Life Lessons

My parents instilled life advice in me from a young age, even about things that I was years away from encountering. Every new experience I had came with a lesson, lessons that, at least so far, have stuck with me. One piece of advice in particular, however, stuck with me the most: the importance of driving safely.

As a kid, I remember being picked up by a friend’s parent and noticing them texting and driving. Every time I noticed this, I would become uneasy. I remembered my parents telling me to never drive while distracted, and when I noticed other parents so blatantly doing the opposite, it made me feel unsafe. I remember wondering if they even cared about the two kids they had in the car, or about others on the road who could pay for their carelessness.

As I grew up, I quickly came to realize that careless driving was not as uncommon as I thought, and nearly every person I drove with used their phones while driving. I even saw my friend’s mom watching Game of Thrones with her headphones in while driving. This is when I realized that so many people drive carelessly and abandon the lessons they learned in Driver’s Ed.

It is clear that something is lacking in Driver’s Education courses in this country. There must be more focus on a safety unit in order for young drivers to learn what is and isn’t safe on the road, and how they can defensively drive in order to stop accidents from happening.

The two biggest culprits on the roads are cell phone usage and intoxicated drivers, and students should be aware of that. With a more thorough education on why distractedly driving can be deadly for the culprit and others on the road, teenagers would be less likely to break those rules. I also believe that adults should have to take a Driver’s Education course once every five to ten years in order for both new and old safety practices to be solidified, because teenagers are not the only ones causing accidents on the road.

Around thirty percent of DWI offenders are repeat offenders. If there was more support available for those who abuse drugs, the DWI rate would slow and there would be less casualties on the road. I believe that more effort in our communities to encourage safe practices, such as Driver’s Ed refreshers, masterclasses on safety for teens, and general regulation of texting and driving, the amount of deaths that occur from driving each year will be lower and lower, and people of all ages will feel safe on the road.