I Want to Thank my Parents

Driver Education

I had never heard of someone being so awful at learning how to drive that they were “fired” by their driving instructor. This was until my mom told me that my driving was so reckless that my driving instructor had pulled my her aside after a lesson and told her that he thought it was best that someone else taught me how to drive.

After I was “fired” my parents took it upon themselves to be the ones to attempt the dangerous task that was: teaching me how to drive. My lack of safe habits on the road had nothing to do with arrogance or carelessness but instead a paralyzing fear that came over me every time I got behind a wheel. I was convinced that I could never be a good driver and would end up inevitably harming myself or someone else on the road.

I finally got my license two years after I turned sixteen and did not drive alone until I was twenty and going into my senior year of college. I was finally able to conquer my fear of driving because of my dad’s dedication to teaching me all the official rules and nuances of the road and making me practice driving even on the days I begged him not to. The constant review of safety procedures and practice in all types of different settings helped me become the safe and confident driver I am today. Through both instructional courses provided online and the real-world practice, driving education is essential when working to ensure that everyone on the road is competent and confident in their ability to be there.

Reducing Driving Related Deaths

While distracted driving is much more prevalent the largest killer on the road is drunk driving. The best way that we can work to reduce deaths on the road is to reduce the rates of driving under the influence.

In the United States, there are strict penalties for driving under the influence. Yet, according to The National Highway Safety Association an average of 1.5 million people (about the population of West Virginia) are arrested any given year due to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This comes out to be a staggering one out of seven people on the road (DrunkDrivngPrevention, 2024). This leads me to the conclusion that the prevalence of it has nothing to do with the lack of laws and punishments set in place but instead a lack of education and reasources related to driving under the influence. Similary to the importance of education to develop competence on the road it is essential that the United States works to promote educate regarding around the risks of drunk driving and the alternatives to it. If people were aware of the amount of life drunk driving ruins and takes even in a single year, they would be much more likely to hesitate and instead call an Uber.

Driving irresponsibly

Spending the past three years on a college campus has not helped decrease my fear of driving. My school, Kutztown University, is a bit of a party school. While this itself is not a bad thing, it has unfortunately led me to see countless instances of intoxicated students choosing to get behind the wheel. I have come to know too many people who have caused serious harm to themselves and others by driving drunk. These life altering events have left them with both mental and physical harm along with in many cases a criminal record.

Steps Taken

I am currently a senior majoring in social work. In my major, there is constant emphasis on self-reflection in our professional practices. This skill is highly transferable into everyday life and especially the act of driving. Before meeting with a client, we are advised to contemplate what potentially could occur and go wrong in our upcoming interaction. The purpose of this is to plan how to negate the fact that we may be negatively affected by our own shortcomings and other aspects that are completely out of our control.

Every morning when I get in my car to drive to work, I engage in self-reflection by reminding myself that I am taking on the responsibility of not only keeping myself safe but everyone else beside me on the road. This helps me focus on the task at hand and not be distracted by my surroundings. Whenever I feel the need to speed up because I may be late for work or check my phone because I think that my grades for a class may have been updated, I remind myself that even a split second where my eyes are not on the road could be catastrophic. Becoming a better and safer driver for anyone is not an easy task nowadays. The best and easiest measure I encourage others to take is to take a page out of my beloved major’s book and simply stop to reflect about what you are about to do before you step into the driver’s seat. Even just five seconds of thinking the potential to save countless lives.