Reevaluate Your Priorities

Hannah
Moore

23
March 2020

Driver
Education Initiative Award

In
The Driver’s Seat — Reevaluate Your Priorities

As
a student who didn’t go through drivers ed, I can attest to
the lack of knowledge I had as a licensed driver. From failing my
first driver’s test to the two speeding tickets I’ve received to
the three collisions I’ve been involved in, it is clear I would
have benefitted from a thorough drivers ed program. The
importance of drivers ed spans beyond common-sense, rudimentary
operational knowledge–it is essential in the reduction of
auto-related deaths. Drivers ed provides the trainee with
skills to take onto the road and instills a priority for safety and
law observances. If it is crucial enough for states to require a
driver permit, then drivers ed should be critical and treated
with the same significance.

Plenty
of research has been conducted to reduce the number of deaths related
to driving, so why do we see recurring themes on the road? Buzzed
driving is
drunk driving, distracted driving is lack of engagement, and speeding
is undoubtedly a sign of ignorance. My father has always said, “Be
careful driving–it’s not you I’m worried about, it’s everyone
else.” We can’t protect our loved ones from what we don’t know.
There are always the red-light runners, the wavering lane-changers,
and the reckless parking lot fools. They are inescapable, or are
they?

Steps
that can be taken are as simple as waiting and patience. Humanity is
always rushing from one task to another, rarely getting to soak up
the beauty and simplicity of a basic car ride. We know we’re
supposed to come to a full complete stop for every red octagon, but
how often do we actually look both ways and count to three before
continuing on our route? Running late is never the fault of the
traffic or the automobile–it is the timing of the human, not the
variables. Blaming my tardiness on my inability to leave on time is
not ethically right. Punctuality does not overrule safety. We must
reevaluate our priorities, people.

As
someone that has experienced both the victim and perpetrator cards in
different auto-accidents, I can confirm it always sucks. Filing
insurance, financing cosmetic repairs, and finding new modes of
transportation in the meantime are painful lessons in slowing down
and taking a breath when behind the wheel. I’m lucky that two of
the collisions haven’t been serious and that I’ve been able to
continue driving long after the incidents. The third resulted in a
$500 repair and two weeks in the maintenance shop. None of the
incidents were a result of phone usage or distracted driving, and all
happened in three different cars over the course of three years.

Hopefully,
2020 will prove to be different with tactics based in composure
behind the wheel, minimizing disturbances during travel, and an
ongoing commitment to preserving the safety of myself and passengers.
Operating a vehicle demands the driver to be compassionate to those
around them on the road; maybe then, society will see less violent,
tragic endings and more destinations reached.