On August 10th, 2021, only seven days after receiving my license, I was involved in a car accident that could have easily been avoided had I attended a driver education class. I was at fault, driving while severely sleep deprived and had failed to yield at a left turn when another driver had the right of way. That was the first time I had ever heard the term, “right of way.” I was crying hysterically and pleading forgiveness to the other driver, claiming that I did not know, but it did not excuse my ignorance; thankfully, there were no fatal consequences. The guilt of putting others in a dangerous situation and destroying the car my parents entrusted me with led to weeks of severe depression and self-loathing: “How could I be so stupid? Am I really that incompetent of a person? I always mess things up.” Upon realization that this negative thinking was going nowhere and the past cannot be changed, I chose to learn from the accident. I started to reflect in a more constructive manner: “Why did this happen? How did I put myself in this position? What could I have done differently?” After reflecting on this event for almost two years now, I now know that there was a lot that I could have done differently.
In high school, students were given the option to attend driver education before or after school. During that time, I was making up time for my absences in the mornings and working immediately after school, so I decided to wait until I turned 18. Although I had the opportunity to sign up for driver education the following semester, the truth is that I wanted to take the lazy way out. My friends and parents drove me around, so why not wait until I’m 18 so that I don’t have to go through the process of spending 6-8 weeks in the classroom, getting a learner permit, and waiting to become eligible for a driver license? I was pleased with myself for thinking “work smarter, not harder.” When I turned 18, I finally started to practice driving with my parents. It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and conveniently the only requirements to get my license was a time sheet signed by my parents and a short online test. I thought, “This is perfect! I don’t have to take a driving test!” Although the driver handbook sufficiently covers right of way, clearly, I had not paid enough attention before taking the online test.
I now realize that this “work smarter, not harder” mindset wasn’t just lazy, but selfish and irresponsible; not only was I putting myself at risk but other drivers as well. After the accident in 2021 I learned that practicing driving and passing the test are only the initial steps to the kind of independence and responsibility that comes with driving a car. Thinking about this topic on a broader scale made me confront the realities of thousands of car accidents each year and the human cost: people getting killed, injured, and disfigured, missing work and social gatherings, depleting savings to pay medical bills, families grieving their loved ones.
I would have benefitted from driver education and defensive driving classes before getting my license. I do think that the written portion of the driver’s license test should not only assess one’s knowledge of road signs, lane changing, and traffic laws but especially safe driving. Studies have shown that driving while sleep deprived can be just as dangerous as driving while under the influence of alcohol. Driver education content stresses the importance of the driver’s health and personal habits including substance abuse, sleep deprivation, texting, and other factors that can potentially increase the risk of an accident. While a vast majority of the population will preach against drunk driving, like me, they may not have considered the dangers of driving while sleep deprived. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of adult Americans are sleep deprived and with much of the US relying on automobiles rather than walking and public transportation, that is a lot of risk on a daily basis.
The pandemic has temporarily modified the process of getting a driver license and it may have contributed negatively to some statistics like the number of accidents, which includes the one I caused. In NC, driver education can be taken online and at your own pace so there is no excuse now to skip it. Unfortunately, driver education classes are not required for new adult drivers and from personal experience, I feel that the class should not be replaced with skimming the driver handbook simply to pass the written test; a young adult driver is not necessarily more responsible and conscientious than a teenager. If the cost of the online driver education class is a financial strain for the driver license applicant, perhaps a sliding scale can be instituted to mandate the class to all drivers because regardless of age, safe driving is paramount. Since the written test is electronic, additional questions should rigorously assess the applicant’s awareness and knowledge of the daily and innocuous habits that can be detrimental if repeated behind the wheel. Driving is a privilege, not a right,and the process of acquiring a license should reflect that.