Drive Smart. Drive Safe.

There is no better feeling than getting in your car, blasting your favorite song and driving to the ends of the earth looking for your next adventure. Having that freedom is truly a gift and one that is earned rightfully so by finishing the drivers education program and passing your road test. Driver education is extremely important in making sure that everyone understands the rules of the road. I should know firsthand because I unfortunately tried to get my drivers license during COVID and all of the driving education programs were shut down. Then I turned 18 and all of the programs were filled up with the people that were not able to finish them during COVID. So my father took it upon himself to teach me how to drive and while I did learn how to drive a car, I did not learn proper road safety and it took me a while to get my license. This is why I think that proper diving education is completely necessary to create safer roads and drop the number of deaths as a result of driving. Anyone can learn to turn on a car, push the pedals, and turn the wheel but this is not proper driving. Proper driving includes knowing all the rules of the road and being able to safely get where you need to go. After all, you have to get to your adventure safe and sound or else you won’t have an adventure to go on.

Living in Hawaii, I always thought that my life would be very serene and calm. After all, I am lucky to live in paradise. Calm is not a word that I would use to describe our roads however and it saddens me that I have to refer to them as chaotic and stressful instead. In fact, the Hawaii Department of Transportation reports that last year, 2022, was one of the deadliest years to be on the road in Hawaii as a surge of traffic related deaths and incidents occurred, topping the number of incidents three years prior. My paradise has been harmed by reckless driving and I believe that proper and thorough education, as well as continued vocalization on these accidents is key to stopping traffic related deaths and incidents. I think that a good reason why there are so many deaths due to driving is because of inexperience. The road test that all drivers must take to get their license is a relatively standard and straightforward test which groups together a general list of situations that the testee must know how to handle on the road to be a licensed driver. I believe that if we take this general list of points to be passed and expand it to include different scenarios as well as different driving environments, then we will have more experienced and well rounded drivers that will approach the road with a sense of safety and confidence. I think that offering and emphasizing classes to teach new and old drivers to drive on snowy roads, heavy rain,etc, and also allow them to deal with scenarios that could potentially happen on the road is a great way to ensure that we have drivers with their safety as well as the safety of others in mind. These scenarios could be recreated through simulations, students could “play” a driving game, like the ones they have at arcades, that put them through different situations and then assess their performance. The road test can remain the same, but new drivers can also be tested on these simulators and given random scenarios that they have to learn to handle and pass to be able to get their full license. I think that by including these different driving environments and problems that occur while driving into driving education, we can create drivers that are more confident on the roads because they know that they are mentally prepared and are taking this incredible yet heavy responsibility seriously.

2017 was an important year in my life. The one thing that I thought would never happen to me or my family did and it was a very intense experience. We had all gone out to a wonderful restaurant in Honolulu and were peacefully making our way back home. My father was driving, my mother in the passenger seat and my siblings in and I in the back with my little brother strapped tightly to his car seat. We were but 15 minutes from home, coming down this long stretch of road just before reaching the windy road that led down the mountain and into our town. I was actually falling asleep and before I closed my eyes I noticed this white car that was coming towards us. At first everything was fine and then as the car was coming closer I noticed that it was going very fast and the driver was swerving in and out of the lanes. All of a sudden, the car is right in front of us, coming in fast and hard. We were in my dads car which was thankfully a big truck, a Toyota Tundra to be exact. As the car is coming in to hit us from the side, my dad swerves out of the road and turns the car so that the white car hits the back of the truck instead of hitting the backseat where me and my siblings were. My fathers quick reactions saved my family from being squashed and we all left without a scratch, even the driver who hit us. This is why I believe proper driving education is essential in reducing road accidents. My father knew how to react that way because he used to race go-karts so he understood very well how to handle the vehicle to ensure that the least amount of damage would occur. Not everyone is a go-kart driver though and these reflexes are not born out of nothing which is why I believe that in-depth driving education is absolutely key in ensuring that drivers are equipped with the necessary tools to drive safely from place to place.

To become a better driver myself, I shall take my own advice. I unfortunately do not own a fancy simulator but, I can do more research on my own to understand the rules of the road and how to properly go about enforcing them. I always ask my dad for driving lessons and tips and practice them. I also always take the time to create good habits while driving and I force myself to go through with them so that as I continue to drive these good habits become second nature. Another thing that has helped me immensely has been to simply breathe while I am driving to ensure that I am relaxed and focused so that all of the decisions I make while driving are safe and precise. As my sister is getting close to being able to have her own license, I take my time to teach her all I have learned so that she too will be an excellent driver.