In the Driver’s Seat

Being a twin I have gotten to experience the excitement and sheer terror on my parent’s faces twice as both my sister and I have learned to drive, with white knuckles clenched and feet firmly placed on our Corolla’s floor mats they thought they had so much control. My sister and I have two very different stories…

I learned to drive during the pandemic. My big trip after getting my license was to Starbucks to run through the drive through. Very few people were on the road, there weren’t many places to go, which allowed me to ease into driving on my own. My sister decided driving at sixteen wasn’t for her and she is now in the process of finishing up her driving lessons and is setting the big date of her driving test.

The process has been much harder for my sister as she is usually with me and not practicing as often. She also struggles with anxiety which can hamper your decisions when driving and be catastrophic. She is overly cautious, which can actually be more dangerous. All these factors along with having to learn when the world is in full swing again has made it a much more brutal and difficult experience for her. She is actually taking an extra driver’s training lesson, because both her and my parents agree on the importance of it for her to be better prepared to drive on her own.

Driving education is crucial for everyone who has aspirations of driving, no matter what age. Without the proper driver’s education inexperienced drivers will be more likely to be involved in an accident. “A study in 2018 from the Oregon DMV found 91 percent (9 out of 10) teen driver crashes were teen drivers who hadn’t taken driver’s education classes in order to receive their license” (Live View GPS). However, I think driver’s education needs to have more hands-on experience, with more hours. I also think that it would be wonderful for there to be certain programs that catered to those with special needs, such as high anxiety that can make driving so much more difficult and dangerous for everyone on the road.

I have been lucky enough to not have been involved in any accidents, but know both my parents and my grandpa had many accidents as young, inexperienced drivers. Since they are so open about their experiences I have worked really hard to be extra careful on the road. We have had many conversations about the big responsibility I have while driving on the road. These conversations need to be a mandatory part of driver’s education. Anyone learning to drive, at any age needs to be taught about the importance of being a defensive driver and the magnitude of the responsibility one holds behind the wheel.

This winter California had horrible rains, leading to extreme conditions many drivers weren’t used to. While heading four and a half hours south to take my campus tour with my parents we saw three accidents right in front of our eyes. Irresponsible drivers who were speeding hydro planned across the entire freeway, one hitting the center divider and stopping facing oncoming traffic. By the time we got home I was crying, shaking and so traumatized. I will never take for granted how I need to drive during extreme conditions and how other drivers don’t take into consideration those around them. I need to always remember I can only control what I do, but be very aware how other’s actions around me can affect me and put my life in danger.

I have made certain choices to help me be a more successful driver on the road. I never look at my phone while driving. I always put it on the Do Not Disturb mode while I’m driving. I do not play with the radio while driving because I take the responsibility very seriously and know what a big privilege it is for me to be driving and how big of an impact my driving can have on many lives if I’m not careful. I do NOT speed and plan to leave in plenty of time when going places so that I can do so safely. I have made all these driving decisions consciously to be safer.

I believe that there are many changes that can be made and implemented to help better prepare new drivers for success on the road. I think that with these changes many lives could be saved and families wouldn’t have to feel the pain and grief of losing a loved one too early.