When I was five years old, I was in the backseat of my grandmother's car when we were hit on the passenger side. I remember hitting my head on the window as the car spun and seeing the animal crackers that were once in my hand fly across my lap. The car’s momentum was finally stopped by a telephone pole. The airbags quickly inflated and my grandmother reached her hand back to me asking if I was okay. The next thing I remember is my grandmother being taken away in an ambulance as my grandpa loaded me into his car to take me home. My grandmother was okay. The man that hit us ran a red light because he wasn’t paying attention. He wasn’t paying attention because he was on his phone. I don’t know if he was texting, trying to pick a song, or adjusting the gps. What I do know is that his actions caused my grandmother her car and a trip to the hospital. Cars can be replaced, people can’t.
I believe that if someone is found at fault for causing an accident, they should have their license suspended until they can retake a driving test. The same one that they took when they were sixteen, getting their license for the first time. If they pass, they should be allowed to drive again because sometimes accidents happen, we’re all human. If they fail, they should have to take a drivers education course before they can take the test again. Drivers education puts professionals in the passenger seat with these drivers who can assess where they struggle and how to help them become safer drivers. When I was first learning how to drive I took drivers ed that was offered through my school. I struggled with learning from my family members and I needed the reassurance that the person teaching me how to drive was someone certified in it who knew exactly how to help me. In my five years of driving, I’ve never been in an accident (knock on wood) and I attribute that to drivers ed.
I also think people should be required to take a written drivers test every time they renew their license. As people get older, life gets more hectic and we can forget about things we initially learned at sixteen. I believe it’s important for people to get a refresher of all the traffic laws every few years in order to ensure that every driver has the most up to date information. Additionally, I think drivers over the age of 50 should be required to get an eye exam every five years if they don’t already get a yearly one. If you haven’t grown up with any sort of corrective lenses, you might notice your vision going a little blurry over time but you would attribute it to getting older. As someone who has had corrective lenses for my entire life, it is impossible to drive without them and extremely unsafe to try and do so. A common excuse for accidents you’ll hear is, “I didn’t see them!” If you got the corrective lenses you need, would you have been able to?
As a driver myself, there are a few steps that I take to ensure safety for myself and others. Since I was involved in an accident as a child that was caused by a distracted driver, I understand the importance of keeping my attention on the road and off my phone. I have a small stand that I can sit my phone on to use the GPS, but when that’s not being used my phone is in a cup holder or on the seat next to me so I’m not tempted to even look at it while I’m driving. I also don’t listen to my music at a particularly loud volume. It’s important for my other senses not to be overloaded so I can focus on the road and not what song is playing. I’m constantly keeping up to date on my car maintenance, especially my windshield wipers and headlights. I have learned how to change both myself and keep spares in my trunk so I’m prepared if my lights were to go out or my wipers aren’t working as well as they should be. I encourage my friends to do the same as car maintenance is often something younger people leave to their parents because they aren’t as informed. It’s important to be able to ensure your car is road ready yourself so you don’t have to rely on anyone else. Small things can go a very long way in creating safer roads.