Drive Defensive! Passive Defensive!

Emily Pape

Drivers ed Essay Contest

July 3, 2020

Word Count: 424

Drive Defensive! Passive Defensive!

We all remember the first time we were behind the steering wheel. It was probably nerve-wracking and exciting, but we did it; we accomplished a huge milestone in life. With such freedom, responsibility and accountability is placed on our shoulders. At first, it doesn’t seem that way. Driving is just a bragging right to us. We show up to school with our lanyards dangling loudly around our necks, but we don’t think twice about the privilege and obligations that driving is. We need to slow down and think before we start our engines. 

When we get behind the wheel, we are agreeing to preserve the life in and around our vehicle. Everyone, not just yourself, is your responsibility on the road. Someone else’s mistake could inevitably cost you everything, vice versa. You have to control what you do, but you also have to be ready to react correctly to what others do. If you drive offensively, only worrying about what you are doing, you are more likely to cause an accident due to the lack of awareness of the people around you. Driving defensively and being aware of everyone’s choices on the road could help lower the overall mortality rate in driving. Staying alert is the key; being aware of who is in front, behind, beside you could save lives. 

Driving defensively is also driving passively. When you are on the road, you are not the only one there. There are other people around, other lives being lived; your life does not take superiority over others. Just because you are late for your appointment does not give you the right to drive aggressively! If someone cuts you off, it does not give you the right to develop road rage! When driving, we have to react smarter to what others do. We have to be ready to put others first if that means preserving life. If someone is tailgating you, simply changing lanes and letting them pass could prevent an accident. 

Instead of hyping up how amazing driving is and the freedom it brings, we need to make it known to the future generations that driving is full of accountability and responsibility. We need to stress how delicate and precious human life is, how easily it can be taken away. Driving is no joke. No matter if you are a driver, a passenger, a pedestrian, actions can be taken to help prevent automobile accidents and overall lower the mortality rate. Being aware, driving defensively and passively are only the beginning steps that could be taken.