No Second Chances

“Her life will never be the same again.” my friend Sydney said, as we watched a sad-looking girl walk past us in the student union of our new university. It was the first week of school, with most students bright eyed and smiling walking to their first class. But for Megan, a freshman who had grown up in the city around the university, it was a week of guilt and shame. The week before classes had started, Megan had been texting and driving, and fatally hit a highschool student who was crossing a crosswalk on campus. The university sent an email to all students letting them know of the occurrence on campus, keeping the name of the driver anonymous, but word got out and everybody knew Megan’s identity. Looks of both pity and disgust followed her as she walked through campus, but nothing matched the look of intense sorrow that was plastered on her face, a stark contrast to the buzz and excitement that typically exists on a college campus the first week of class.

While somewhat distant, Megan is the closest connection I have to someone who has been a part of a serious car accident. I remember the shock I felt watching her on campus and realizing she was just like me, I could have been her. While I considered myself a safe driver (just like every other “safe” driver out there), I thought back to at least 3 times I texted a friend back while driving, or changed a song on Spotify. While luck might have kept me from being in Megan’s position, I decided that I had to take it into my own hands to prevent me from ever bearing the guilt of taking away someone’s chance at life.

Driver education is essential in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. Studies show that young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident (Newman, 2015). Education about proper driving techniques is not the only important takeaway of driver education, there must also be the understanding of responsibility that falls upon an individual every time they get behind the wheel of a car. For young drivers, I believe that the understanding of that responsibility will motivate them more than the fear of getting a ticket or getting in trouble with their parents, and must be emphasized from the start.

The concept of defensive driving is one of the most important aspects of driver’s education. Defensive driving not only teaches someone how to be a safe driver so they don’t cause an accident, but also prepares people to be safe even if someone else is driving irresponsibly. For some people, the idea of preventing themselves from getting hurt is more motivating than the idea of protecting someone else, so defensive driving caters to people of all different motivations while behind the wheel.

While researching statistics about car accidents in the United States, I read that teenagers between the ages of 16-19 are three times more likely to get in a car accident than drivers 20 or older (CDC). I think a step that can be taken to prevent accidents in this age group would be to require yearly driver reeducation and testing until the age of 20. An hourly requirement could be used, beginning with 5 hours a year after 16, and decreasing to 2 by the age of 20, with a once-yearly driving test until the age of 20. Providing continual education could play a vital role in maintaining accountability at this vulnerable age for drivers. Topics could focus on driver responsibility, featuring stories like Megan’s to grab the attention of young people and realize that they could be in her position with one wrong decision on the road.

One other step to reduce the number of deaths related to driving could be an employer-sponsored safety bonus program. Employees who have clean driving records at the end of each year could receive a monetary safety bonus as an incentive to be careful on the road. In addition, some employers could use MPH tracking to track speed instead of driving records for the program to further incentivize safe driving. The same idea could be used in highschools or colleges, providing a gift card or small tuition deduction for proof of safe driving practices among their students.

As I mentioned above, I have not always been safety oriented while driving. It took the experience of someone around me to make me aware of the consequences of unsafe driving practices. Steps I have taken to be a safer driver include using the GPS on my car screen instead of my phone so I can always keep my eyes on the road, maintaining a further distance from the cars around me, and not exceeding the speed limit. I have also begun encouraging friends and family to always have their seatbelts on, and to keep a manageable noise level in the car to avoid distracting the driver. Because as Megan learned the hard way, sometimes there are no second chances.

Study: Driver’s ed significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets. Study: Driver’s ed significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets | Nebraska Today | University of Nebraska–Lincoln. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/study-driver-s-ed-significantly-reduces-teen-crashes-tickets/

University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Web Developer Network. (n.d.). Study: Driver’s ed significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets. Study: Driver’s ed significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets | News Releases | University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver%27s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets#:~:text=Young%20drivers%20who%20have%20not,an%20accident%2C%20the%20study%20showed.