Drivers ed: Why Knowledge Isn’t Just Power

Aubrey B. Anthony

Drivers ed Initiative Award

15 June 2020

Drivers ed: Why Knowledge Isn’t Just Power

As a young man who drives on a regular basis, I fully understand the sense of empowerment and freedom that comes with operating a vehicle-the ability to simply get in a car and go-it can be pretty exhilarating. Becoming an independent motorist is a big deal for many people, and rightly so, but with the many opportunities that come with driving, come a number of challenges and dangers-not only for those behind the wheel, but for passengers and pedestrians too. Learning to not only identify, but to anticipate, dangerous situations is paramount, and can save thousands of lives; instead of only being tested on how well a driver can parallel park, there should be assessments on drivers’ comprehension of what happens due to inattentive driving, and how to avoid life changing incidents by recognizing the conditions in which they occur.

When I took a drivers’ education course, my instructor insisted that we firmly understood what can happen when you’re behind the wheel, and devoted a large portion of the class to teaching us what kind of factors can lead to deadly instances-from slick roads after a storm, to busy crosswalks, and vibrating phones. Just by simply knowing what kind of consequences our decisions can have on someone’s life, I’ve made it a habit to keep my phone silenced and out of sight when I drive. About a year ago, I witnessed an incident, where a young couple was crossing the street while pushing their baby in a stroller, and a driver-who was clearly distracted by their phone-swerved around the corner, jerking the wheel in time to barely avoid the couple and their baby. It’s unsettling to think how close the driver was to causing disaster, just because they were so focused on their phone.

Being a college student who attends an urban university, I’m well aware that the responsibility for safe commuting isn’t entirely on motorists. I’m constantly crossing or walking along busy streets in order to go make it to class, and almost everyday I see incidents take place where a student practically walks directly in front of a car-oblivious to the danger they’ve now placed multiple people in because they’re so lost in thought or their phone. I actually had my own incident, very much similar to the ones that I see daily now. It was my first day on campus, and I was crossing the street to go into my dorm; not paying attention, I’d stepped out into the crosswalk-assuming that traffic had already stopped for the light which was turning red. As I was crossing, someone yelled at me to stop-and as I looked up, a black BMW flew past me, actually striking me with its mirror and leaving me with a nasty bruise on my stomach. Driving incidents kill too many each year, and while it’s a large challenge to tackle, the solution doesn’t have to be: stay alert. Simply knowing what’s going on around you can be the difference between life and death.