Making It Home Is What Matters

Driving is a major part of my everyday life. As a mother of two boys who are involved in basketball, I feel like I am always in the car. Between school, practices, games, tournaments, work, and everyday responsibilities, there are weeks when it feels like I spend more time driving than I do sitting still. I have driven early in the morning, late at night after long tournament weekends, in heavy traffic, and while trying to stay on schedule. Because of that, I understand how easy it can be to become distracted, impatient, or simply tired behind the wheel. I also understand that no destination is more important than making sure my children and I arrive safely.

Driver education is important because learning to drive should be about more than passing a test. A person can know how to park, use a turn signal, and follow a speed limit and still make dangerous decisions. Driver education teaches us that driving requires our full attention and that the decisions we make can affect families we may never meet.

This has become even more important to me as my sons get older. My oldest is approaching the age when conversations about driving will become a reality. That is honestly a little scary as a mother. Soon, I will have to trust that the lessons I have taught him will follow him when I am no longer sitting beside him. I want both of my sons to understand that getting a driver's license is exciting, but it also means accepting responsibility for their lives and the lives of everyone around them.

One of the greatest dangers I see today is distracted driving, especially cell phone use. Our phones have become such a normal part of life that responding to a text, changing a song, checking directions, or looking at a notification can feel harmless. I have seen people looking down at their phones while driving and drifting between lanes or failing to notice that traffic has stopped. Moments like that remind me how quickly something ordinary can become dangerous.

I cannot say that I have been perfect behind the wheel. There have been times when I have been rushing because we were late for practice or trying to get from one responsibility to another. There have been moments when I felt tempted to look at my phone because a message came through. Being a safer driver requires me to recognize those moments and make a different choice. A basketball practice can wait. A text can wait. An appointment can wait. Our lives cannot be replaced.

There are many steps we can take to reduce driving-related deaths. Wearing seat belts, following speed limits, putting phones away, never driving under the influence, and avoiding aggressive driving are simple choices that save lives. I also believe we need to talk more about driving while tired. As a busy working mother, I know what exhaustion feels like. There are days when responsibilities start early and end late. Being tired does not excuse unsafe driving. It means I have to be even more aware of whether I am alert enough to drive safely.

Patience is another area where all drivers can improve. Living and driving in the DMV means traffic is simply part of life. Someone will cut you off. There will be construction. A driver may be moving slower than you would like. Reacting aggressively does not get us where we are going safely. I have learned that sometimes being a responsible driver means accepting that I may arrive late.

I also recognize that my children are learning how to drive long before they ever sit behind the wheel. Every time they ride with me, they are watching. If I tell them texting and driving is dangerous but they see me constantly checking my phone, my actions will speak louder than my words. If I speed whenever we are running late, they may learn that rules become optional when they are inconvenient. I want to model the behavior I expect from them.

As my sons become future drivers, I plan to have honest conversations with them about distracted driving, speeding, seat belts, driving with friends, and the pressure they may experience as teenagers. I want them to know they can always call me if they are ever in a situation where they do not feel safe getting into a car. I would rather be inconvenienced and pick them up at any hour than receive a call telling me something happened that cannot be undone.

For me, driver safety is ultimately about family. Every vehicle around me carries someone who matters to somebody. That person I am impatiently trying to pass may be someone's mother. The teenager learning to drive may be someone's son. The person crossing the street may have a family waiting for them at home.

Driver education gives us knowledge, but responsibility determines what we do with it. As a mother, I want my sons to see that the goal of driving is not to get somewhere as quickly as possible. Whether we are headed to school, work, basketball practice, or a tournament, the most important part of every trip is simple: making it home.