Three years back, I started my journey through the exciting path of Driver’s Education. The only interesting thing was, I had always heard that going through Driver’s Education was “exciting” and it was a one-way path to “freedom”. When I started, I was neither excited or ready for that sense of freedom. I was comfortable having my mom take me to school, considering she was a teacher at the same school. I was comfortable with my parents picking me up from sports practices, especially in the winter after basketball. I had openly admitted that I did not want to partake in the driving experience, but against my will, my parents had signed me up and paid; which meant there was no going back whatsoever.
I was somber walking into the first Driver’s Ed class- not sure what was ahead of me. Through the required number of hours it took for me to complete the course I learned countless important pieces of information that didn’t just educate me on the dangers of driving but also my role with being a driver. From hearing stories firsthand from classmates and older classmen about the risky things they did while driving, it made me wonder if they had paid attention through this course. Teen safety while driving and being on the road with many new drivers is an important public issue. My younger sister completed drivers’ education this summer and every time she gets into a car, I pray that we stay safe. Not because she is a bad driver but because she is new and still, to some extent, inexperienced. Driver’s education addressed on multiple accounts being a defensive driver. Meaning, being alert, aware, and overly cautious while driving. Thinking one step ahead, making sure you can recognize danger and back off of it. Not only teaching defensive driving but teaching simple ideas that might be too small to overlook. Such as, checking your dash for new lights appearing, being aware of your surroundings, listening to your car when starting it, checking your gauges, and walking around your vehicle to make sure all tires are inflated and nothing looks damaged or suspicious before getting in.
Sometimes, other drivers- or things happening around the car are not the biggest distractions. The leading cause of crashes is human errors- first on the list being mind wandering. Under this category, there is spacing out, day dreaming, and tunnel vision. In a close second, cell phone use. I have personally been guilty of checking my text messages while driving or attempting to change my music; and on multiple occasions I have caught myself as the driver slowly moving my steering wheel into the other lane or even off the road. After correcting it quickly, I toss my phone to the side and stay concentrated the rest of the drive. But the next day, I fall into the same habits. A way I have had to overcome this is by putting on my music before I leave, responding before I driver, and putting my phone in my purse and putting it on the ground behind me. By being disciplined enough to stay focused and make sure that I can ensure complete safety while driving, I know that it lowers the chances of me being the reason I get into a crash and being more aware of drivers around me who are not disciplined enough to stay aware.
Another huge factor which highlights the importance of safe driving habits for teens is a personal experience of a close friend of mine. Last year, during a high school dance, there was a police report sent out about a horrible accident with a certain fatality and life flight coming to help two seriously injured participants in the accident. Most of us would’ve batted a blind eye to it, but the accident had taken place in our little, undisturbed town. Most of the high school students attending the dance left to either call home to their families or go home to check it out. It wasn’t until the following morning that we found out the fatality had been one of my dearest friends who had ran a stop sign and T-boned a car coming home from taking their child’s dance pictures. Both the parents had been life flighted, and one of them passed away the second morning after the crash. Our town was broken to pieces. Later in a police report, we had found that my friend had not been wearing a seatbelt and was thrown through the window of his car. If you could imagine, the silence that rippled through the hallways of school the following Monday and the “remember to wear your seatbelts driving home” that echoed as the bells released us to finish the day. The following months were hard, debris of the crash were still scattered on the side of the road, two crosses had been put up in remembrance and a reminder. Ever since that accident, I have never been more aware of my surroundings and watching oncoming traffic. When I am with my friend group and we are headed somewhere, there is always the quick comment of “buckle up” followed by a moment of silence.