Safety is a Virtue

The importance of driver education in reducing the death toll is exponential. As generations evolve, there are more and more people getting behind a wheel. Elders received their licenses in different climates compared to those of today’s, and should be expected to keep up with modern standards of driving. Likewise, adolescents who are just receiving their permits should be stressed the importance of driving without the need to check a phone, because it is becoming increasingly difficult to put down a device. Points should also be highlighted, such as the reason why we don’t check our phones and why we wear seatbelts. Because a highly capable kid might think that these rules don’t apply to him, but all it takes is one mistake, and sometimes it might not even be the kid’s fault. I also thought a neat innovation would be implementing some sort of external device on cars, like a light that indicates to others when someone in the vehicle isn’t wearing a seatbelt, so it almost humiliates people into buckling up and becomes easier on law enforcement. The psychology of this would be powerful, as people nowadays behave in a herd mentality, and tend to converge to the same norm.

Personally, I have been in four automobile accidents and have totaled two cars. One might automatically assume I am a bad driver; however, I would argue that I was an irresponsible driver. Three of those accidents I was doing something I should not have been doing at the time of the crash. I reached over to the passenger seat and took my eyes off the road to hand my dad something, and drove up a curb. My first time totaling a car I was changing the song on my phone when I started to drift, and after attempting to correct the vehicle I hydroplaned unexpectedly and crashed into a curb. Lastly I rear ended my friend coming out of a driveway while checking my phone, and got an airbag to the face. The other total wasn’t my fault, but it took me four accidents to wise up and take necessary action to improve my driving, such as creating hands-free ways to use my phone, and always reminding passengers to buckle up, as I become responsible for their lives for the duration of the trip. I bring these stories up to make the point that even someone like me, who thought they were better than the law and did not think that certain rules pertained to them, could still make mistakes. Accidents are accidents, and only by actively taking precautionary measures can one lower the chances of ever being in one. I was stupid and arrogant, and any of those accidents could have ended my life. I hope that by sharing my stories I won’t have to learn about any, and people will understand the fact that laws are not just made arbitrarily, but rather with the sole purpose to protect our lives and the lives of others.