Driver Education: Take It Serious

Driver education is something that should be taken very seriously. It doesn’t just keep the driver safe, but also anyone around the driver. I know a lot of people who do not take their driver education seriously and I wish they did, because they don’t understand how much of a risk they are taking by recklessly driving. A lot of people think they can multitask or they know how to focus on more than one thing, but it’s been scientifically proven that no one can successfully multitask. You’re either focusing on one thing or something else, but not both at the same time. To be a safe driver you need to be alert and focused.

My grandmother was a victim of a reckless driver. She was leaving a restaurant with her friends, when a teenager crashed into them. She died on the scene. Not only does my family have to live with the pain knowing that my grandma was taken away from us, but that teenager has to live with the guilt of knowing that they took an innocent life because they were being irresponsible. That teenager wasn’t even supposed to be driving by themselves because they only had their permit. You are taught in driver education that if you are going to drive with your permit, an adult has to be present in the car with you. I strongly believe that if that teenager had followed that rule, my grandmother would still be with me and my family right now.

Driver education is important in reducing the amount of car deaths, but that is only if people take it seriously and use what they learned to be a safe driver. If we want to see less car crash deaths then we need to start making a change and I believe that change starts with making a bigger emphasis on just how important driver education is. I remember a few years ago when there was always a “no texting while driving” commercial on my tv, now I see more “stop smoking nicotine” commercials. I understand the reason for the nicotine commercials, but I don’t understand why there was a decrease in texting while driving commercials. It’s almost as if they were treating the “no texting while driving” commercial as a trend and it just died out. Technology is the quickest way to get a person’s attention and if we want to see change, we need to make sure that everyone is listening all the time.

After having my fair share of car rides with teenagers and adults, I have realized that teenagers are more likely to throw away their driver education and drive recklessly than adults. Teenagers are less mature than adults and this immaturity is what causes teenagers to drive irresponsibly, but the adults are not completely innocent. I do believe that adults can have an impact on how teenagers drive. I was in the car with an old friend who was driving 60 mph in a 30 mph. When I asked them why they were going so fast they said, “I can’t help it, I’m a speed racer just like my dad.” I immediately got a bad feeling in my stomach and I did not feel comfortable riding with that person anymore. It made me upset to know that not only did they just throw their driver education out of the window, but their dad encouraged that behavior. I don’t think they understand just how important it is for them to take driving seriously.

I have caught myself getting distracted while I was driving, whether it be because of my phone or the people in my car. I am not a perfect driver, but I do try to make sure I am the safest driver I can be. With that being said, I have found ways to limit my distractions while driving. The first distraction and the biggest one is my phone. I can admit that I am very attached to my phone and I do find myself trying to check or respond to a text while driving. Since I know how easily I am distracted by a text, I now put my phone on do not disturb while driving. This setting turns off notifications temporarily. That way I have no reason to reach for my phone while I am driving. I often get distracted whenever I am driving with my friends too. There are times where I am more focused on the conversation that we are having than the road that I am driving on. I try to multitask even though I know that is not a possible thing to do. I know that if I’m driving with my friends, we aren’t just going to sit in my car in silence, so I have come up with things to remember whenever I am in the car with my friends. If we are in the middle of the conversation, I make sure to always keep my hands on the wheel because I know that I like to talk with my hands and I also make sure that I keep my eyes on the road. These small changes have made me a better and safer driver. Whenever I ride with someone else, I make sure to tell them about my solutions to distractions in hopes that they take my advice and do the same.

To conclude, driver education is something to be taken seriously. The things you learn in the course are things that you should take with you every time you drive. You do not want to be the reason why you or someone around you gets hurt. It can all be avoided if you take time to limit your distractions, focus, and stay alert.