If you went back in time and told someone from the 1600s that people today drive in vehicles called cars that can achieve speeds of over 100 miles per hour and take dozens of lives each day, they might say something along the lines of “Hast the young lassie lost her wits? Doth she knowest what she speaketh of? What foolery has befallen upon us!” In other words, to someone in the sixteenth century, a car would seem like a crazy idea! We have become so used to the idea of cars that we have forgotten just how dangerous they can be. Giving people the power to control a machine that if improperly handled could kill hundreds of people sounds like a recipe for disaster. And in many cases, it is.
Every year in America, 34,000 people die as a result of driving. Over 100 people die each day in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. The lifetime chances of dying in a car accident in the United States is approximately 1 in 93. These statistics are disheartening and frightening. It is our job to make the roads a safer place for all of us.
Despite the responsibility that driving a car comes with, many students don’t pay attention during driver education and lie about the number of hours they drive before taking their driving test. Only exacerbating this issue is the fact that many driving test administrators aren’t careful in penalizing mistakes. Although I made an obvious error during my driving test, my instructor removed no points from my score and gave me no feedback on my comments sheet whatsoever. While I was glad to have my license, I recognized that ultimately, new drivers are being done a disservice when their bad driving isn’t being caught and corrected.
We need to recognize the value of driver education. My time in driver education taught me not only how to drive, but about car maintenance, changing a tire, and what to do in emergencies. Now, I know what a blinking yellow arrow means, or how to safely complete a U-turn, even though these aren’t common where I live. Driver education helped me get used to driving to new places and navigating country roads. It is an invaluable way to reduce the number of fatalities resulting from car accidents.
We can all take steps to become better drivers. I try to be a safe driver by not playing loud music in the car and not driving when I'm overly tired. Not eating while driving and keeping my phone silent and out of sight help me focus on the road. Double-checking that I’ve turned on my headlights when it’s dark or rainy and making sure my seatbelt is on, even when it’s inconvenient, keep me and other drivers safe. Even when I’m in a hurry, I remind myself that getting to my destination without hurting anyone is more important than getting there on time. At school, I hear kids talking about the extreme speeds they went, the car races they had down a main road, or the risky turns they took as a way to boost their ego. People who drive the speed limit and focus on the road are considered “uncool” and "boring.” It’s time we recognized that driving unsafely isn’t cool. It’s something that takes innocent lives every day and leaves people with scars that will never heal. When we agree on the importance of safe driving and prioritize our safety instead of our ego, we can save lives.
The importance of staying safe on the roads was made clear to me when I was interning at a Home Health facility. I visited a home where a couple had been in a motorcycle accident. They were driving around the block when suddenly, a van backed out into them. This left the couple with multiple injuries and impaired their ability to walk for months. Only exacerbating the difficult situation, the couple had ten young children. If that van driver had simply checked his rearview mirror, he might have seen the motorcycle and pressed the brakes. Or imagine if he had been pulling out even faster, causing a greater collision and leaving ten children orphaned and alone. Our choices have consequences, not only for us, but for the people around us. We need to take responsibility while we still can.
Wearing a seatbelt, staying alert while driving, removing distractions, and following traffic laws is about more than just avoiding a ticket or following the rules. It’s about saving human lives. The other cars on the road aren’t just cars. They are transporting moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, daughters, and sons. We must be dedicated and diligent when it comes to safe driving before it's too late.