Driving terrifies me, which is why I don’t have my license. I turn eighteen in four months, but after getting my permit for almost a year, I only have three hours of practice. I have big dreams for my future, but how can I get anywhere if I still have to ask my mom to drive me? What worries me more is how will I achieve these big dreams if my life is cut short by a stupid mistake?
About two weeks ago, a distant childhood friend of mine got in a car crash. His phone dinged; he took a glance, and before he knew it, he was swerving, and his car was totaled. His father was incredibly mad, especially since he wasn’t allowed to drive in the first place due to his sloppy behavior and irresponsible nature. Luckily, he was safe, and most of the damage was on the passenger side. But what if he wasn’t lucky? What if he was driving his little sisters? What if that happens to me?
As someone who struggles to focus in class and gets distracted very easily, I worry about whether I’d be able to handle driving on roads or, even worse, highways. Like any regular teenager, I’m addicted to my phone and tend to respond to my friends as quickly as possible.
Living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I see road accidents now and then or hear about traffic in certain areas due to a pile-up. It’s come to a point where instead of worrying about the people involved, I’ve seen most people roll their eyes at the fact that they just found out that they’re going to be late for work. It’s almost as if people have become desensitized to this. These common incidents prove how important driver education is. I’ve seen my own friends and peers at school blow through it just to get it over with and get on the road. The growing popularity of online driver education scares me because I fear that more people are blazing through it and end up in scary situations while driving and don’t know what to do. This is why I take extra precautions when I’m doing my driver's education by testing myself multiple times. I want to be fully confident and prepared no matter where I go.
This fear has been accumulating since I was fifteen years old, old enough to get my permit. Since then, I’ve paid more attention to my surroundings whenever I’m in a moving car instead of putting my headphones on and going on my phone. Which lane are we in? What’s the speed limit? How fast are we going? How many cars are behind us? Is anyone in the blind spot? I believe that asking myself these questions has made me feel safer and more secure with the thought of driving. But there’s more I can do to keep myself safe on the roads.
First, I will set rules for using my phone in the car. If I don’t need it, I will turn on do-not-disturb mode and put it somewhere, like in my purse or in the center console where it is entirely out of sight, and I won’t be able to feel it vibrate, allowing me to have my full attention on the road and my surroundings. If I need the GPS, I will mute all notifications and keep my phone where I can see it easily and won’t need to turn my head or shift my focus too much. Second, if I’m driving others and, at any point, they begin to distract me, I will politely ask them to save the conversation for when we arrive at our destination. I love having fun with my friends and family, but I would rather tell them to leave me alone than endanger my loved ones' lives. Lastly, as someone who loves to listen to music, it will be something I typically have on, but I will keep in mind how I can’t let it distract me. To keep my focus, I will keep the volume down low and only listen to music that won’t get me too excited and make me want to start head-banging and have a personal mini-concert while I’m driving.
By making these promises to myself, I can keep others and myself safe while still enjoying driving without becoming too stressed. I hope I am not the only one who is concerned about the education of other drivers. While it’s good to acknowledge fears, I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t figure out solutions for them. Literally.