Serving the Community

In the present day’s age of social media, bone-chilling images and videos of cars wrapped around telephone poles, through walls into homes, and victims of careless drivers are everywhere. The media surrounding automobile accidents does not do justice to the thousands who have lost their lives to automobiles. Accident or not those mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends will never see the ones they love most again. The privilege of driving has both positive and negative effects on society, on one hand, people can easily travel to see those they love and on the other thousands of people die in automobile accidents a year. Thankfully, much has been done to reduce automobile fatalities but the future demands for more action to be taken to save lives on both federal and personal levels.

The most prominent and most effective step taken to protect lives from automobiles is driver education. Driver education programs not only educate students on how to follow the laws of the road but also how to be safe drivers. The enforcement and requirement of learning the rules of the road not only fulfill the requirements to obtain a driver’s license but teach the consequences of not following these laws. The awareness given both by knowing the rules of driving and the consequences of choosing not to follow them make the roads safer for everyone. Natural consequences such as death or injury as well as the legal consequences of fines and jail time reinforce the expectation to always be a safe driver. Driver education also teaches students how to safely execute driving maneuvers, like lane changes and the physical hand and arm signals. Both are essential when driving to keep not only the driver but other people safe as well. Overall, driver education gives prospective drivers the tools to be more knowledgeable behind the wheel allowing for a considerable reduction in automobile deaths and injuries.

Though driver education has proven to be an incredible tool to reduce automobile fatalities it has proven not enough and more must be done to inflict change. Enforcement can be improved on state, county, and local levels to hold drivers more accountable for their actions. Most people will drive more carefully and lawfully if they know they are being watched. Cameras that capture cars driving through red lights and stop signs should be more widespread to ensure everyone is following the law no matter what time of day. Being held accountable causes drivers to think twice before breaking the law. Other forms of driver accountability should be increased as well such as speed checkpoints and intoxication tests. Although not all drivers will be caught and face the consequences of their actions the enforcement alone sets a precedent that the area expects safe and lawful driving. Drivers could also take personal responsibility for their driving after seeing and hearing about the expectations in their area.

Even though many of my friends and I have been driving for less than a year I have seen and experienced my fair share of reckless and dangerous driving. I have only been in one car accident years ago, but the experience has always stuck with me. A large semi-truck didn’t see my family’s car when switching lanes and ripped straight through the side of the car. The screeching of the metal and pure force from the huge truck struck deep in my body. I was in complete disbelief. To this day the whole experience feels like a fever dream despite the reality that it wasn’t. Since then, reckless driving has always felt unreal to me, most times I cannot believe what I see. My friends drive ten to twenty miles over the speed limit, cars quickly weave in and out of traffic, and cars braking at the last second before hitting someone always make my heart stop. The pure shock people drive like that everywhere they go has been an incomprehensible concept for me. I am no perfect driver, I have made my fair share of mistakes but still, I never have purposefully driven recklessly. Although I am a conscious driver, there is still much more I can do to keep myself and others safe. Choosing at what times I drive would be a smart change I could make. I often find myself exhausted after practice and driving home at the same time despite my decreased alertness. Choosing to wait and regain my strength for a few minutes before pulling out of the parking lot would better keep me and everyone else on the road safe. Driving laws are also changing as time goes on and staying up to date and informed on those could also better my driving knowledge. By staying informed on the rules and regulations of the road I become a safer driver not only for me but for my community as well. The continuation of my driving education will positively impact myself and everyone I share the road with. Although making these changes may seem small to me and the drivers around me, they are huge in making sure everyone makes it home unharmed.

No one ever thinks they are going to be the next victim of an automobile accident, but the reality is it could happen to anyone. Dangerous drivers occupy space in every community around the country and world. Driver education has created more intelligent drivers and the future is bright for the roads and people of the world. But I know taking responsibility for my own driving and the driving of those closest to me is an essential task. Serving the community that has raised me through safe driving is a manageable and honorable task that I take on proudly.