More Than Just a Green Light

When I was six years old, shortly after I came to Canada, I loved watching Barbie. I remember one episode in particular where Barbie got into her brand new bright pink convertible and drove toward the beach with her hair flowing in the wind. She looked completely carefree, independent, and happy. I remember thinking, “I cannot wait until I can drive.” In my mind, driving meant freedom. It meant being independent, going wherever I wanted, and finally feeling grown up.

For years, that was how I viewed driving. I looked forward to it as something exciting and liberating. It was not until I began driver education that I realized there was a side of driving that Barbie never showed me, responsibility.

I attended driving school, where I learned the rules of the road and the skills necessary to become a safe driver. My parents also played a major role in teaching me, especially my dad. He is a truck driver who regularly travels long distances, including into the United States. Watching him drive and hearing about his experiences on the road made me understand that driving is not simply about controlling your own vehicle. You are constantly sharing the road with people whose decisions you cannot control.

That became very real to me one night when I was driving to my friend's home around 9 p.m.  I was approaching a busy intersection near my home. I was in the left turn lane when the green arrow appeared, so I began making my turn. Due to the fact that I had a protected left turn signal, I had every reason to expect that the vehicles facing me would remain stopped at their red light. My priority was making my turn safely and entering the correct lane.

Then another driver went through their red light. For a moment, our vehicles were heading toward the same space in the middle of the intersection. I had enough confidence in the traffic signal and in the other drivers around me that my attention was focused on completing my turn correctly rather than considering that someone might ignore a red light. My friend yelled for me to stop, and I reacted. We barely avoided a collision.

The other driver simply stopped for a moment and then continued on as if nothing had happened. I remember sitting there with my heart pounding, realizing how quickly an ordinary drive near my home could have changed my life. I had left home expecting to make a short trip to my friend's house and return without anything unusual happening. Instead, within a few seconds, I was reminded that one decision by another driver can completely change the outcome of an ordinary day.

That experience changed the way I think about driver education. Before that night, I understood defensive driving as a concept I had learned in driving school. Afterward, I understood it as something I needed to practice every time I got behind the wheel. I learned that being a safe driver is not only about knowing that a red light means stop or that a green arrow gives you the right of way. It is about remaining aware even when you have the right of way, because another driver may not follow the rules.

This is why I believe driver education is so important in reducing deaths caused by driving. Knowing the rules is only the beginning. Drivers need to learn how to apply those rules while dealing with distractions, unexpected situations, aggressive or careless drivers, difficult weather, and the pressure of making quick decisions. Driver education gives new drivers an opportunity to develop good habits and learn from mistakes before they are driving independently. It also teaches an important mindset, being a good driver means thinking about what could happen next, not simply reacting to what is happening now.

Reducing deaths on the road also requires drivers to take personal responsibility. We can reduce unnecessary risks by eliminating distractions, never driving under the influence, respecting speed limits, leaving enough space between vehicles, staying patient, and paying attention to the behaviour of other drivers. Defensive driving should be emphasized because we cannot assume that everyone around us will make the right decision. Technology can provide another layer of protection through features such as automatic emergency braking and lane departure warnings, but no technology can replace an attentive driver.

My dad has made this responsibility especially personal for me. When he drives his truck for long distances, he can follow every rule and make every responsible decision, yet his safety can still depend on the person driving beside him. Knowing that someone I love faces those risks has made me think differently about the people I share the road with. The vehicle beside me is not just another car. There is a person inside it who is someone's parent, child, sibling, friend, or loved one.

I also want to be someone who helps make other people safer. If I am a passenger and notice someone becoming distracted or driving recklessly, I want to be willing to speak up rather than stay quiet because it feels uncomfortable. I would rather say something that prevents an accident than remain silent and regret it later. I can also lead by example by putting my phone away, refusing to drive aggressively, staying patient in traffic, and never allowing other peoples behaviour to pressure me into making an unsafe decision.

When I think about my driving examination, I remember my examiner asking me if it was my first time taking the test. When I said yes, she told me that my driving was some of the best she had seen in an extremely long time. Hearing that made me incredibly proud, but more importantly, it reminded me that safe driving is built through consistent habits. My driving school taught me the fundamentals, and my dad reinforced those lessons every time he sat beside me. The near collision taught me something that no textbook could, even when you are following the rules, you must remain prepared for someone else not to.

The little girl who watched Barbie drive her pink convertible toward the beach was right about one thing. Driving does bring freedom. What she did not understand was that freedom comes with responsibility.

Today, I still look forward to the independence that driving gives me. I still want the windows down, the music playing, and the feeling of going wherever the road takes me. However now, when I get behind the wheel, I understand that I am responsible for more than simply reaching my destination. I am responsible for the choices I make and for how those choices affect the people around me.

Most importantly, I think about my dad on the highway and the people at home waiting for him to come back safely. I want to enjoy the freedom I dreamed about as a little girl while becoming the kind of driver who makes the road safer for everyone and gives the people I love one less thing to worry about.