Complacency, Safe Driving, and Car Crashes

Complacency, Safe Driving, and Car Crashes

Proper driver education is imperative in reducing the number of deaths caused as a result of driving. Without proper instruction requirements, a new driver could endanger themselves, their passengers, and other people on or near the road. On a busy interstate, there could be a thousand people on the road at one time, and an uneducated driver can endanger every one of those lives.

There are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Most importantly, all drivers should be properly prepared for and educated about every situation they could be involved in. This can lead to a decrease in preventable accidents, which is the category the majority of vehicular accidents occur under. In Indiana, the state I live in, prospective drivers applying for a permit are not required by law to enroll in a driver’s education course. Because of this, some drivers do not get the appropriate instruction while learning to operate a vehicle. This can endanger people just because there is an improperly educated driver on the road. A solution to this problem is changing legislature and requiring that all drivers obtain a proper driver’s education. I strongly believe that everyone who holds a permit should be required to take an in-car instructional driving portion of driver’s education. I found that I personally benefitted from in-car instruction because I learned different “strategies” of driving that I would not have learned from my parents. I have seen a vast improvement in my skillset after completing the driver’s education course. Because I took driver’s education, I feel well-equipped to get my license in December. In addition, avoiding texting and drinking while driving, following all regulations, and ensuring all passengers are wearing a seatbelt are also extremely important and simple steps that can reduce driving-related deaths.

I have had the experience of being in a car accident, and I have witnessed many accidents. The car accident I was in was not severe. My mother was driving and we got rear-ended at a red light. There was minor damage to the bumper of the vehicle, but besides that, we were extremely lucky. This incident would have been prevented if the driver behind us would have been paying attention to their surroundings and noticed the red-light. On the other hand, I have seen a few car accidents that I do not believe I will be able to forget. When I was 12 years old, we were on the way to my piano lessons. To get to my piano teacher’s house, we have to cross an intersection with a major highway from a small, two-lane road. My father and I were sitting, facing north, at the red light on the two-lane road when one green sedan traveling eastbound was sideswiped and then completely flipped over. It rolled from the right lane into a ditch off of the side of the highway. Upon impact, the windshield had shattered. My dad quickly did a U-Turn into the adjacent gas station, parked the car, and sprinted to go see if the passengers in the green sedan were okay, while I called 911. I can vividly remember talking to the dispatcher (her name was Karen) and telling her where we were, what happened, and what we needed. My heart was pumping; I was scared, confused, and praying that everyone was going to be alright. The police and EMS arrived shortly after I had called, and I remember watching as they safely pulled a pregnant woman and her toddler out of the car. By the grace of God, the mother and both of her children escaped scathe free aside from a few minor scrapes.

4 years later, I currently hold a learner’s permit and I am slowly but surely learning to navigate the roads. Especially after being in an accident and witnessing the green sedan flip over, I have realized how important it is to not be complacent while driving. You never know what will happen while you re on the road, and by being in the car, you assume the risk of what could happen. As a teen driver, I need to be aware of my surroundings, follow the speed limit, resist the temptation of texting, and be a predictable and reactive driver. By being predictable, I can reduce my odds of being in an accident by always using my turn signal, maintaining a safe speed, and creating an appropriate distance between my car and the cars around me. In supplement, a reactive driver is always on alert for the unpredictable. As I said previously, complacency is a major cause of vehicular accidents. In fact, my dad has this sticker in his car that says “complacency kills”. This means that when you look away for one moment or even think that nothing bad could ever happen to you, something bad is going to happen. Those two words always circle in my brain every time I sit behind the wheel. Complacency kills. You have to be ready to react to a biker who crosses in front of you, a deer that sprints across the winding country road, or even a sudden brake from the car in front of you. What I struggle with is not getting overwhelmed even when these things happen, but I know that because I am always on high alert, I will react to these instances.

A lesson I am currently learning is that practice does not make perfect. Practice makes prepared, and that is something I apply every time I get in front of the wheel. When driving, you must stay alert. You must follow the law. You must make good choices. But most importantly, you must not be complacent or distracted. Safe driving is a choice you have to consciously make, and I believe that my Driver’s Education course helped influence the choices I make today as a young driver. For that, I am extremely grateful for my instructor and the lessons I have learned.