“It was just horrible.” My aunt used those words to describe her experience after she and her sister were hit by cars. I have eight uncles and aunts. Four of them have been hit by cars. Most of them when they were just children. I wanted to learn more about their experiences, so I asked one of my aunts to describe the moment.

My two aunts were crossing the street to get to school, hand in hand, just like their mom had asked. A speeding car raced towards them. Before they could realize the impending doom, the car had made impact.

The aftermath was awful. A helicopter had to take my aunts to the hospital to save their lives. A concussion, broken leg, and a metal plate. All this pain was caused in one moment by one distracted driver. Miraculously, my aunts recovered. However, they could not return to school for a while due to their extreme injuries. A similar story is shared by my uncles who were hit by cars. One of them, while innocently riding his bike. The experiences of my uncles and aunts emphasize how important it is to drive safely. Teens especially need to drive safely, considering our lack of experience and the habits we form can carry on until adulthood.

Learning how to drive has been synonymous with teenage culture for a long time. American movies feature the protagonist with a fresh license and a new car, ready to enter a new chapter. The freedom associated with driving can create a sense of invincibility. I remember my brother telling me about his classmates testing how fast their cars can go on empty roads. Some people even reached 100mph. It's seen as cool to be careless when driving, especially for teenage drivers. However, in reality, driving requires concentration, maturity, and responsibility. While driver education can’t necessarily teach those traits, it can teach defensive driving.

Defensive driving is how I personally navigate the roads. In addition to my drivers' ed course, I learned defensive driving habits from my mom. Specifically, defensive driving is being alert and adaptable on the road. Not trusting other drivers completely, knowing the rules of the road by heart, and sometimes being humbled by others. For example, if a driver takes your turn at a four-way stop, it's ok, just make sure you cross safely. Additionally, it's important to examine our own driving habits, be humble, and make sure we are responsible on the road as well. The truth is, we are all responsible for our own actions on the road, and should be mindful of ourselves and other drivers.

The scary truth about driving is that our roads are becoming more dangerous. The biggest distraction we have fits into our pockets. Phones are our biggest distractor, not only for teen drivers, but for other ages as well. Texting, calling, even changing a song takes attention away from the road and is extremely dangerous to pick up as a habit. My mom bought me a phone holder when I drive because I live in a ‘Hands Free’ state, meaning it's illegal to hold a phone in your hand when driving. However, oftentimes drivers will be on their phones anyway. Even with a phone holder, one has to be cautious not to use their phone as well. I have to correct myself after changing a song or being distracted by a message that pops up.

In addition, driverless vehicles are entering the equation. While driverless vehicles haven’t hit the mainstream yet, they will as corporations look to cut as many expenses as possible in pursuit of more profit. Driverless vehicles add a whole other layer to driving. Some advocates for driverless vehicles claim they're safer and make fewer mistakes than the average human driver. This may be true, but it is still new and uncertain. The technology behind driverless vehicles can fail or be faulty in a tough situation that requires advanced processing. Nevertheless, whether it's phones or robot cars, defensive driving is the key to safer driving habits among teens.

Due to my interest in physical therapy, I have seen car wreck victims dedicate months, sometimes years, to fully recuperate their range of motion. When I interned at a local physical therapy clinic, I asked a physical therapist how many of his patients were car wreck victims. It was around 15-20%. Most people suffer extreme injuries and are out of work for extended periods of time, or unable to use their body the way they used to. We should always remember the goal of driving is to get to the destination safely. Drivers' ed courses, communities, schools, and parents should all teach defensive driving to teenagers. We need to know this as early as possible to form good habits. We have to treat driving with care and caution, be mindful of ourselves, our passengers, and everyone else on the road.