The power of knowledge

1. The power of knowledge

3. Starting at around three weeks after conception, your brain makes its first neural connection. As you grow up, every single second of your life is being logged and tracked by your brain. Whether it’s seeing something bright, or even blinking, your brain is logging it. When you take your first step, it’s logged. When you take your first sip, it’s logged. Every. Single. Second. When you drive a car for the first time, your brain is making hundreds to thousands of new connections every second. The question you want to ask yourself is whether those precious connections are worth speeding down the highway with your friends? Knowledge is power. It takes years to learn how to walk, yet only seconds to lose it. That is why drivers ed is a crucial part of life. 

5. Every day millions to billions of people use their vehicles to commute through the day. Humans as a collective have trust in one another that we will make the right decisions and be safe. Do you know why? Simple. Knowledge. You know that if you choose to barrel down a road at 70 mph, you’re more than likely going to crash. Ignorance -” lack of knowledge or information.” As a teenager, it’s easy to claim ignorance of many things. “I didn’t know that I couldn’t mix pink with the whites.” “I didn’t know that you can’t use detergent in the dishwasher.” Ignorance can only get you so far. “I didn’t know that you can’t speed past a red light.”

7. Drivers ed should be viewed as more than a step. It should be seen for what it is. A lifesaver. In drivers ed, you learn the basics of the road. You learn about different road signs, the difference between lanes, how to maneuver vehicles, etc. This starts as a catalyst for an incredible process. From the moment you start driving, the previous information you obtained begins to weave itself into your new connections, forming stronger, more reliable connections. Every time you drive you’re just making those connections more powerful. Sure, you can learn how to drive without a drivers ed, but without a reliable head start, you just can’t compete.

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9. The first step to making a safer driver is to inform. I believe that hands-on experience is crucial to truly grasp a concept. A great example was when I ran into the weedwhacker, trying to back my mom’s car up. I remember after hitting it, hopping out and seeing a perfectly bent weed whacker. In my mind, I knew it was nothing yet the thoughts of it possibly being a human were permanently imprinted. Soon after the incident, I started tearing up. This was the first time I had truly grasped the reality of driving. I truly understood the power and responsibility that I had over this machine. In conclusion, the more information you experience earlier on as a young driver, the stronger and powerful it becomes later on in life.