Everyone assumes that when you are turning 16 that you're excited to be able to learn to drive and get your license, this was not the case for me. At first, I found driving stressful. Part of the reasoning behind this was that it was something I hadn’t done before and I had never had to worry about it. The other part was the pressure. I think there’s this idea in the world that as soon as you turn 16 you should be getting your license. It’s the one thing everyone asks about when you get to that age and teenagers don’t want to face the embarrassment of not having their license. Personally, I didn’t get my license until I was 17. I used the excuse that I had no time to complete driver education because of my busy sports schedule, but the truth is I was not ready. Deep down I knew that I didn’t want to have that responsibility just yet. I needed more time and more practice before I would feel completely confident out on the road. Now, fast forward almost three years, I drive everyday. I commute to college and I’m not stressed like I was when learning at 16. In fact, I enjoy it. Without driver education, extra time, and extra practice I don’t think I would feel as confident driving as I do today.
Driver education is a super important part in learning to drive. If these classes weren’t required I can only imagine the awful outcomes and events that would occur out on the road. Driver education reduces death from driving by not only teaching us the rules of the road, but explaining what will happen if we don’t follow them. A few weeks into my driver education classes, my teacher showed the class some car crash videos and I remember sitting there thinking “I don’t want this to be me”. Obviously no one wants to get into a car accident, but knowing that it is a possibility is important and driver education helps with learning the things you can do to try and prevent accidents from happening.
Besides driver education, something that could help with reducing the number of deaths related to driving would be more strict laws in relation to cell-phone usage. There are still many states that don’t have laws in place for hands free only driving. Some states have an age limit where it is illegal to text while driving, but I think if we made it so it was illegal for all ages it would help reduce deaths. Also, those places that do have hands free only driving should have some harsher repercussions to deter people from thinking about picking up their phone while actively on the road. Anything that may prevent a driver from becoming distracted would be beneficial and I think getting all states to be hands free would be a good place to start.
Fortunately, I have never had the experience of being in a car accident. I have seen many of the aftermaths of accidents when driving home on the highway from school and they usually look pretty bad. Before the hands free law in my state, my parents would talk on the phone while they drive and I never really thought too much about it. Everyone did it, but now I can see why talking, or texting, while driving is a poor choice. It is extremely irresponsible since not only are you putting your life at risk, but others as well.
When I am driving with my friends or family, I always like to make sure they have their seatbelts on. I think many people see that as something silly, but wearing a seatbelt can be the difference in living or dying if you do get into an accident. Driving the speed limit is also something that I think is often overlooked, but your speed also impacts the outcome if you do get into an accident. About a year ago, there was a life lost in my community in a speeding accident. They were going to fast around a bend and ended up hitting a tree, dying on impact. Whenever I go out my mom always says “Text me when you get there” and when I first started driving I thought it was ridiculous. I didn;t understand why it was so important that I texted her and told her where I was, but I realized it was out of concern for my safety. She wanted to make sure that wherever I ended up that I arrived safely. Now, I find myself telling my friends the same thing when they leave my house. “Text me when you get there” is a simple statement, but maybe it makes just enough of a difference for them to drive a little safer so that they get to send that text.