My Mistake

Many
teenagers look forward to getting their license, and I was no
exception. I loved the freedom driving gave me, but barely a year
after I started driving, I was the cause of a wreck that made me
realize driving comes with tremendous responsibility.

I
was heading somewhere unfamiliar and I was in a hurry. Instead of
taking the time to figure out where I was going, I just typed the
address into my phone and left. I made sure to lay my phone face down
and only use the sound because I had been taught never to use my
phone while driving. I mistakenly believed that using a phone was the
only way to get distracted.

Once
on the road, I started second-guessing the directions. I decided to
read the road signs to determine where I was. I was halfway into the
intersection when I realized that while I was reading the road sign,
I had run a stop sign. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a minivan
coming towards me. I slammed on the brakes in a desperate attempt to
avoid a collision, but I knew I had reacted too late. Our vehicles
collided. I spun into a field and the minivan slid across the road
into the ditch. Both vehicles were totaled, but thankfully both the
other driver and I walked away without a scratch.

That
day I learned that every single decision I make when behind the wheel
has a tremendous impact on everyone, on the road or off. For months
afterward, I lived with the guilt of causing an accident. After
talking to numerous family members, I learned I cannot go back and
erase the mistakes I made, but I can do my best to make sure everyone
understands the dangers of driving. Writing about my experience has
been a way for me to share my story and speak out on the importance
of teaching teens to drive safely.

Driver’s
education is the main way students learn about driving. In some
cases, it is the sole way kids learn about driving; no one can
control exactly how, when and even if parents will teach their kids
to drive. Therefore, drivers’ education has to be the best education
available. Sadly, many teens I know (including myself) remember
having to force themselves to pay attention and try to be engaged at
drivers ed. Drivers ed has good intent, but the style of
teaching may be outdated.

The
biggest way to improve Drivers ed is to learn how to connect
with students. Through different organizations in my high school, I
have taught lessons to kids ranging from kindergarten to freshman in
high school. No matter what the grade or what is being taught, if the
teacher does not engage the students, they will forget everything
that was said. If drivers ed teachers make an effort to
interact with students more, it will make a big impact. Teachers who
ask the teen about their personal driving experience, share their
thoughts, and show they care about each student making safe driving
decisions, will set a standard for the teens to drive safely. Setting
expectations for each student individually will prove that the
choices they make on the road matter.

Another
thing teachers can do is offer hands-on learning. Instead of simply
teaching the rules, having students watch videos and assigning
bookwork, they could physically show teens what they are talking
about. There are countless ways to make drivers ed hands-on,
even if the students cannot actually drive at the class. While not
every school has the resources to let each kid practice the
techniques they teach, they could assign it as homework. This would
hold kids accountable for their driving skills, and make them choose
to learn the content and drive safely.

I
always thought it was cliche to warn teens about how easily they
could cause an accident, until the day I was in my wreck. I tried to
remain focused on the road and thought I checked all the boxes, until
the one second I forgot to pay attention. Every teen needs to realize
how easily this could happen. Finding ways to connect with students
at drivers ed has the power to show them how important it is
to drive safely, and creating an interactive class style can show
them how to do this. We all need to realize that driving safely is
everyone’s responsibility, every second, every choice. One mistake
could be the difference between a child getting home safe, or being
killed on the road.