It takes 32 hours to earn your license in the state of Texas. Those 32 hours are split into 12 modules spanning everything from working your car, to maintaining traffic flow, avoiding felonies and misdemeanors, being aware of road conditions, and so much more. You would think that after all this preparation the roads would be safe, especially for younger less-experienced drivers. This is not the case. In America, some 34,000 people die due to car crashes each year. What can we do as drivers to lower this number? As a 16yo who is new to driving, I want to propose a few ideas to make the roads safer, from interactive student workshops, annual reassessments, and infrastructure improvements focused on safety.
I first drove a car when I was 14, and I was truly excited about the idea of driving my friends around as I got older. Now, at 16, my friends and I are licensed. Speeding comes easy to a 16 year old, and it comes with a heavy risk. Not only are you in charge of yourself, but you’re in charge of someone's child. I can’t imagine looking my friend's mother in the eyes and telling her that I was responsible for her daughter’s injuries.
To reduce the number of deaths related to driving we can educate student drivers through biannual workshops at schools. In my mind, these driving seminars would be a mandatory event to educate students on the dangers of driving at unsafe speeds, under the influence, and driving without caution. I would love to take part in such a program that invites experts to schools to educate students on the consequences of unsafe driving. My ideal program would be interactive, and it would feature question-and-answer sections for students to be open and honest about their own experiences on the road. We have all been in situations that have made us anxious, and opening up about those stories can be the start of a productive conversation about safe driving. These workshops would also become a safe space for students to learn techniques to avoid road rage, such as breathing exercises or a repeated mantra.
Further, I would feel safer on the road knowing that other drivers were up to date on their driving knowledge. Years after you take your typical driver’s test, your knowledge of defensive driving and road risk can easily be pushed to the back of your brain, making it almost irrelevant in a high-risk driving situation. This could be remedied by instituting an biannual reassessment. In history class, I learn a lot of impactful lessons from the past. I learn about what made them so important, and I learn lots of dates. But after the exam is over, I typically quickly forget half the material.. I notice that other students around me also favor memorization over holistic education, so testing at the end of each module doesn't truly help us retain information. A biannual reassessment would allow the DMV to assess a driver’s skills, alongside assessing their mental state and awareness of risks.
Although refreshing drivers on skills is important, improvements to infrastructure can help lower accident rates. Most drivers have driven through a school zone, areas where the speed limit is miles per hour, to prevent cars from injuring kids as they walk to school. But imagine seeing signs stating “drive like your kids live here” or “children at play” through your neighborhood. These signs may seem minor, but they’re eye-catching. Picture yourself speeding down a street as you see one of these signs. You may be inclined to slow down, look for kids, or become more aware of your surroundings. These simple actions can prevent a wreck or injury.
It can be near-impossible to avoid accidents. I can’t control what others do, and some accidents have environmental or technical causes. You never know what situation or experience will lead someone to become a safer driver. For some, it is statistics. For others, it’s personal stories of grief. Finally, some people must have their own personal experience to truly grasp how tragic death or injury can be. I know that for me, it is the facts and figures that keep me alert. Fortunately, I have never had someone close to me die as a result of a driving accident, but numbers hold power, and a number as high as 34,000 is something that we should never see. For someone else, it might be having a space to talk about their road rage or meeting a requirement to get their driving skills reassessed. Driving defensively and safely, drawing on alertness and calmness strategies, and building our roads in the safest possible way may just prevent an accident.