I Don’t Want to Be a Statistic

I Don’t Want to Be a Statistic

By Greysen Schlax

I spent an entire six-hour drive back home from Oceanside, California studying the Driver’s Handbook. I was desperate to pass my written exam so I could get my permit to drive. Fast forward a year later and I practiced smooth turns, proper signaling, gentle brakes, and the feared three-point turn to pass the test for my license. In all of the time I practiced and studied, I never once heard about the real dangers of driving. I don’t mean the warnings to be careful coming from a family member, I mean the real statistics of the amount of people that die from motor vehicle accidents. Even more scarce was the knowledge that it wasn’t just your own capabilities you had to worry about, but everyone else’s too.

I learned these things the hard way. The only accident I’ve been in was a minor “fender bender” with little to no damage to my car. My family has experienced far more dangerous and frequent accidents than I have. My sister, for example, has been in four severe accidents since she received her license a year and a half ago. My dad, my mom, my aunt, just name a family member and mine has probably been in an accident. None of the accidents in my family are our fault though. All of the accidents were caused by other drivers on the road. It never really occurred to me how dangerous it was for me on the road because of other drivers and not because of my own driving capabilities. This is what is missed when reading the driver’s handbook or taking the driver’s test, the dangers of other drivers.

While learning the fundamentals of driving and rules of the road are essential to successful and safe driving, there are key things missing from a drivers ed. There are so many variables to watch out for on the road: other drivers, pedestrians, bikers, and buses to name a few. It’s even important to pay attention to the time of day you are driving. There are high traffic areas during certain hours of the day and when the bars and clubs start to close there are more intoxicated drivers on the road. All of these being key things to know when driving.

Driving can be very exciting and fun, especially for the new driver but it’s not a game. It’s a serious responsibility that needs to be recognized by both the youth and experienced drivers for how dangerous it really is. The best way for me to prevent accidents is worrying about the aspects I can control, I don’t text and drive, I stay focused on the road, I take the responsibility seriously, and I encourage my family and friends to do the same. I don’t want to become a statistic, and neither should you.