Driving is such an important part of our lives. I will never forget the day when I passed my driver’s test and got my license. I felt so proud, grown up and independent. I felt like an adult. Unfortunately, it is also something that we take for granted. I learned this very quickly in my first year of college at Boise State University. The reason why I came to realize this was because I do not have a car here in Boise, it is back home in Santa Ana, California. I miss driving so much!
Driving is an extremely important and increasingly dangerous part of our everyday lives. Technology has both added to the safety of the automobile but also has caused more distractions while we drive. Technology has made driving safer with Airbags, blind spot detection, collision warning alerts and much more stability in the frame of the automobile. Yet, technology such as cellphones, interactive screens in cars and possibly a little over-reliance on the technology features has caused us to relax and drop our guard while we drive. This has caused such a high demand for driver education to help prevent collisions and keep us safe.
Technology in our lives is not going away, in fact it will only increase and keep impacting us in all areas of our lives. In terms of driving, it will only make education more important and necessary. In California, the driver education system consisted of taking a course online, passing a permit test, getting time behind the wheel with a driving instructor and the required time, before I was able to take the driver’s test at the DMV. To be honest, I don’t know that this is enough. I am not sure I was quite ready for driving in Southern California. I believe we need to adjust our requirements for receiving a driver's license. (I sound like my dad right now) As times have changed, so should our requirements for teenagers to be behind the wheel.
Safety must be emphasized while driving. Too many people are injured or die each year from automobile collisions. I do not know what causes each of these collisions, but I am sure many of them could have been avoided or at least minimized in terms of damage and injury. I also know that everyone knows not to text and drive and stay off their phone while driving, yet it still happens, a lot. I wish I knew what the solution was, in terms of reaching the masses and having an immediate impact, but I don’t. What I do know is that the best way for us to be safer driving, as a society, is by requiring stringent rules and procedures in driver’s education before being able to earn your driver’s license.
The bottom line, I believe, is this, all of us have a responsibility to not only worry about ourselves, but also to do everything we can to protect other drivers as well. All we can do is control ourselves and how we react, but being aware, courteous and patient can not only protect me, as a driver, but also other drivers.
Unfortunately, one of my good friends was in an accident last summer. She and another friend of mine were getting on the freeway to go to a babysitting job and were in an accident. My friends, very thankfully, were not injured nor was the driver of the other car. My friend's car was totaled, and she was very shaken up, but she was safe. This was a scary situation that so many drivers, all around the country, experience every day. This accident that my friends were involved in really opened my eyes to the serious nature of driving. My friend is a great student and a good driver, and this happened to her. Events can change your life in a split second. As it turned out, the other driver was on his cell phone that contributed to the collision with my friend’s car.
Our phones are a huge part of our lives. It makes our lives easier and more convenient. Phones have become our guide while driving. We use apps for directions and to find the quickest routes to where we want to go. My parents always joke with my brother and I that if we didn’t have our phones, we would not be able to get anywhere in our car. In all honesty, my parents talk about different freeways in Southern California, and I really do not know where some of them are, although I would never admit that to them. We need to be more willing and disciplined to be able to let technology help us while we drive but not distract us because a slight distraction could change the lives of any of us, at any moment.