Driving
Safely Isn’t Just for Drivers, It’s for Everyone



I
enjoy biking, there's something about getting fresh air while
reaching a destination that relieves stress. Sadly, however, drivers
are not always conscientious about the laws they agreed to follow
when they were given their license. One day this became readily
apparent when I was riding my bike and a man almost hit me going well
above the speed limit. When I passed him there was one other factor
in play, he was texting. He could easily have taken someone’s life,
and for what? A text about groceries? A social media notification?
It’s moments like these that truly make a person reflect on the
importance of attentive driving.

 

Drivers
education is integral in ensuring that people have the toolkit they
need to be safe and attentive drivers. Much like riding a bike,
driving will eventually come naturally. The issue with this is that
as something becomes more natural, we are less likely to focus on it.
Through drivers ed, we gain something that can be a
backbone and reminder for how to better ourselves on the road.
Without a good education, people’s thoughtlessness can turn into
pain and misery. 

 

In
order to reduce deaths while driving, we need to reduce the
distraction. Much like an airplane mode, we should have a driving
mode for phones so that you have to confirm you are a passenger
before accessing your phone in a vehicle. This would be far from
foolproof since drivers could also check it off, but at the very
least it would remind people of their duty to keep others safe.

 

One
time I saw my little sister texting and driving. It was not from a
place of mal-intent, it was merely because our parents texted. This,
regardless of intent, was negligent and thoughtless. If she had taken
a second to carefully consider the implications of her actions, all
of us would have been much safer. This is why we need education
before we have access to cars and reminders before we take the wheel.
So before you drive, just take a second to consider how much you can
affect those around you if you cease to care.