Driver's Education: A Moral Perspective

“Don’t Text and Drive.” Teenagers like me have heard these words countless times in our short lives, but their significance only rings true in difficult situations. The crucial gap in today’s driving mindset is that we have to move away from “It’s okay to look at my phone since there’s a red light” to “For everyone’s safety, I should let someone else in the car hold my phone while I drive”. Therefore, drivers ed has unmatched potential to reduce the death toll of driving, but instead of a slogan-based approach, PSAs should guide drivers not only to avoid dangerous behaviors, but to promote safe practices. The high number of deaths is mostly a result of distracted driving, but remembering the scope of harm that drivers may unintentionally inflict is the solution.

Realistically, today’s distracting devices are to blame for most car accidents. The allure of the Internet competes with the road for attention, and when our phones win, we lose. This phenomenon harms not only young drivers but also adults who are constantly pressed for time and pressured to fulfill their responsibilities. For example, my dad’s daily schedule overflows with meetings and clients, so sometimes he needs to take a call while driving. I try to avoid this because it is not safe. Driving should not be something to multitask, but every day, people attempt it because they think they cannot afford to lose precious time. They forget that nothing is more important than their life, or the lives of others.

Accordingly, people must realize their poor decision making won’t just affect them. Even if they don’t know it in that moment, their actions will have consequences for other people. At the very least, even if someone will not help another person, they will try not to hurt them. This basic human nature is the most powerful tool we have to prevent accidents.

Furthermore, an incident in which I was almost in a crash makes this evident. One rainy day, the road was slippery, so my dad’s car went off the road onto wet grass. We were just feet away from the car beside us and were lucky to have missed it. Our lesson was that we should periodically check the grip of our tires and stay aware of the cars around us. By swerving when he did, my dad missed the car in front of us and avoided an accident. He later told me that in a split second, he knew his conscience could not take the guilt of harming someone if he could prevent it.

All in all, to be a better, safer driver, I have to prioritize the safety of others on the road as well as my own. I will remind myself and others to wear a seat belt and put away devices. In addition, I will always keep my attention on the road, and I hope other drivers will do the same, even when someone else is not there to make sure.