I couldn’t seem to focus on one thing; not the cigarette smoke clouding around my nose, nor the blaring music, or how my body jerked—even under the seatbelt—as my father swerved in and out of lanes down the highway. His seat blocked my view of the speedometer, but I could guess we were running at least 30 mph over the legal limit with the way other cars seemed to only be blurs of red or black that we passed in a millisecond. I truly never felt safe in a car with my father behind the wheel ever again, even 7 years later. In his likely inebriated mind, he probably thought he was showing his young, 8-year-old daughter a fun time and the freedom of adulthood. All I took from that horrifying drive was to be cautious of who I let drive me around; apparently, people won’t listen even when you’re sobbing, begging them to stop or even just to slow down.
Miraculously, nothing came of that night. Both he and I slept in our warm beds, although only one of us slept soundly. His recklessness that night opened my eyes to the true importance of road safety. When someone is driving a vehicle, they not only hold their own lives in their hands in the rounded shape of a wheel, but also the lives of every single person around them: the passengers’, the pedestrians’, fellow drivers’, and even those of people sitting inside, near a road-facing wall. A single decision can determine the future of many; education on road laws and courtesy can save those many.
I was a fairly observant child, aware of the ways of the road and inquisitively asking when I didn’t understand things. When high school came and nearly everyone seemed to be getting their license, I had blind faith in my peers that they would understand the magnitude of responsibility driving places on you. I laugh now at my naivety. Many kids these days secure their license at the lowest cost and effort possible, ignoring the tales of caution and wise education others give. They receive their shiny, white card in the mail and immediately go racing down small-town roads without a care in the world. Inevitably, they end up with a busted bumper or speeding ticket. Without either having the appropriate education or merely refusing to learn its importance, these children endanger everyone around them and often continue to as they grow into adults. They don’t slow to check their surroundings or know to use turn signals when being pulled over. Once, I watched as a mother attempted to pass my own mother and I. If she had slowed down and taken in her surroundings, she would have seen the semi blaring full speed towards her in his own lane. I’m still surprised to this day that her, her husband, and her child—who couldn’t even walk on his own yet—made it out alive; she managed to swerve at the last minute into a ditch, taking out a power line with her. It is carelessness and inconsideration that drives people—literally—into these dangerous situations and a lack of education that increases the danger tenfold. Without driver’s education, many wouldn’t know how to unfog their front windshield in the dead of winter or to check intersecting lanes in the instance of coming upon a yield sign. Education on driving teaches not only how to avoid tragedies but also how to react when they happen nonetheless.
Still, ignorance is not an excuse. If you drive, it is your responsibility to be the best driver you can be. Computers, either at home or in a public library, contain more education for drivers than a single book ever could. Of course, a driver’s education book can also serve to teach you. You can find friends, family members, or even professionals willing to help you learn how to operate a vehicle properly and safely. It is your responsibility to drive at the proper speed, un-inebriated, and while paying attention to both the road and your environment. Thousands, if not millions, of accidents could have and, in the future, can be avoided if the driver(s) made a conscious effort to increase their vigilance when on the road. The biggest step one can take to increase safety on the road—barring basic and nonnegotiable driver’s education—is to always double check. Double check the rearview mirrors before switching lanes, that everybody in the vehicle has buckled up, and that you or the driver is of sound mind to control whether those around you live or die.
Miraculously, nothing came of that night. Both he and I slept in our warm beds, although only one of us slept soundly. His recklessness that night opened my eyes to the true importance of road safety. When someone is driving a vehicle, they not only hold their own lives in their hands in the rounded shape of a wheel, but also the lives of every single person around them: the passengers’, the pedestrians’, fellow drivers’, and even those of people sitting inside, near a road-facing wall. A single decision can determine the future of many; education on road laws and courtesy can save those many.
I was a fairly observant child, aware of the ways of the road and inquisitively asking when I didn’t understand things. When high school came and nearly everyone seemed to be getting their license, I had blind faith in my peers that they would understand the magnitude of responsibility driving places on you. I laugh now at my naivety. Many kids these days secure their license at the lowest cost and effort possible, ignoring the tales of caution and wise education others give. They receive their shiny, white card in the mail and immediately go racing down small-town roads without a care in the world. Inevitably, they end up with a busted bumper or speeding ticket. Without either having the appropriate education or merely refusing to learn its importance, these children endanger everyone around them and often continue to as they grow into adults. They don’t slow to check their surroundings or know to use turn signals when being pulled over. Once, I watched as a mother attempted to pass my own mother and I. If she had slowed down and taken in her surroundings, she would have seen the semi blaring full speed towards her in his own lane. I’m still surprised to this day that her, her husband, and her child—who couldn’t even walk on his own yet—made it out alive; she managed to swerve at the last minute into a ditch, taking out a power line with her. It is carelessness and inconsideration that drives people—literally—into these dangerous situations and a lack of education that increases the danger tenfold. Without driver’s education, many wouldn’t know how to unfog their front windshield in the dead of winter or to check intersecting lanes in the instance of coming upon a yield sign. Education on driving teaches not only how to avoid tragedies but also how to react when they happen nonetheless.
Still, ignorance is not an excuse. If you drive, it is your responsibility to be the best driver you can be. Computers, either at home or in a public library, contain more education for drivers than a single book ever could. Of course, a driver’s education book can also serve to teach you. You can find friends, family members, or even professionals willing to help you learn how to operate a vehicle properly and safely. It is your responsibility to drive at the proper speed, un-inebriated, and while paying attention to both the road and your environment. Thousands, if not millions, of accidents could have and, in the future, can be avoided if the driver(s) made a conscious effort to increase their vigilance when on the road. The biggest step one can take to increase safety on the road—barring basic and nonnegotiable driver’s education—is to always double check. Double check the rearview mirrors before switching lanes, that everybody in the vehicle has buckled up, and that you or the driver is of sound mind to control whether those around you live or die.
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