The Wheel Comes With Responsibility

A 16th birthday marks the moment where a child gains the chance to get behind the wheel and take on the world. While driving can become a chance for freedom and fun, it is very serious to know how and what to do to prevent any tragedy. Mothers and fathers alike teach their children how to drive the best way they know, but many times the knowledge of a parent is not where it should end.
It is our job as peers and mentors to take steps of our own to gain and spread drivers ed to keep our loved ones and others as safe as possible on the road. The number of deaths that have resulted from driving should and can decreased if we create a system in which we are not only taught to maneuver and drive a car, but how to do this safely and in the best manner possible.

The primary step which could be set into place among the United States is to create stricter regulations and requirements for earning a driver’s license. Defensive driving skills should somehow be required to have and display during the road test. Because a driver cannot control everything that happens around them, it is vital they learn what to do when dangerous situations occur. Drivers ed should also be required and pushed more in schools so that students do not have to reach out to outside sources to gain this necessary information. These lessons would most likely reduce injury rates and make roads overall safer.

I experienced being in a crash my sophomore year of high school, and though it was not major it made me rethink a lot of things. While on the way to cross country practice my friends and I were rear ended abruptly by another young adult. I felt the hard hit and sprung forward but was lucky enough to be perfectly fine physically. When we exited the car, we then realized the other driver had been on her phone and not paying attention which led to the accident. Though not all accidents can be prevented, I realized that day how life could be taken away in a split second when not everyone is educated on how to safely drive and how what they choose to do can greatly impact others. Though the incident turned out fine for me, that’s not the case for so many other people.

The importance of drivers ed isn’t only to keep yourself safe, but also everyone around you because when driving a vehicle there comes a responsibility to think abut others as well. Simply going the speed limit, looking both ways, or not replying to that Snapchat at that exact moment can save your life and others. We can half the amount of deaths due to driving by simply sharing what we learn and staying aware of our surroundings. Don’t let avoidable mistakes prevent you or others from getting to your desired destination.

https://www.dmvedu.org/drivers-education/driver-education-2019/driver-education-initiative-in-the-drivers-seat-2/?filter=mostShared