Name: Brooke Rummel
From: Austin, TX
Votes: 0
We
learn to drive just as we learn to walk. First we study; we watch
those around us and observe their motions. Then we learn where our
body begins and ends, we enter the car and learn where everything is
located and how to operate it. We crawl slowly at first, unsteady and
unsure, but when we feel confident we try to stand, and we fail and
fail and fail until we don’t. And then we take our first steps, and
fail again, and the failure continues until we learn how to walk and
our parents trust us enough to set us free. But would you set a baby
who has never seen a person walk on its feet and expect it not to
fall down? No. It continues to be seen that without drivers ed
we cannot trust young drivers who have not studied the road to not be
more likely to crash.
Even
once a person has learned to drive, the chances of crashing are only
slightly diminished. Texas “leads the nation in traffic deaths”,
the dangers of which I have seen firsthand being a resident in this
state (“Texas leads the nation in traffic deaths. These proposed
laws could make roads safer”). Why? One reason I have observed is
that people from other states or who have not updated their knowledge
of changing traffic laws are presented with situations they have
never seen before because traffic laws have changed. Ways to prevent
the confusion on new or differing traffic laws could include creating
a mandatory drivers ed class for people to renew their
licenses that includes the updated traffic laws that drivers need to
be aware of. In addition, I have seen countless times where bikers on
backroads are almost run over, or almost cause a wreck between two
cars trying to avoid them. New bike laws should be placed where
biking is allowed in areas only with protected shoulders that are
more than four feet wide, therefore eliminating the dangers of
sharing the road.
As
a fellow high schooler I have seen how others speed, Snapchat, and
text while driving because they think that if they don’t they will
be frowned upon by other high schoolers. Our society may be shifting
to support rationale over reputation, however most teenagers have
retained their pack mentality of making the road a dangerous place.
Personally I rebel against the teenage norm of rebellion and drive
defensively because it will keep me alive. We as young adults are
inexperienced and distracted easily, but as adults we will gain a
lack of knowledge of changing traffic laws. There are solutions to
these problems, but a part of defensive driving is identifying which
problem you and your community portray so that it can be addressed.
Source:
Largey,
Matt. “Texas Leads the Nation in Traffic Deaths. These Proposed
Laws Could Make Roads Safer.” The
Texas Tribune,
The Texas Tribune, 25 Apr. 2019,
www.texastribune.org/2019/04/25/texas-traffic-deaths-bills-safety/.
