The Dim Side of Driving
Most teenagers and adults in the United States always talk about driving in a bright and positive way which makes most people excited to get their license and start driving as soon as possible but, the dark sides are not typically talked about enough as they should be. Driving is a very useful and popular form of transportation in our society which is taken for granted that is shown through how careless we have become while operating vehicles. Studies showing how there are more deaths due to driving than war is a scary fact. Informing our younger generations on drivers’ safety and teaching them about the scary accidents that occur from being distracted to their surrounding while operating a vehicle is crucial to potentially reducing the percentage of accidents and can help reduce the number of deaths per year. Driving is a special gift just like the gift of life that should be taken care of very cautiously. A way we could start is by the usefulness of Drivers Education and teaching it to every person learning how to drive.
Drivers Education is a very important tool that helps give people exposure to the basics of driving and the rules of the road that are critical to know in some situations while on the road. I did not take a Drivers Education course before taking my drivers test which left me unknowing on some important subjects which essentially lead to me failing my first attempt at the drivers’ test. All that was required for me to get my permit was a test answering basic questions about the rules of the road which in a way helped me know some of the basics, but it did not go in depth as a Drivers Education course does as well as driving with an instructor, who would have been able to explain everything better than my parents did as they are not trained to teach someone how to drive. While it may be tedious and at some points aggravating to the individuals taking the course it is extremely helpful to gain a good base of the importance of the rules and operations of the car before just aimlessly jumping into the car. Jumping into a car without any knowledge is so dangerous to not only the driver but to the people surrounding them, in a car, or a pedestrian walking around.
I, friends, and family have had scary experiences with car accidents some of which were life threatening. When my mother and I were driving to school one day she went to turn right and pulled up next to an eighteen-wheeler who was also turning right. The eighteen-wheeler turned and ended up dragging my mother’s car with us in it five feet and shattered the windshield and the drivers side window. Thankfully no one was hurt but the simple lack of attention put my mother and myself in risk. A friend was speeding through a neighborhood and ended up hitting a person who was jogging on the shoulder of the road. The person had to be admitted to the hospital for a broken hip and ended up suing my friend. They got 4 points on their license and had to do community service. That same friend ended up getting into a accident with a drunk driver and then they had to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator. Driving is incredibly dangerous when compared to how fragile human lives are.
Some ways to make driving more safe and secure is making it more difficult to obtain a driver’s license. While it may be an inconvenience for some schools/people it should be a requirement to take a Driver’s Education course before being able to obtain a permit. The age should be eighteen years old, same as being a legal adult. Also having a cell phone while driving is very dangerous as texting and driving is how most accidents occur, while the use of GPS is incredibly useful if there was a way to lock the phone while having the GPS going that would be the best way to do it. The driver should be fully aware of what their doing and should have no distractions around them to ensure their own safety and the people around them. Also, as people get older, they should have to take another Drivers Education course to refresh them about the rules and basics of driving, as well as driver tests to ensure they know the proper way of operating a car safely.
Drivers’ safety is something that is not talked about enough today and shining light on a topic that takes such a high percentage of lives should be one of our biggest conversations. If we want to protect not just ourselves but each other we need to try our hardest to take the best safety precautions, by doing the basics like driving the speed limit, not texting while driving, making sure the vehicle I up to date with inspections and, simply paying attention while driving. Human life is so fragile and we should strive to protect it as best as we can especially when we can control it at our own hands and feet.