Safe
Driving Etiquette

As a teenager whose parents taught them how
to drive, I have heard a lot of the phrase “do as I say, not as I
do.” Most people, including my parents, use experience as an excuse
for behaviors behind the wheel such as eating and choosing a song
from their cellphone. However, many are not aware of how much power
one has on the road and that it is enough to determine the lifespan
of other people. The aforementioned habits are acts of pure
negligence and the most effective way for the driving community to
reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to discourage the
behaviors earlier in drivers ed. Putting more emphasis on
driving conduct tips -- such as where to put your phone to avoid
distraction and the best place to mount a device in the car to
minimize the amount of time in which your focus is not on the road --
to drivers ed allots more time for the information to instill into a
new driver’s consciousness. Therefore, it would nip the bad
behaviors at the bud and decrease the chances of repeat misconduct.
Additionally, it can potentially terminate the risk of parents
unknowingly displaying incorrect driving etiquette to their children
long before their kids enter the process of getting their driver’s
license. Taking the online drivers ed course in preparation for
the permit exam was the first time that I really payed attention to
what was being asked of me as a driver. However, the most influential
takeaways for me were the things that I would be able to use on a
daily basis such as street lights and what to do in emergency
situations. Adding proper driving etiquette to that list would allow
me to further reap the benefits of the drivers ed process and
promote the preventative measures against improper driving conduct.
Bringing up drivers with a conscious and safe mindset would broaden
the effects of safe driving tips and over time, decrease the amount
of deaths due to negligent driving. I will continue to advocate for
conscious driving etiquette by putting my phone away in a bag while I
drive and finding directions to where I am going before I even turn
on my vehicle. As a passenger, I will manage the directions and music
to ease the driver from distraction and stress. Like they say, if
everyone changes something small in their normal routines, bigger
changes will rise and I hope to see that in the driving community’s
efforts to reduce death by driving.