Driving: A Learned Skill

We learn to drive just as we learn to walk. First we study; we watch those around us and observe their motions. Then we learn where our body begins and ends, we enter the car and learn where everything is located and how to operate it. We crawl slowly at first, unsteady and unsure, but when we feel confident we try to stand, and we fail and fail and fail until we don’t. And then we take our first steps, and fail again, and the failure continues until we learn how to walk and our parents trust us enough to set us free. But would you set a baby who has never seen a person walk on its feet and expect it not to fall down? No. It continues to be seen that without drivers ed we cannot trust young drivers who have not studied the road to not be more likely to crash.

Even once a person has learned to drive, the chances of crashing are only slightly diminished. Texas “leads the nation in traffic deaths”, the dangers of which I have seen firsthand being a resident in this state (“Texas leads the nation in traffic deaths. These proposed laws could make roads safer”). Why? One reason I have observed is that people from other states or who have not updated their knowledge of changing traffic laws are presented with situations they have never seen before because traffic laws have changed. Ways to prevent the confusion on new or differing traffic laws could include creating a mandatory drivers ed class for people to renew their licenses that includes the updated traffic laws that drivers need to be aware of. In addition, I have seen countless times where bikers on backroads are almost run over, or almost cause a wreck between two cars trying to avoid them. New bike laws should be placed where biking is allowed in areas only with protected shoulders that are more than four feet wide, therefore eliminating the dangers of sharing the road.

As a fellow high schooler I have seen how others speed, Snapchat, and text while driving because they think that if they don’t they will be frowned upon by other high schoolers. Our society may be shifting to support rationale over reputation, however most teenagers have retained their pack mentality of making the road a dangerous place. Personally I rebel against the teenage norm of rebellion and drive defensively because it will keep me alive. We as young adults are inexperienced and distracted easily, but as adults we will gain a lack of knowledge of changing traffic laws. There are solutions to these problems, but a part of defensive driving is identifying which problem you and your community portray so that it can be addressed.

Source:

Largey, Matt. “Texas Leads the Nation in Traffic Deaths. These Proposed Laws Could Make Roads Safer.” The Texas Tribune, The Texas Tribune, 25 Apr. 2019, www.texastribune.org/2019/04/25/texas-traffic-deaths-bills-safety/.