My husband is a Lyft driver. Every day he leaves for work, I face the reality that his safety is in the hands of every other driver on the road. He is at the mercy of someone else’s moment of distraction. He is always one poor decision away from never coming home. He often drives around our medium-sized city for hours every day. The number of near misses and potential wrecks he avoids on a regular basis is alarming. My husband understands that defensive driving and his own awareness keeps him safe, but he sees the impacts to other people all the time when driving past wrecks.

We also have a teenager out there driving. As a parent, I worry about her safety and her choices. I remember when I was sixteen and first driving, back in the late 1900s. My mother and father took my driver education very seriously, and I felt competent and careful. I also felt mature enough to be in charge of not only my life but the lives of my passengers and fellow road warriors. Now that I am middle-aged, I see that I was young and inexperienced. And that was before cellphones and distracted driving became such an epidemic!

In true Gen X fashion, I cringe when I see these young adults behind the wheel. I secretly wish that everyone on the road was between the ages of 25 and 70. But since I can’t make that happen, I can advocate for a robust and realistic driver education programs. Every high school should have mandatory classes on the issues they may face as drivers and the real consequences to people’s lives that happen when cars become weapons.

In our technologically dependent US society, we have the infrastructure to require every person to complete continuing education to maintain their driver’s license. It would take very little effort to watch some videos reminding us drivers of the safety issues and the personal duty we have to each other. The DMV could have on-line modules that all drivers access when it was most convenient for them. Along with proof of name and address, drivers could take screen shots or print out proof that they completed the courses to turn in when renewing their driver’s license. Insurance companies could offer their safe driver discounts based on safe driving as they do now and the completion of extra on-line classes. High school students could take required classes that discuss the rules of the road and the impact on lives when those rules aren’t followed. By reminding drivers of the rules of the road and how to increase safety for everyone accessing transportation on a regular basis, we can become a community that values safe driving.

I personally am proud of my safe driver discount through my insurance company and check my app on a regular basis to make sure I am getting good scores in all areas. I am patient when I am behind the wheel and pay close attention to other cars. I see many people making poor choices mostly related to driving aggressively. I witness people running through lights as they are turning red and often need to wait after my light turns green to allow those impatient drivers to make it through the intersection safely. I have people following too close behind me because I drive the speed limit, and they want me to drive faster. I see fender benders from people trying to turn in front of someone or because they were following too close to stop in time. I believe with on-going required education, an increase in driving discounts related to a combination of proof of safe driving and the completion of on-line modules, and robust classes for new drivers, our society can create a safer road for everyone.

Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage in our American society. It is a joyous occasion. It should also be a solemn and well-thought-out event by both the young person driving and their family. Before getting behind the wheel, every person should have had enough education to understand the responsibility they carry. We need to be conscious of the power we hold over each other’s lives. I want my husband and daughter to come home to me every night. I want to come home to them at the end of my workday. That can only happen when all drivers take their role seriously. Because when we are on the road together, my life is in your hands.