Driving With A Conscience

Driving With a Conscience

I moved seven hours away from my hometown to attend university. For Christmas, Thanksgiving, and all other school breaks, I drive from the Florida Panhandle all the way to South Florida. Having done this drive multiple times, it has particularly increased my understanding of the need for drivers ed. Whether you are driving on a highway or on local roads, drivers ed is essential to avoid lethal encounters with other drivers and pedestrians. Harmful incidents on the road can be partially accredited to lack of proper education. When drivers are not well-acquainted with the necessity for lane change indication, early breaking, and adhering to speed limits, everyone around them is exposed to more risks. Drivers ed is important because it details the cause and effect of actions and reveals what can be expensive or lethal consequences for not doing so. Furthermore, proper driving education can provide a pleasant traveling experience for all. Outside of formal driving education, many drivers learn from those around them and how they see others drive. Therefore, as a driver it is important to set an example of proper driving all the time.

Many provisions can be taken to reduce driving-related deaths. I recommend putting on your phone in the backseat, turning it off while driving, or simply silencing it. Distractions on the road can definitely lead to accidents, and not giving our undivided attention to the road and other cars is dangerous. Another step is to rest up before long drives. Driving while sleepy is an ignored problem. My mother’s coworker’s brother’s entire family lost their lives in a fatal accident involving a 16-wheeler due to the driver falling asleep behind the wheel. Similarly, being intoxicated under any influence is almost a certain way to encounter a driving fatality.

I have experienced both friends and family driving irresponsibly. I have seen people I know drive with their knees instead of their hands, multitask while driving (eating, texting, talking on the phone, etc.), check their phones multiple times, driving after becoming slightly intoxicated, and more. This type of behavior has always made me uncomfortable, and I have had to directly confront these situations. I believe that oftentimes people view themselves as one-in-a-million, as if they are immune to the predicaments others find themselves in in the same circumstances. I advise that we all must practice cautionary driving, if not for ourselves, then for others around us. Everyone is someone else’s loved one, and we ought to have respect for everyone’s right to safety.

I think one step as a driver that I can take to better my own driving is to be more honest with myself about any bad or developing habits and practicing better safety precautions. As I stated previously, it is important to set an example of proper driving. This means no rolling stops, speeding up at yellow lights, and always respecting other’s right-of-way. I will not only continue to hold myself accountable but hold my family and friends accountable for proper driving safety. We owe it to another.