Watch the Road!

Watch the road!

In an age where distractions are inevitable for so many people, the need for effective drivers ed has never been so crucial to implement than it is today. Driving has become a daily habit for many and second nature to most, resulting in a cavalier perspective toward an enormous endeavor: getting behind the wheel. In my home state of Texas alone, there are roughly 16 million drivers on the road, and every year nearly four thousand people lose their lives in car-related accidents. Texan lives and many others across the nation have been lost throughout the years over simple driving mistakes that could have been avoided with effective practices and techniques. In this paper I will discuss why it is crucial to implement an effective drivers ed for all, and briefly touch on my own experience with distracted driving.

Bottom line, saving lives and reducing accidents has to be the biggest goal to keep in mind when discussing driving education. It is vitally important that every single new driver is aware of the lives at risk when operating a vehicle and is ready to drive accordingly. Similar to any other skill, proper education and practice is where it all begins, and that education has to be versatile enough to impart its teachings to as many people as possible. I have personally bore witness to young drivers who have taken a drivers ed course as a means to an end but overlook just how much responsibility comes with the act. The lives and safety of people on the road is why driving education is so important. We need to be able to keep as many people safe as possible, and at the root of safety lies education.

Regrettably, I have been an irresponsible driver in the past, but thankfully nobody was seriously injured. It happened one hot Texas summer afternoon, my sister and I were heading home from the store, and I was driving a little too close to the car in front of me, jamming out to Lady Gaga. It happened so fast, I fixed my gaze onto a building on my right that caught my attention, when suddenly I heard my sister yell my name, but it was too late to actually react. I hit the car in front of me and the car behind me hit me. This happened all within a moment, but that’s usually all it takes. Thinking back on it now, I acknowledge the fact that I was distracted. Watching the road was the last of my concerns, and I realized that on that day I could have lost my life, or worse my sisters’ life or anyone else’s. This experience changed me in a positive way, because I learned that while I’m behind the wheel I hold in my hands the lives of so many other people and they hold mine.