The Road: A Dangerous Warzone

By: Montelayja Diaz Driving is a tricky but advantageous skill to have. Many individuals seem to take that for granted. Driving irresponsibly not only is unacceptable, but dangerous to say the least. Coming from a 17-year-old student driver I can agree without proper driving education the outcome can be fatal which is demonstrated through the statistics of car accidents being one of the highest American deaths in the country. The ironic comparison of the Iraq and Afghanistan war death rates and car accident death rates is shockingly frightening that the latter would overpower. It makes you think of driving as a war zone. Just like in war zones you need to be well equipped and knowledgeable in order to survive. Drivers ed bestows you the best and safest information in order to be safe and survive on the road. Steps to be taken in preparation for being safe on the road of war and decreasing deaths on the road are to implement a 6-month learning period for anyone who has not taken the driver’s test. No matter the age they should take a class for at least 6 months to analyze the individual’s capacity of obtaining beneficial knowledge. Having routine checkups for permit/license holders under the age of 21 should be implemented. It’s like a yearly checkup just as they do in wars to make sure you are stable and safe. I am in the car for at least one hour to two hours daily. Of course, I have experience near car accidents and most definitely have witnessed irresponsible drivers. When analyzing those responsibilities, I have noticed a common mistake in many of those individuals and that is of distraction and impatience. When in war you must remain studious on the battlefield in order to survive. Just as on the battlefield on, on the road you must be attentive and think of the bigger picture. You must never have tunnel vision because that aftermath could result in death or serious injury. Being patient is such a rare trait in humans today. My own experience of driving has been filled with impatient drivers and that can cause the high death rates on the road. In combat you must have patience because missions can take an excruciatingly long time to truly occur and just as in war zone in order to survive on the word and be safe you must be patient. In order to make the road a safe zone you must take the initiative to make it safe. Ways you can do that is by destroying any distractions. Eliminating impatient tendencies. Spreading driving education awareness. Also starting future drivers off early by implementing worldwide drivers’ education in all high schools for free so everyone has access. By eradicating the excuse of not having access to appropriate and additional techniques to being safe on the road we are allowing less dangerous and war-like roads. Personally, I could help my fellow peers by spreading the word of driving awareness.