Driver Education Initiative – Driving Is A Responsibility, Not A Privilege

Sidney Osterholt

26 September
2019

Driving Is A Responsibility, Not A Privilege

Public schools that
offer an educational driving course allows for young students to
learn the basics of the road. These courses, however, tend to only
teach students the basic laws and how to drive in general. The
courses lack enforcing the importance of how drivers carry immense
responsibilities behind the wheel. In order to remain safe while
driving, new drivers should understand that subtle distractions can
lead to life-changing accidents. Changing the song on your phone,
looking at passengers, and not paying attention to your overall
surroundings can lead to major accidents, where you put your life and
others at stake. Especially young drivers struggle with the ability
to remain focused on the road when they view driving as an exciting
pastime rather than a way to commute to important places. A simple
and easy way to remain focused on the road is to completely silence
your phone while driving. With your phone silenced or off, you have
no reason to look down to check a text message, change the song
playing through the aux cord, or scroll through social media while at
a red light. Cell phones are a major distraction to new drivers, and
once they receive their license, many believe they know the way of
the road and that it’s okay to check their phones once in a while.
This is not the case. One incident occurred while I was in the
passenger seat. My friend and I were stopped at a red light. The
driver looked down at their phone as they believed they had plenty of
time to read a text message from their parents. However, once the
left turning lane arrow became green, the driver was distracted and
believed the light turned green for our lane. They ended up
rear-ending an SUV that was being driven by a young mother. This
accident could have been entirely avoided if their phone was silenced
and placed out of sight. New drivers carry many responsibilities and
they should be taught that awareness is key. Driving while distracted
can cause injury, or even death. Many people have trouble realizing
that when instructors or peers advise them to pay attention to the
road that they have good reasoning.