Stay Awake, Stay Alive

Kiley Smith

Stay Awake, Stay Alive

“They can only travel on roads with a speed limit of . . .”

I glance around the classroom as my teacher drones on about mopeds. For a moment, my pencil stops its frantic movement while I observe. My friend, Ella, looks like me: eyes focused on the PowerPoint, pencil scribbling over our notes packet. My other classmates, however, tell a different story. Their eyes glaze over, zombie-like. Phone screens shine from underneath a dozen desks. Some kids don’t even bother hiding their disinterest: they slump face down, fast asleep.

From the very beginning of my drivers ed, I knew how important it was to stay engaged. This attentiveness has made me a good driver, with no speeding tickets or school parking lot accidents. As for most of my class? Well, not so much. Many of them text and drive, pull up too close to rear bumpers, and cut people off in ridiculously dangerous ways. These terrible drivers fill my parking lots and neighborhood streets. Someday, they’ll become parents with the same bad habits, habits which they may pass on to their equally uninvested children.

Rich, interactive drivers ed is essential to decreasing death rates on the road. If students are engaged while learning about safe driving, they are much more likely to implement safe practices while behind the wheel. These safe practices, like defensive driving and double-checking blind spots, could greatly reduce the number of fatal car accidents.

Students will only remember to use these techniques, however, if drivers ed courses are designed to keep them awake. With more interactive lessons, students will become more invested in safe driving, which could in turn reduce the number of driving-related deaths. For example, students won’t pay attention to twenty videos on why texting and driving is bad. Of course, teachers should still show and explain a few of these videos. However, the next step should be to introduce a project, activity, or assignment that forces students to engage with the topic. If a bored student watches a video warning against texting and driving, they might listen. But if they have to look at pictures of car wrecks? Or find interviews with victim’s families? Or read social media posts that caution against dangerous driving? These meaningful, tangible activities are much more likely to stick in a student’s brain.

As a young driver myself, I know how easy it is to forget the important things I learned in drivers ed. However, I’m committed to staying focused, driving defensively, and practicing other safe driving techniques. To be a better driver, I want to constantly remind myself to stay focused, especially when I have passengers or music playing. I also pledge to protect my friends by calling them out on their dangerous habits (no matter how uncomfortable it may be). I’ve seen how severe an impact a car accident can leave, and I will perpetually encourage my peers to avoid that pain and anguish by being safer drivers.