Driving Towards a Better Tomorrow

Hawkins George Pontes

Driving Towards a Better Tomorrow

In 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway act was passed which authorized the construction of over 41,000 miles of highway and interstate roads. This act tried to create “speedy, safe transcontinental travel” and eliminate the need to travel on unsafe back and gravel roads. However, this act only served to become the cause of over 34,000 deaths nationally.

Driving is a privilege that many citizens take for granted, especially teenagers. Children wait over 16 years to earn their license which clouds the importance of knowing safe drivers ed. Furthermore, with the transition of our society to be tech-based, 84 percent of teenagers now have a phone. As such, 33% of teenagers admit to using a phone while driving according to Edgar Snyder. States need to recognize this increase in phone-use and pass regulations, such as Georgia’s “Hands Off” law.

Furthermore, drivers ed courses have one major flaw and need to be revised in order to effectively decrease the amount of driving-related deaths. Engaging in a driver-education course allows teenagers (and new drivers) to understand driver laws, learn ways to be a safe driver, and prepare themselves for the first time they drive. However, a majority of these courses are booked months in advance and are not even available during periods when school is in session. As such, many students have to wait months to take the course after they turn 16 years of age. Thus, some students start driving before they even take the class; they have not even been exposed to material that drivers are expected to know. Therefore, the school system and the drivers ed class need to establish a way for students to engage in the drivers ed course during periods of school, instead of waiting months for a school break. With this, many drivers ed courses are now being offered online which is a step toward effectively reducing the number of deaths related to driving.

Driver courses although still do not completely reduce the risk of car crashes. I personally took a drivers ed course with a friend of mine. We passed the final exam with high A’s and earned our licenses. However, in January I was eating at a local wing restaurant and heard an ambulance flying down the road I was on. I was praying for who the ambulance was for and hoping they were safe. At that moment, I get a text from the same friend I took my driver course with. She said she was in a car wreck on the same street I was eating at. The ambulance I saw was going to her and my heart sunk, but thankfully she was ok. She admitted she was not paying attention to the road and inadvertently ran a red-light. Thus, teenagers need to learn to pay attention to the road at all times, including myself. The road is a danger that many do not see as dangerous.