In the Driver’s Seat: Learning to See What I Was Missing

I was practicing for my driving test with my dad when he started telling me about a boat he wanted to buy. He wanted to fix it up so we could fish farther out than with our inflatable boat. I got excited and missed the turn I was supposed to take. My dad told me to focus, but I got stuck on my mistake and missed his next direction too. We pulled over. He said mistakes happen and told me to take a few breaths and start again. After a minute, I did.

That's when I realized distracted driving isn't just about phones. A conversation, music, or even dwelling on a mistake can pull a driver’s attention away from the road. In 2024, 3,208 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, according to NHTSA. If I'd caused an accident that day, I could've hurt myself, my dad, or someone else.

This is why I think driver’s education matters, even for someone who knows the rules. Reading about right-of-way, speed limits, and what a sign means is one thing. Following them in traffic while someone talks to you or music plays is different. My dad pointed out mistakes I didn't notice on my own, and I learned from them before driving alone.

I got my license after failing the test twice. The first time, I was so nervous that I couldn't stand the air conditioning, so I turned it off. Then I was hot and uncomfortable and drove too cautiously. I wouldn't move into the rightmost lane because I didn't think my car would fit, and I gave up my right-of-way because I thought other cars were coming into my lane. I failed and understood why driver’s ed required so many practice hours. I needed enough practice to feel confident and experience different situations.

While practicing for my second attempt, I turned on music, something I wouldn't have thought twice about as a passenger, and missed a turn because I was listening instead of paying attention. Another time, I stalled at a light, someone honked, and I got flustered. I forgot to look both ways at straight intersections and fumbled the next directions. I was still stuck on the honking and my mistake instead of listening. My dad had me pull over and reminded me to calm down before driving.

I think about that every time I see people arguing in cars on TV shows. I still can't imagine how they drove safely. Now I don't play music at all while driving, and I don't touch my phone or look at a screen, even at red lights. Many adults think looking at a phone is acceptable once the car is stopped, but I wasn't even holding a phone when I stalled too long at the light and got honked at.

My second test failure made the stakes clear. I entered a school zone from a direction I didn't recognize, and because I was nervous and running through the rules in my head instead of actually looking ahead, I sped up to 35 mph like it was a normal street. By the time I realized where I was, it was too late, and I failed. A driver who misses a school zone sign is the same driver who might miss a kid stepping off a curb. The sign only works if the driver is paying attention.

I've never been in a car accident and haven't heard stories of anyone I know being in one. After a few practice drives though, I realized pretty quickly that I couldn't assume everyone around me would follow the rules or act the way I expected, and therefore I'd need to learn defensive driving, an important component of driver's ed. I've watched family members check their phones, follow too close, miss a turn, or brake hard because they noticed slowing traffic too late. Although an accident didn't occur, it could've. I think that's actually part of what makes those habits dangerous. When you do something unsafe enough times and nothing goes wrong, it starts to feel like it was never risky at all. Seeing that also made me pay more attention to what other drivers might do.

Fines for distracted driving make sense to me, but I don't think a fine alone changes behavior. A fine punishes what already happened. A course gives the driver another chance to learn what they were doing wrong before it gets someone killed. Road signs also need to be kept up better. I've noticed plenty that are hard to read unless you already know the road, which defeats their purpose, especially near school zones. New cars should come with safety features like lane-departure warnings, and distracted-driving campaigns should talk about more than just phones. Almost everything I hear about distracted driving is about texting, but fatigue, stress, and even talking to passengers caused just as much trouble for me. If people don't know those things count as distractions too, they may not realize they're driving distracted.

Going forward, I know I'm the kind of driver who can still get distracted without ever touching my phone, so I'm trying to build the habits now instead of waiting until something forces me to. I don't play music. I watch for the specific things I've messed up on before: no turn on red, school zones, and lanes that merge without much warning. If I have passengers and need it quieter, I'll tell them I need to focus. And if I notice a friend driving distracted, I'll say something, the same way I'd want someone to tell me.

My dad taught me that being a responsible driver doesn't mean never making a mistake. It means noticing when something is pulling your attention away and stopping before it turns into something worse. I don't want to get comfortable enough with driving that I start tolerating distractions just because nothing bad has happened yet. I'd rather keep noticing them, and keep pulling over when I need to, for as long as I'm driving.