Serious Driving

Luke Hahn

Driving a car is handling a two-thousand pound lethal weapon. My driving instructor said something like that. He showed us a video documenting a crash in our area which resulted in the death of three teenagers. A girl visited our class to tell us how by looking at a notification, she got into an accident that left her with a felony. When behind the wheel, we do not always consider how important safe driving is. But there are steps we can take that instill or revive a serious attitude toward driving. That is the attitude which makes good drivers, and saves lives.

I have never experienced a bad accident. While my parents regularly remind me that driving is serious business, the testimonials I mentioned above further realized to me the huge consequences of poor driving. I do not think many people are influenced by such diverse and weighty testimonials outside of a drivers ed class. Had I waited to learn how to drive from my parents, those stories could not have helped me become a serious driver.

A step that everyone could take to promote safe driving is to talk about driving seriously. Every so often, poor driving choices come up in conversation and are treated too lightly. I remember hearing a person describe how he once sped very dramatically, making excuses such as “the road was straight, and you could see down it for forever.” We often feel pressured to sympathize with the driver and underemphasize the danger in his actions, but doing that only feeds the sort of arrogance which can put people in hospital beds. Talking casually about driving deadens everyone in the conversation to its seriousness. We need to speak up kindly but firmly against dangerous driving.

I admit that over time I have become less serious about driving. And if I feel this way being less than two years out of drivers ed class, I wonder whether older drivers could also take it more seriously. It is easy to let the good sort of confidence that comes from experience turn into arrogance. To help stop this regression, perhaps organizations (such as driving schools) could occasionally offer free, low-commitment driver review classes. This would give us drivers a chance to review some rules of the road, and keep those sobering testimonials fresh in our minds. I could see this sort of opportunity helping me and others drive more seriously.

We must stay serious to stay safe on the road. It is our duty. So if you are a teen who wants to get his license, take the drivers ed class. Those quirky videos (even if they are from the 80’s) still have a powerful message for us today. Talk about driving seriously, and do your friends the favor of pointing out their mistakes. And most of all, model safe driving yourself. Who knows—you might save someone’s life.