Behind the Wheel

*SCREEEEEECH*

The abrasive sound of metal scrapping against metal filled my ears as I tried to veer to the furthest right part of the lane. I felt the impact of the other car and my heart skipped a beat as I pulled over on the side of the road.

I had gotten into an accident. My first accident after having my license for almost two years and the place it happened was somewhere I was familiar with. Out of all the scary LA and Orange County driving I had experienced, the accident occurred at a small intersection in a suburban shopping area. Moments before it occurred, I was driving my friends back to school after we had gotten boba at a new place that had just opened by our school. As I drove down a relatively empty side street, I noticed an orange honda element turn left from the Costco parking lot onto the lane left of me. I continued to head towards the intersection light, in the right turn-only lane until before I knew it, the orange Honda element had crossed a solid white line without signaling and hit my aqua blue Prius right at my driver’s side door. The accident happened so fast that I didn’t have time to react since the second I noticed the wheels creep over the line, it was already too late.

“There are over 2 million car accidents a year in the US” (CDC). Just because licensed drivers possess a driver’s license does not mean that all licensed drivers are following the rules and precautions they learned during the required driver’s education course. Bringing awareness to the number of accidents and personal accounts of stories can be a wake-up call to those who are reckless drivers. Though driver’s education is crucial for the well-being of our society, it can only truly make a positive impact if we chose to value and follow what we have learned as a collective.

According to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s report, “106,727 fatal crashes – 55.7 percent of the total – during a four-year period involved drivers who committed at one or more aggressive driving actions”. My environmental science teacher would often repeat the phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of intervention.” While it strongly emphasizes the reason for land preservation, reduced consumption, and reduced pollution it can also connect to topics such as reducing the spread of diseases such as the COVID-19 virus and relates to driver and pedestrian safety. In this circumstance, it means driving defensively, being aware of one’s surroundings, and properly following the rules of the road whether there is traffic or not to prevent a potentially fatal or life-threatening accident. Even preventing a minor accident will intervene an inconvenience for all parties involved.

Even when I’m not driving, I encounter irresponsible driving. When I go on my afternoon runs, cars veer into the bike lane a bit too close for comfort when the sidewalk gets narrow. I’ve had coaches, friends, and fellow runners tell me stories of how they were -or almost- hit by a car where the driver was not paying attention either turning out of parking lots onto a main road or even at an intersection with crosswalks and crossing signals. Educating drivers on the rules of the road is important. However, educating drivers on why they should always follow what they have been taught is an undertaking everyone can be a part of to set a standard for new and experienced drivers in all demographics. Though it might sound repetitive, safe driving is more than just keeping yourself safe, it’s about keeping other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bikers safe as well. The last thought I want to worry about when I decide to go on a run is being a victim in a car accident.

Another issue that requires a collective effort to be resolved is impatient drivers. Being impatient will not resolve any issues on the road, usually, it creates more of them. I have experienced many impatient drivers, especially when I first started driving. “56% of fatal crashes involved road rage”. Tailgating and road rage create a danger to both drivers and an immense amount of stress. Fear of road rage has made me rarely use my horn -even when it is necessary- since I fear that someone will take offense to it and try to cause more issues. Therefore, educating others on the importance of being patient drivers and knowing how to properly respond to road rage can reduce dangers on the road and decrease the risk of accidents.

The minor, yet frightening accident I experienced taught me to constantly scan my surroundings but it also reinforced the idea of not being a complacent or lazy driver. Had the other driver used their right turn signal and not crossed a solid white line, the accident most likely would not have happened. As members of society, it is up to each individual to ensure the safety of each other based on how well we implement driver’s education into our daily driving. No one likes a backseat driver, but keeping your friends, family, and your own driving in check is important to being a better, safe driver and keeping your loved ones safe behind the wheel.