A Little Extra Practice Goes a Long Way

Before I got my
driver’s license, I had an almost overwhelming anxiety around
driving. I knew how dangerous it was, and the thought of putting the
lives of myself, my passengers, and everyone I drove past in the
inexperienced hands of a 16-year-old girl seemed like a truly
terrible idea. To combat this fear, I put off getting my license
until I was seventeen. This meant that I had my permit for two full
years, which means that I got to have a lot of practice time, and
time watching other experienced drivers. Eventually, after working
through my fears, and developing some confidence, I learned to almost
enjoy driving. I also learned which things from my pre-driving
anxiety led me to be a safer driver.

Ironically, the
first of these was my anxiety in and of itself. I’ve seen many of
my friends excited and confident to drive, despite only a year of
practice. I’ve seen them take risky moves while driving as a result
of that overconfidence. Due to my fear towards driving, I tend not to
make those same types of moves. I think that, so long as it is not
overwhelming, a sense of fear while you drive can help you to keep in
perspective the power that you have while you are maneuvering a
2,000-pound hunk of metal and glass. Minor fear can edge you towards
safety.

In addition to this
fear, however, my time observing was another crucial step to my
safety as a driver. I watched how my parents drove, and picked up
some of their good habits. I watched how some of my friends drove,
and consciously avoided those habits. As a result, I developed habits
that, overall, added to my safety as a driver. I think that the same
can be said for my sister. She currently has her permit, and she
actively pays attention when she rides with my parents or me. This,
in addition to frequent practice, has led her to be a pretty safe
driver.

To me, practice is
the most important step for creating safe drivers, and I know because
I had more practice than most. Practice builds confidence, and
although confidence seems at odds with fear, the two often work well
together, with confidence helping to make the fear manageable.
Confidence, which stems from practice, gives me the ability to make
left turns, and merge onto the freeway – but the underlying fear
keeps me from cutting anyone off. Some of the safest drivers I know
are the ones who have had the practice they need to build the
confidence to consistently make good choices on the road.

So what can be done
to make people safer drivers? More practice, accomplished by more
time between the permit and the license. While it seems unbearable to
some, I think waiting to get my license, and being able to have more
practice time with adult supervision, has led me to be a safer driver
overall.