Madi
Sierra

The
Road to Safer Driving

Invincible.
Everyone remembers their first time sitting behind a steering wheel.
For most, it is a major step into adulthood. In the excitement of it,
however, many uninformed drivers will stray from responsible to
reckless. Seatbelts are haphazardly unbuckled, turn signals are left
unused, and speed limits are perceived as mere suggestions. Driver
education is an essential reductant of driving-related deaths by
instilling in students a culture of safe driving practices. It goes
beyond relaying the rules of the road to students; it teaches them
how to make good judgments and prepare for the unpredictability of
driving.

Shocked.
No one truly believes that they will get into a car accident, much
less a fatal one, until it happens. To avoid related fatalities,
drivers should first be taught to understand the serious
repercussions of irresponsible driving. In realizing that the lives
of other people can be significantly affected by each decision,
drivers will be more cautious and considerate when sharing the road.
This will put students in a more receptive mindset for learning to be
a responsible driver, and as a result, they will be more prone to
adopt safe driving practices with a clear understanding of the
importance behind them.

Vulnerable.
One year after I started driving, I was hit by another car. It all
happened in a blink of an eye, and suddenly I looked into the middle
of the street and saw my front bumper wobbling before me. What was
more terrifying, however, was the other car, which sat eerily
motionless, as if in a total state of shock. I ran to the driver to
ensure that she was okay, and she sat there, unscathed, with the same
bewildered expression that I wore a second before. We were both
fortunate to have survived that collision with nothing but damages to
our cars, but I finally understood the consequential risks of
driving.

Aware.
The road to safer driving begins with the recognition of its
importance. In order to move beyond focusing on the dangers of
driving, we can use the opportunity to become better, more
conscientious drivers every day. Consider each drive a brand new
experience upon which we can learn and improve. When we begin the
journey of learning to drive, we rely on drivers ed to lay a
sturdy foundation of what it is to be a principled driver, but it is
up to us after that to build upon our knowledge, find our own ways to
become better drivers for the wellbeing of others, and create a safer
community and a brighter future for all.