Overcoming Generational Drivers Anxiety

During my senior year of high school, I finally got my driver’s license. Previously before then, I spent quite some time studying the DMV pamphlet and used the money I was making to go ahead and put myself through driving school. Unfortunately, with the delays of covid, I couldn’t get into the school until senior year. With everything being hectic with the pandemic, getting closer to 18, and the thought of freedom and school, I was becoming increasingly paranoid. Driver anxiety is very prevalent in my family. For one, my mother got into a terrible car accident before I was born on the highway as she was merging into the fast lane. Although the state of Louisiana said she passed her driver’s test and had her license, she was still relatively inexperienced. My father was teaching her, and one day, she collided with a car while she was merging. She ended up spinning around and running into the edge of the bridge. It was a traumatic experience for her; she has never driven a car since. This story haunted me as I began guessing myself. I had never had much driving experience in my life, and even if I got my license, would I really be prepared to drive on the road? My perception of driving school was that I would be presented with a similar classroom-like structure in which I would study and have to take frequent quizzes until the final exam. Of course, I would have hands-on practice time behind the wheel, I figured. But I had no idea that these courses cared to specialize in preparing us for how to avoid accidents to the best of our ability and what to do when we get into them. For one, in the course I was assigned, I had a husband and Wife who taught the class in rotation. They both had different approaches that worked well when it came down to expressing just how important cognitive awareness and driver safety are to you and everyone else on the road. For one, the husbands approach was much more serious; he focused on showing us accidents videos, police pullovers, speeding, and overall went over content that had to do with negligence as a driver. While he did this, his wife, on the other hand, went over laws, rules of the road, signs, and more questions on the DMV test and overall things you need to know on the road. I say all of this because it just shows how grateful and lucky I am to have had the proper education on the rules of the road. They are who I can attest to when it comes to why I feel too comfortable and confident on the road. They are why I take into high regard the safety of not only myself but others on the road. Nowadays, we have such short attention spans that even doing the simplest of tasks requires engagement. These tech devices engage the temptation in all of us to make poor decisions. We must be constantly entertained, connected, and informed at the risk of our safety and others. When people text and drive, they feel so comfortable in their driving skills that what they’re doing is “good enough.” Maybe for them in the moment but not in the long run. The people who do it are willfully saying they are above the law. Please don’t risk the lives of yourselves and others for the gratification of a text, quick YouTube video, article, or call because they think they know better. Everyone gets one chance at life, and it is incredibly precious; we shouldn’t take away that potential for anything. Being a safe driver means following the rules of the road, including obeying traffic signals and lights, not driving distracted, obeying the speed laws, wearing a seatbelt, etc. We must constantly ensure we are improving our skills no matter what. We can lose our skills and make poor choices equally at both a young age and an old age. Practice with a friend in a parking lot one day, practice turning, parking, parallel parking, and stopping. Be a good defensive driver. As someone on the road, it is our responsibility to ensure the vehicle is in good condition. Making sure your car is mechanically sound and all your lights work is also part of being a good driver. Intoxicated driving is something becoming more and more prevalent as times go on. The biggest thing to remember when driving is awareness. This is easier to follow as a new driver because you’re anxious and don’t want to make any mistakes. But as times go on, we find ourselves becoming comfortable. Never have too much faith in others on the road, either. Those who drive drunk or under the influence of substances have a dangerous mentality. All it takes is for someone to think, “it’ll never happen to me. I wear my seatbelt all of the time; once won’t hurt. I can think clearly enough to drive myself home.” To the people who think like this, you need a wake-up call. Driving is the day you are most likely to die and kill someone. Take it seriously. Losing people you hold close to you in your life is harrowing, being the cause of it too. We all have people in our lives we hold dear to our hearts. We have memories of them and bonds. Driving has been a technological advantage, allowing us to travel and meet these loved ones. We should never get to a point where we take our lives, loved ones, or someone else’s. Due to this, we have to collectively bring awareness to bad driving to help keep everyone safe.