When I was 15 and studying to get my driver’s permit, one of the things I had to do was to read a pamphlet with the rules of driving. After passing a test on the material, completing my vision assessment, and receiving my permit, I stared at the card in my hand, denoting me as a student driver under 18, I wondered if this was it. Was all that it took to stay safe while driving was following a predetermined set of rules? If I memorized the laws and always followed them, would I be safe and never get into a wreck? I then took driver’s education classes, as is required for someone under 18 in Ohio to get a driver’s license. During my experiences learning how to drive and through my education, I learned that it is important to follow the laws, and driver’s education teaches you about them. Knowing and following traffic laws in driver’s education teaches a person what to expect from other drivers and what other drivers expect from them. However, it’s not the full story. Driver’s education also taught me that part of staying safe is knowing when other people will break the rules and how to respond. Another important aspect of safety in driving that I learned from driver’s education is to pay attention to the environment and the vehicle.
There are many proposed solutions to deaths relating to driving. There are always more laws that could be written, more enforcement of these laws, or more restrictions that could be added. These changes are important because technology and driving change over time, which means that laws and policies need to be updated as things change. Safety features are also always being designed and added to new vehicles, which help reduce deaths related to driving. I personally think that continuing educating drivers over time would be helpful. When I was learning how to drive and reading that pamphlet, my parents read it and made comments such as, “oh, I didn’t know that was a law” or “I was glad to have that situation clarified”. I think that perhaps encouraging adults to review these things every once and a while would improve driving and perhaps reduce driving deaths. However, all of these changes seem a bit out of reach for the average person to implement, especially teenagers just starting to learn how to drive. I personally think that every person can do their part in making sure they stay up to date on traffic laws, especially if things change, and do their best to drive safely every day.
I’ve been in several car accidents. The first was on Memorial Day several years ago. I was around six years old. I was traveling with my family, and a car ahead of us came almost to a complete stop randomly to change lanes. The car behind it almost had to stop, and it changed lanes and drove off. Our car almost stopped, and then we resumed traveling. The car behind us was following us too closely and slammed into the back of our car. The car behind us was being driven by one of our family members. I hadn’t realized this beforehand, but I learned that not all adults that I was familiar with were examples of good driving. Several years later, when I was in high school and returning home from band camp, I drove over a metal beam that had somehow gotten on the road and ripped up one of the tires of my car. I had to pull over and wait for people to come and put the spare tire on so I could get home that evening. I learned from that experience that sometimes, weird things happen that you cannot control, no matter how carefully you drive and how carefully you study.
From my experiences with cars and driving, I learned a few lessons. I learned that a very good way to stay safe is to learn about the traffic laws and follow them. This is helpful because it establishes an expectation. People know what to expect from you, and you can expect certain things from other drivers and act accordingly. I also learned that learning how to drive is not a task that is quickly completed. I learned that it is a process that occurs as long as you are driving regularly. I’m always learning new things about how to stay safe while driving. I also learned that while you cannot control everything on the road, you can control yourself and how you respond to things.