The Responsibility of Drivers

All of us go thorough drivers’ education before we begin driving, but the amount of information we retain varies. Also, teenagers tend to disregard the time they spend in drivers ed because it seems like common sense. But the truth is drivers ed is an essential component to learning to drive. In drivers ed classes students are forced to look at the harsh statistics that go along with driving. In 2017, 40,327 people were killed in the U.S. motor vehicle collisions. Teenagers need to realize that some of these collisions can be avoided. Distracted driving accounts for a majority of crashes. These distraction, like cell phones, the radio, or other passengers, can be prevented. In drivers ed, students are taught about how these distractions should be handled and all together avoided. These lessons are pivotal in teaching students how to reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving.

The steps taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are easy to complete. The most common distraction that results in death is cell phone use. This is also one of the easiest things to avoid. Putting your phone in the center consul or the glove compartment and using hands free options in your car can help avoid collisions due to the distraction of being on your phone. It is easy to pull out your phone at a red light or a stop sign, but people overestimate their ability of multitasking and attempt to use their cell phone driving 85 mph down the highway. These are a conscious and dangerous decisions being made by drivers on a daily basis. Another distraction that often affects drivers are other passengers in the car. When you first receive your license, you are restricted to having one other person under the age of 21. This avoids distractions for the first year, but as soon as that first year is over, teens cram as many people into their cars as possible. These people can be loud and do not realize that their actions are distracting to the driver. One of the only ways to avoid this distraction is to make sure the people you have in your car are responsible and do not take your attention away from the road. The steps to take to avoid deaths related to driving are easy ones to make. These steps need to be conscious decisions made by drivers before they enter the vehicle to ensure his or her driving is as safe as it can possibly be.

I myself have never been in a car accident, but a number of people in my life have. One thing they all have in common is the chronic residual effects of the accident. They suffer from back and neck pain and some even avoid driving a car because the experience was so traumatic. Some of the accidents were truly accidents, but others could have been avoided. Teenagers as a whole may be considered unsafe drivers, but parents are also guilty of diving in an unsafe manor. My parents are very experienced drivers, but they too practice unsafe driving habits at times. The most common offense is talking on the phone while driving. While this is not technically illegal, it is not ideal when attempting to drive safely. Parents and teenagers are also guilty of driving with their knees or other improper ways of steering. These actions are made to allow both hands to be free to do other tasks in the car like talking on the phone and changing the radio at the same time. This is an irresponsible decision being made while driving that can catastrophic consequences if something were to go wrong.

To become a safer driver, you must realize that the things you may be doing could be harmful. Being cognizant of the decisions you’re making will help you understand that some things, like texting, can wait until the car is in park. Teenagers also need to take more responsibility for passengers in their car. We cannot be afraid to speak up and tell people that they are distracting us from driving. If a crash were to occur, the driver is responsible for the massive ticket that comes along with, not the passengers who were singing at the top of their lungs and distracting the driver. Drivers need to be aware of their surrounds and focus their entire attention on the task at hand- safely driving the car. To ensure others will be safe on the road, you have to hold them accountable for their actions. If you are a passenger in the car, call the driver out on their poor decisions, like texting or multitasking, while driving. Make sure they are aware that these actions can lead to a crash that may or may not end someone’s life. The responsibility of driving safely is largely on the driver, but passengers can be sure that they take all the steps they can to ensure a safe arrival to their destination.