Knowledge is Power

“Look both ways before crossing the road.”

It was a rule that was ingrained into my brain since I was in Kindergarden, after years of careful lecturing from my parents. I understood even then that it was my duty: to follow the rules of the road laid out for pedestrians, to do my part in keeping myself and my city safe. By following the rules of the road, I prevented myself from getting into unwanted bike or car collisions, an accident that would cause harm both for me and innocent civilians. And in turn, drivers would also respect the rules of the road, using turn signals and lane switches to convey their intentions.

Or at least I believed that was how the world worked until February 4th, 2016. That was the day cold snow seeped through my jacket as I lay flat on my back in the middle of the road. I remember seeing the flat gray sky above me, still confused by how somehow I had landed on the ground. Five seconds ago, I was crossing the street, obediently looking left and then right before venturing into the road. I was following the rules.

But someone else wasn’t. The driver behind the wheel of a snow stained black SUV wasn’t following the rules of the road, the social contract agreed upon for people sharing the road. They ran past a red light, hitting me in the process. Thankfully, I was not hurt from the incident, in fact, the only physical reminder I have of the incident is a fading scar on my elbow.

But there were other kinds of scars that lingered. I avoided River Street, the street near my school for the next 4 years, choosing to make the long zig-zag detour on Madison Avenue every day instead. When I finally turned old enough to begin driver’s education, I couldn’t bear pressing the gas pedal too hard, in fear of the damage I knew that single pedal could hold.

I expected driver’s education to bring up painful memories of the car accident I was in. But instead, every day I learned something new about driving. I learned about how the lane system worked, and the fear in the back of my mind surrounding the tangled messes of 4-way intersections slowly dissipated.

There’s an old adage that says, “Knowledge is power,” and there is no better example of this than driver’s education. While I walked into driver’s education with fears from my childhood regarding driving, I left every driver’s education class more confident in the rules of driving. I learned how I could keep myself safe in a car and how I could keep others safe too. Driver’s education gave me the tools to become responsible as a driver by teaching me the rules that I needed to follow to ensure what happened to me would not happen to anyone else.

To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, we must emphasize the importance of driving knowledge as a power everyday people can wield to keep others safe. It was not the fear of car accidents, nor fear of scoldings from my parents that made me a better and safer driver. Instead, it was the knowledge gained from driver’s education and the reassurance that safe driving was not only a possibility, but a duty I had to myself and others.

To prevent car accidents in the future, it’s important that all drivers understand the ramifications of being behind the wheel. It’s important that we promote the education aspect of driving with more intensive driver’s education, informing friends and family if they have dangerous driving habits, and distributing more educational materials in the forms of PSA’s, posters, and advertisements for new and experienced drivers alike. The knowledge and stories that others have gained from either being in car accidents or losing loved ones in accidents can be powerful tools for others to prevent themselves from being in car accidents in the future.

For many, driving symbolizes freedom. For many, there’s no better feeling than cruising down the highway, one’s favorite album playing on the radio, and wind blowing through one’s hair. But drivers should also be knowledgeable about the consequences that accompany driving: the dangers of looking away from the road for even one second, the importance of wearing a seat belt while jamming along to music, and making sure to keep limbs inside vehicles at all times. Just as the concept of looking both ways before crossing the street was ingrained into my brain as a child, adult drivers should similarly be aware of what can happen once they are behind the wheel.

It is possible to enjoy driving while being responsible, and we should be giving people the knowledge, and thereby the power to make the roads a safer place for everyone.