As a kid, getting a driver's license seems like the right of passage that transforms one from a child to an adult. As a 16-year-old, all any adult would ask me was, “So, are you driving yet?” In my sophomore year of high school, all anyone could talk about was whether or not someone had finished their driver’s ed and had received their permit. Everyone was so eager to be able to flaunt their driver’s license that they would do anything to attain it.
I was two months late in receiving my permit because I thoroughly took care to read every bit of information in my driver's ed course before taking my permit test. However, many of the kids my age would simply let the 30-hour timer of driver’s ed count down until the course was marked as complete. In fact, many of my close friends failed their permit test not once, but three times because they had not properly done their driver’s ed prior. There are numerous apps and websites that almost exactly replicate the questions of the permit test, and kids will simply memorize the trickier questions right before taking the test instead of taking care to learn the proper rules of the road. Of course, it is completely normal not to pass a test on the first try; however, there can be no cheats or short cuts when it comes to driver education and safety.
Once everyone had gotten their licenses in high school, it was clear that many did not care about the importance of driver’s education. From sophomore to senior year, it was as if there was talk about a student totaling their car, falling asleep at the wheel, getting a DUI, or being pulled over for unlawful driving every couple of weeks. During my junior year, there was a fatal car crash at the end of the street where I live. The driver was a senior at a neighboring high school, and a few of my friends were close friends with him. He had rammed into a utility pole on a rainy day; although no one is sure of what caused the crash, people speculate he was speeding because the impact was enough to kill him in a residential area with a speed limit of 25mph.
During my senior year of high school, my close friend was also involved in a fatal accident; however, she was on the other end of it. My soccer teammate was driving one night with her friend, and she crashed into a motorcycle she did not see at a turn. The motorcyclist was riding with his wife sitting behind him. Both of my friends made it out of the crash safely, but the motorcyclist was sadly killed in the accident; his wife was sent to the hospital with injuries. It is still unclear whose fault the crash was; however, knowing that someone’s life will be on your conscience forever is a horrific and traumatic thing to carry at the age of 18, and my friend had to leave high school a couple of months before graduating to begin to cope with the trauma.
Horrific stories like these often shock and scare people into driving safer for the time surrounding the accident; however, once the story grows older, people revert to their old ways and continue to take on their carefree mindset when it comes to driving.
My parents have always told me to be a defensive driver, and as a naturally cautious person, driving has always seemed daunting. I have always understood the dangers involved with operating a vehicle; as a result, I take care to drive with caution—even at the expense of my friends shooting insults at me like, “You drive like a mom,” and, “Do you ever drive faster than the speed limit?” When one is a kid, many feel like they are invincible. However, I wish this mindset would change when it comes to driving. I am not sure why there is a stigma with driving at a young age or why it is deemed “cool” to drive recklessly when you are young, but my experience growing up has shown me that many kids my age do not share my cautious approach to being on the road. So, it is no wonder that crash data from the last decade determined that 1 out of every 8 fatal crashes involved a young driver. In addition, car accidents are the second leading cause of teen death in America.
I do not know how to decrease these statistics and make driving safer for young people and everyone who operates a vehicle. Deaths due to car accidents happen frequently and to any person of any age. I am not sure if there is a permanent solution to this issue, but I do know there are steps that I and others passionate about driver safety can take to help spread awareness. As I mentioned before, the only real effective method I have seen to get drivers to stop and consider the dangers of driving is to scare/shock them with the story of a fatal car crash. I obviously do not want everyone with a driver’s license to live in perpetual fear of ever stepping foot in a car, but I do think that there are effective ways of reminding drivers of the potential risks of driving. At the end of the street where the car crash occurred, there is always a bouquet of flowers leaning against the utility pole in remembrance of the person who passed there. This is a very beautiful memorial to this devastating death, and it also serves as a reminder that driving does and can lead to death if done recklessly. I would love to see a memorial plaque be added to this pole and any other spot where a loved one has passed from a driving incident. Little memorials can help spread awareness about this serious issue.
And of course, simply speaking out in the presence of irresponsible driving may save a life. All it takes is more people like me to help slowly but surely spread awareness about the potential risks of driving.