicle and go wherever their heart desires. This is not an instant
act though, as to legally drive an automobile a person is required to
go through a drivers ed course. After this, they are
officially allowed to be on the road. Unfortunately, with this
newfound freedom comes risks. Everyday, thousands of people either
disobey the laws of the road or neglect them, often resulting in
deadly consequences. Teen drivers in particular are subject to this,
with the age being the most likely to get in a car wreck being in
this young adult group. Inexperience no doubt plays a large role in
this, as well as simply making mistakes. But these horrid events can
be easily avoided. Drivers ed, the very foundation of any
person’s knowledge on being a responsible driver, is paramount in
learning how to avoid potentially life-threatening accidents.
Everything a person would need to know about the road, from the way
one should note right-of-way to how you should never operate a
vehicle after drinking, is laid out in these lessons. Sadly, people
often deviate from what they learned there for whatever reason,
whether it be they think they know better or they would rather forego
safety to get somewhere quicker. When a person chooses to go down
this path, they risk everything for both themselves and whoever else
may be impacted by their poor driving. To ensure that people don’t
put themselves in this bad situation, some steps need to be taken to
fortify the foundation that is drivers ed. With the
introduction of the technological age we find ourselves in, many
websites allow people to take their education online. To ensure that
drivers are properly informed for the future, potential drivers
should be given more rigorous lectures and in-depth lessons during
the course, as well as more complex exams. This would make it harder
for them to breeze through it without paying much attention, and
hopefully would cause them to take it to heart. Too many people treat
this part of their lives as a driver as an annoying speedbump that
must be passed over to get to the more exciting part. This lack of
patience eventually translates into irresponsible driving once
they’ve taken to the road. I’ve seen it firsthand. My father has
always been a bit of an aggressive driver. He’d often shout
expletives at people who are going to slow for his liking. One day,
he let that rage take over and it resulted in an accident that cost
him his new car and nasty gash on the head. Rather than allowing that
anger to take over or impatience to control you, patience and
understanding should be used. What many forget is that the other
driver is a person too, and we’re all simply trying to get
somewhere safely and responsibly.