Safety Behind the Wheel

When I was 9 years old my family and I were in a car accident. My 4-year-old brother at the time had began to choke on a mint in the backseat next to me. My mom unbuckled her seatbelt in an attempt to help him get the mint out. My dad, who was equally as concerned, pressed the accelerator instead of the breaks, and we proceeded to hit the car in front of us at a stop light. Thankfully, both my family and the couple we had hit were both okay, there was nothing but a couple bruises, a dented bumper, and a permanent ban on mints in my family.

Now that I’m 17 and have been hitting the roads for over a year on my own, I have begun to understand the franticness of driving and the dangers of undereducated drivers. I believe that in order to increase the number of safe drivers on the road, in person driver’s-ed must be mandatory for anyone who is getting their license. As a driver that took online driver’s-ed and had a parent teacher, I think there is greater opportunity for leniency in student driven driver’s-ed. I believe that learning to drive with an adult that is a not a relative is more beneficial and ensures that the student driver knows exactly what to do without any shortcuts from parents and themselves.

Though without any drivers ed in place, I believe the number of car accident related deaths would skyrocket. Educating drivers on the importance of road signs, tailgating, safe driving in harsh weather, road-rage, and irresponsible/distracted driving provides more awareness to different situations drivers encounter on the roads. Understanding and obeying the rules of the roads creates a low-risk driver; if every driver followed this mentality, I think the roads would be pretty peaceful.

Although I’m very confident in my driving, I do know that I can get distracted and negligent to rules on the road. Sometimes when I’m running late, I make up for time by speeding. Though as I have driven more and better know the roads I frequently drive, I can leave at a time that ensures responsible driving. There is also the ever-present distraction of phones, after a few weeks of driving I put my phone on Do-Not-Disturb whenever I got in the car. When I do talk on the phone, I connect it to my Bluetooth and keep it hands-free. My friends and I keep each other accountable by not texting when we know someone is driving, and when we’re together, we turn off phones until we reach our destination. I would rather get a missed call than put my friends and myself in danger. Educated, responsible, and safe driving keeps everyone on the road safe, not just yourself.