Perspective of the Wheel

I have a lot to thank the roads for. Last year, I spent six months driving around the western U.S., living out of my truck and camper and finding as many ski resorts as possible. I put over 20,000 miles on my truck without a single accident. Apart from the highways taking me to great memories, they gave me lots of time to observe the road and other drivers. Since I had invested almost all of my money into what became my mobile home, I was conditioned to be cautious and not risk losing all my assets. Along the way, though, I realized that any sort of driving should have the same caution; our lives are our greatest asset, and safe driving should be considered a way to protect that. However, many people don’t have this realization until it’s too late.

For many teens, driver’s education is a hoop to jump through to obtain a license. I remember one friend in my class who goofed off the entire time. He now has been pulled over nearly twenty times, and totaled his car by running into a pole in an empty Walmart parking lot while reaching for a bag of chips. He didn’t take driving seriously, and the consequences were only thousands of dollars– it could have been much worse. Once you do start driving it’s easy for it to become a routine and forget how high-consequence it always is. I can remember more than once seeing a motorcyclist on the side of the road, lying unconscious and without a helmet surrounded by blood. The pit of fear and terror this puts in your stomach causes you to realize how easy it is to end up in a life-threatening situation because of small lacks of judgement or attention.

Nobody should have to learn the risks of driving the hard way. Driver’s education, if taken seriously, clearly outlines the risks and how to manage them. The National Traffic Safety Institute reports that their defensive driver course reduces accidents by 21% and traffic violations by 63%. These are among people who opted to take this course because of already receiving a ticket. If the seriousness of these participants who learned the hard way of the risks and punishments of poor driving were translated to people taking driver’s education the first time the roads would be much safer. According to the CDC, vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death in teenagers, and the number one factor involved? Driver inexperience. This is because while the skills to be a safe driver are easy to acquire with practice, for the mindset of safety to develop without a traumatic driving experience the only alternative is driver education, which makes prospective drivers fully aware of the risks. I recall in my driver’s education class hearing a story of a man texting and driving. The result was an accident that killed two other men. This lesson, if the students pay attention, is enough to discourage texting and driving.

While I was travelling by myself, I learned a lot about safe driving. When I was giddy with excitement heading to a ski resort, I had to check myself and prioritize safety; I don’t get to snowboard if I crash. In addition, coming from Minnesota and driving often in winter, I know that conditions can change in just minutes, and according to icyroads.com, icy roads are accountable for 1,836 deaths annually and 536,731 crashes. To not have control on icy roads because of intoxication, distraction by phone, or any other inattentiveness can quickly become lethal. While good conditions are safer, small acts like always wearing your seatbelt takes little time for much more safety. Putting the risks in perspective also discourages reckless driving, to which teens are prone, and makes speeding less attractive than being late. To maximize the wonderful benefits of driving– and it’s entirely possible to be a safe driver– one needs to constantly remind themselves of the situation– the lives of yourself and others depend on your actions. This doesn’t need to be grim, rather when a chancy situation arises or when road rage starts to cloud judgement, this perspective can be a reality check and common sense can prevail.

Works Cited:

“Icy Road Accident Statistics.” Icy Road Safety.com – Prepare for Weather’s Most Underrated Hazard, https://icyroadsafety.com/fatalitystats.shtml.

“Defensive Driving Efficacy Studies for Fleet Training: NTSI.” National Traffic Safety Institute, 28 Dec. 2021, https://ntsi.com/fleet/efficacy-studies/#studies.

“Defensive Driving Efficacy Studies for Fleet Training: NTSI.” National Traffic Safety Institute, 28 Dec. 2021, https://ntsi.com/fleet/efficacy-studies/#studies.