In the Driver’s Seat

Getting a driver’s license is something most teenagers look forward to for years. It means freedom, independence, and being able to get yourself to school, practice, work, or wherever else you need to go. When I first started driving, I was excited about that independence. What I did not fully understand at first was how much responsibility comes with sitting in the driver’s seat. Every time I drive, the decisions I make can affect not only my life but also my passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, and families I may never meet.

That is why I believe driver education is so important. Learning to drive should be about much more than memorizing enough information to pass a test and getting a license. Driver education teaches new drivers how to recognize dangerous situations before they happen. It teaches the importance of following speed limits, maintaining a safe following distance, using seat belts, understanding traffic laws, and knowing how to respond to changing road and weather conditions. Just as importantly, it teaches drivers about the consequences of distracted, impaired, aggressive, and reckless driving.

Teenagers especially need this education because we do not have years of experience behind the wheel. A situation that an experienced driver may immediately recognize as dangerous might not seem dangerous to someone who has only been driving for a few months. Education cannot prevent every accident, but it can give drivers the knowledge they need to make better decisions.

Reducing the number of deaths on our roads also requires drivers to change some of their everyday behaviors. One of the biggest changes we can make is eliminating distracted driving. Our phones are constantly around us. We use them for directions, music, communication, school, and almost everything else. When a notification appears, it is easy to think that looking down for a second will not matter. The problem is that when you are driving, a few seconds can change everything.

A text message, Snapchat, phone call, or notification can wait. If something is important enough that I need to respond immediately, I can pull over somewhere safe. No message is important enough to risk someone's life.

Speed is another area where drivers can make better choices. As a track athlete, I spend a lot of time trying to become faster. I am a sprinter and pole vaulter, so in competition, faster is usually better. Driving is completely different. Driving faster reduces the amount of time you have to react when something unexpected happens. A vehicle can pull out in front of you, an animal can enter the road, traffic can suddenly stop, or another driver can make a mistake. I cannot control what every other person does, but I can control whether I am giving myself enough time and distance to react.

I have seen people make choices behind the wheel that made me realize how quickly driving can become dangerous. Sometimes it is something that seems small, such as checking a phone, following another vehicle too closely, speeding because someone is running late, or becoming distracted by passengers. The problem is that irresponsible driving does not always look dramatic. Most of the time, nothing happens, which can make people believe the behavior is safe. Then one time something does happen, and there may not be an opportunity to take that decision back.

That has probably been one of the biggest lessons for me as a young driver. You cannot base whether a decision is safe on whether you got away with it before.

I believe preventing driving deaths also requires people to speak up. If I am riding with someone who is texting, driving recklessly, or doing something unsafe, I have a responsibility to say something. It may feel awkward in the moment, especially with friends, but I would rather have an uncomfortable conversation than stay quiet and have something happen.

My experiences in leadership have influenced the way I think about this responsibility. Throughout high school, I have served as Student Council Vice President and a Student Body Officer, been a captain in track and field, mentored younger pole vaulters, and taken leadership roles through FFA and 4-H. Those experiences have taught me that leadership is not just having a title. Leadership is being willing to make the right decision even when other people are not watching or when that decision is not the easiest or most popular one.

Driving requires that same type of responsibility.

A police officer will not be beside me every time I am tempted to speed. My parents will not always be in the passenger seat telling me to put my phone away. Eventually, those decisions are completely mine. Being a responsible driver means developing habits that protect myself and others even when no one is watching.

There are several steps I can personally take to become a safer driver. I can put my phone away before I begin driving instead of trusting myself not to look at it. I can always wear my seat belt and require my passengers to do the same. I can leave earlier so I am not tempted to speed because I am running late. I can maintain a safe distance from other vehicles and adjust my driving for rain, darkness, traffic, and other road conditions. I can refuse to drive after drinking alcohol or taking anything that affects my judgment. I can also recognize when I am too tired to safely drive.

Another important step is controlling my attitude. It is easy to become frustrated when someone drives too slowly, cuts you off, or makes a mistake. Responding aggressively only creates another dangerous driver on the road. I have to remember that everyone around me is a real person with people waiting for them to come home.

As I prepare to graduate from high school and attend college to study engineering, I know I will have even more independence. I will drive more places, travel farther from home, and make more decisions on my own. Engineering interests me because it involves solving problems and understanding how individual decisions affect an entire system. Driving works in much the same way. Thousands of individual choices are being made around us every minute on the road. One poor decision can affect far more people than the person who made it.

I cannot control every driver on the road, and I cannot prevent every accident. What I can control is the type of driver I choose to be.

Being in the driver’s seat gives me freedom, but freedom comes with responsibility. I can choose to be educated. I can choose to put down my phone. I can choose not to speed. I can speak up when someone else is driving dangerously. Most importantly, I can remember that arriving safely will always matter more than arriving quickly.

Every person I pass on the road has somewhere they are trying to go and someone who expects them to come home.

I want to make sure my choices help them get there.