It’s A Privilege to Drive

On a cloudy Tuesday morning, I was stopped at a stop sign when a car collided with my car. I was driving my friends and my brother to school, and my day changed in a split second. My car was jerked forward by the jeep behind me, and I turned and looked with fear in my eyes at those who were in the backseat, praying that they were ok. I am thankful no one was hurt. I am thankful that no one was injured. I am thankful that my car still got me to school that day. But what if it could have been worse?

I took my entire Driver’s Education course online during my sophomore year of high school. The requirement to pass the class: take an online test and look at the slideshows posted. The number of students who viewed the slideshows and took the notes as I did is most likely slim to none, but my entire grade still received their license and passed their permit test. Despite the lack of interactive driver education in the state of New Jersey, you need to spend at least 6 hours with a driving instructor before you can be permitted to drive along with a guardian. This guarantees that you have experience behind the wheel before being thrown out onto the road. However, for many states that law is not in place. In the state of Pennsylvania, for example, children can receive their license at the age of 16, without any previous professional driving instruction. This does not help the high number of deaths that result from car accidents each year. Having young drivers on the road with little to no experience can make it incredibly dangerous for others. Even with a parent in the car, without my 6 hours of driving experience with a trained professional, I would have had higher chances of hurting myself or others.

Driver education is vital to reduce the number of deaths while driving because young students need to be prepared for any situation possible. For example, one of the facts I remember from my driving course is to always turn into a skid when a car is skidding in the rain. Without the course, my general knowledge would have led me to believe that I should turn the opposite way. Now, if I am ever faced with this dangerous situation, I know what to do and there is a smaller chance that anyone will get hurt. It is a privilege to be driving on the roads with others, and without the proper knowledge and education, young drivers can be a danger to themselves and other drivers when they are out on the road.

In order to help reduce the number of deaths while driving, states around the nation should require new drivers to take a 6-hour driving course with an instructor. I was nervous to go out on the road for the first time, but being in the car with someone who was actively teaching me what to do in certain situations helped me become more confident. In turn, this helped me think clearer on the road. As for adults, to help reduce the deaths from driving, awareness should be spread on car accidents, to make people realize how dangerous a vehicle can be. I think an effective way to spread awareness about the importance of safely driving is to have mandatory driver education classes once a year for adults because it helps spread awareness on how important safe driving is to protect others. When an adult has been driving for a long period of time, they may start to get lazy and forget how important paying attention in a vehicle is. This leads to eating, talking, and texting while driving, creating a greater chance of a car accident. If adults are reminded of the consequences of lazy driving, and how they can hurt themselves and others, they will be more inclined to drive safer and pay more attention when on the road.

I can become a better and safer driver by constantly giving my full attention to the road. When I was rear-ended, although everyone was safe, I still was reminded about how dangerous driving a vehicle is. A car can kill someone with a simple mistake, and I never want to be responsible for someone’s life due to my irresponsibility. When I drive, I make sure to constantly keep both hands on the wheel and travel the speed limit. I am always careful to stop fully at stop signs and look both ways, and I take my time when parking. I make sure to take all of these precautions because I never want to put others at risk and because I have received the privilege to drive.

34,000 people die per year due to reckless driving, and I will do everything in my power to prevent adding to that number. I hope that future efforts will cause our society to do the same.