"In The Driver's Seat"

When most people get their driver’s license, it feels like the ultimate milestone of freedom. It means being able to run around with friends, personal independence, and no longer needing to ask for a ride. But what rarely crosses our minds as we slide into the driver's seat is that we are taking control of a multi-ton machine with life-altering power. We treat driving as an everyday routine and as normal as making breakfast or tying our shoes. Yet, when you look at the statistics, driving is quietly one of the most dangerous activities any of us will ever engage in, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths every single year.

Reducing these tragic outcomes starts with recognizing the dire need of driver education. Driver education is much more than memorizing traffic signs or passing a brief twenty-minute road test. It's true importance lies in shaping a driver's daily mindset and spatial awareness. Comprehensive education teaches prospective drivers to look out for hazards, understand stopping distances and momentum, and recognize how quickly a simple distraction can turn fatal. When drivers understand the real-world physics and consequences behind traffic laws, they stop viewing regulations as annoying obstacles meant to slow them down and start seeing them as essential safety protocols designed to keep everyone alive. Ultimately, driver education transforms reactive drivers into proactive ones who anticipate danger before it happens.

Beyond basic education, systemic and societal steps must be taken to drastically reduce traffic-related fatalities. On a broader level, improving road infrastructure—such as installing clearer lane markings, modern roundabout intersections, and better street lighting—can physically reduce high-risk collision zones. However, the most effective steps happen inside the vehicle. Stricter enforcement of distracted driving laws, paired with technology that discourages phone use while in motion, can curb one of the leading causes of modern crashes. Everyday I drive around my town I see people with their faces straight down staring at their phones as they are going really slow or swerving into other lanes.  Furthermore, continuing driver education past the teenage years—through defensive driving refresher courses or workplace safety seminars—ensures that experienced drivers do not fall into lazy, dangerous habits over time.

Unfortunately, for many of us, the reality of road danger hits close to home through personal experience. I have seen friends drive irresponsibly, whether it was glancing down to reply to a text message, speeding through yellow lights, or driving while visibly exhausted. Watching someone you care about scroll through a playlist or reply to a notification while driving sixty miles per hour on a highway is a terrifying reminder of how casually people treat their safety. It takes seeing that reckless behavior firsthand to realize how easily a split-second distraction can alter multiple lives forever. In 2001, my husband had a terrible motorcycle accident that left him with tramatic brain injury as well as two broken legs and a severed left foot. A few years later he fell asleep at the wheel of a semi and flipped the semi into a ravine and went through the windshield. Both times he was medi-flighted to the trauma center in our state. Because of these experiences, I actively take personal steps to be a safer driver and encourage others to do the same. For me, being a better driver starts with total focus: my phone stays on "Do Not Disturb" mode and completely out of reach while the car is in motion. I make a point to maintain safe following distances, respect speed limits regardless of rush, and never drive when tired. But personal safety is only half the battle; helping others become safer is just as vital. I hold myself accountable to speak up when riding as a passenger if a driver gets distracted or speeds recklessly. For instance, my sister is always on her phone while driving so much to the point that I will not ride with her anymore. I have asked her many times to not do that as I am precious cargo :-) but she still continues and I worry about it everyday. Taking the initiative to politely offer to navigate, change the music, or simply speak up when someone is being careless can break a bad habit in the moment and save lives.

Ultimately, driving should be treated with the respect and focus it demands. The tragic loss of life on our roads should not be a price we have to pay; the vast majority of crashes are entirely preventable through care and education. By taking driver education seriously, using disciplined personal habits, and holding our friends and family accountable, we can make our roads safer for everyone. Being in the driver’s seat is a privilege, and honoring that privilege starts with making safety our absolute highest priority every time we turn the key.