I can't adequately say how excited I was when I passed my driver's exam and earned my driver's license! My parents, nervous and supportive, took my twin sister and me on back-to-back days to take our exams; we both passed, and suddenly, my parent's car insurance bill quadrupled, and we were off to the races. Not really to the races - my parents had an extensive list of rules that my sister and I had to adhere to to have the privilege of driving.

Like most kids at my high school, we took our driver's education classes at a local school with a great instructor, but I'll be honest, it wasn't enough time. Here in Ohio, in addition to your driver education classes, you have to earn 50 hours of driving with your parents, of which ten is supposed to be dark driving. I was well above 50 hours; my parents mapped out specific routes I'd be taking. We practiced driving to school, to soccer practice, to Costco, you know, all the essentials. They also made us become comfortable driving to our grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other emergency contacts, which I'm so thankful for.

I know that with our schedules, it was busy to carve out the specific instructions time, but I'm grateful we did. I see the way some of my friends drive, and they are comfortable in our small community, where you stay within 25 miles per hour of any neighborhood to get to school. Still, new drivers need to be more comfortable in our downtown metropolitan area, large parking garages, or navigating one-way streets. I don't know if legally requiring more restrictions is the best thing, but so many newly licensed drivers are over-confident in their abilities to drive safely and efficiently.

Even with all our preparation, my sister and I were involved in an accident the first summer we both started driving. A woman decided we were taking too long at a stop sign and tried to go around us and then plowed into the side of our car. I was so grateful for the emergencies we had practiced with our parents. I was the passenger, so I called my parents to tell them where we were and what was happening. My sister, Campell, was driving, so she exited the car, checked on the other driver, and then informed her she was calling 911. We had gone over that with my parents so many times, we knew what to do, and we were both so upset; if we hadn't talked that scenario through 100 times, I know we would have panicked.

My parents have also driven home the fact of not driving with music too loud, having our phones locked in the glove compartment, and they didn't allow us to drive any friends for the first year that we were licensed drivers. I think strict protocols like these help keep young and inexperienced drivers as focused as possible.

We know that accidents will happen, just like ours did, but we are prepared, and we continue to drive with confidence, even though we've had an accident.

I know there have been pushes from companies like AT&T to encourage new drivers to sign a distracted driver pledge, but I would like to know if it is something that we can promote more in high school settings. If taking the big step to earn your license is something that we're discussing at school with our counselors, it could add another layer of being responsible to new drivers. Students need to be encouraged to be accountable for their actions, knowing that when they are driving a car, they are responsible not only for themselves and the others in their car but a biker on the street, children at play, and other drivers' actions.

Also, focusing on speed reduction has to be reiterated in instruction and as students are earning their licenses. Speeds feel like they are at an all-time high, and reckless driving is everywhere. Data obtained from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows an increase in accidents, fatal and non-fatal, as well as OVI tickets.

A lot of the responsibility falls on our generation to think of driving as a privilege and something that needs to be taken incredibly seriously. We can't just jump in the car, crank up some Taylor and speed away. We have to be defensive, know where we are going, and be on high alert while driving. Also, something my sister and I have implemented is when you get in our car, you are told there's no yelling, there's no touching anyone, there's no shouting, all things that can feel startling while you are driving. Also, if we are taking two friends home from soccer practice, whichever one of us is driving will say before we leave the parking lot. This is the route: Clara gets dropped off first, then Evie, when we head home. We also try to be very practical about the route and make sure we're aware of the time of day for higher traffic volume and higher speeds.

I think safer driving comes back to taking responsibility, slowing down, and putting away all distractions.