Name: Jordan Wieneke
From: Riverview , Michigan
Votes: 0
The
Responsibility of Drivers
All of us go thorough drivers’
education before we begin driving, but the amount of information we
retain varies. Also, teenagers tend to disregard the time they spend
in drivers ed because it seems like common sense. But the
truth is drivers ed is an essential component to learning
to drive. In drivers ed classes students are forced to look
at the harsh statistics that go along with driving. In 2017, 40,327
people were killed in the U.S. motor vehicle collisions. Teenagers
need to realize that some of these collisions can be avoided.
Distracted driving accounts for a majority of crashes. These
distraction, like cell phones, the radio, or other passengers, can be
prevented. In drivers ed, students are taught about how
these distractions should be handled and all together avoided. These
lessons are pivotal in teaching students how to reduce the number of
deaths as a result of driving.
The steps taken to reduce the
number of deaths related to driving are easy to complete. The most
common distraction that results in death is cell phone use. This is
also one of the easiest things to avoid. Putting your phone in the
center consul or the glove compartment and using hands free options
in your car can help avoid collisions due to the distraction of being
on your phone. It is easy to pull out your phone at a red light or a
stop sign, but people overestimate their ability of multitasking and
attempt to use their cell phone driving 85 mph down the highway.
These are a conscious and dangerous decisions being made by drivers
on a daily basis. Another distraction that often affects drivers are
other passengers in the car. When you first receive your license, you
are restricted to having one other person under the age of 21. This
avoids distractions for the first year, but as soon as that first
year is over, teens cram as many people into their cars as possible.
These people can be loud and do not realize that their actions are
distracting to the driver. One of the only ways to avoid this
distraction is to make sure the people you have in your car are
responsible and do not take your attention away from the road. The
steps to take to avoid deaths related to driving are easy ones to
make. These steps need to be conscious decisions made by drivers
before they enter the vehicle to ensure his or her driving is as safe
as it can possibly be.
I myself have never been in a car
accident, but a number of people in my life have. One thing they all
have in common is the chronic residual effects of the accident. They
suffer from back and neck pain and some even avoid driving a car
because the experience was so traumatic. Some of the accidents were
truly accidents, but others could have been avoided. Teenagers as a
whole may be considered unsafe drivers, but parents are also guilty
of diving in an unsafe manor. My parents are very experienced
drivers, but they too practice unsafe driving habits at times. The
most common offense is talking on the phone while driving. While this
is not technically illegal, it is not ideal when attempting to drive
safely. Parents and teenagers are also guilty of driving with their
knees or other improper ways of steering. These actions are made to
allow both hands to be free to do other tasks in the car like talking
on the phone and changing the radio at the same time. This is an
irresponsible decision being made while driving that can catastrophic
consequences if something were to go wrong.
To become a safer driver, you
must realize that the things you may be doing could be harmful. Being
cognizant of the decisions you’re making will help you understand
that some things, like texting, can wait until the car is in park.
Teenagers also need to take more responsibility for passengers in
their car. We cannot be afraid to speak up and tell people that they
are distracting us from driving. If a crash were to occur, the driver
is responsible for the massive ticket that comes along with, not the
passengers who were singing at the top of their lungs and distracting
the driver. Drivers need to be aware of their surrounds and focus
their entire attention on the task at hand- safely driving the car.
To ensure others will be safe on the road, you have to hold them
accountable for their actions. If you are a passenger in the car,
call the driver out on their poor decisions, like texting or
multitasking, while driving. Make sure they are aware that these
actions can lead to a crash that may or may not end someone’s life.
The responsibility of driving safely is largely on the driver, but
passengers can be sure that they take all the steps they can to
ensure a safe arrival to their destination.
