Fairport Angels Still Sing

…

“Driving equates to freedom,” I say quietly, drumming my hands on the wheel as we make our way to the driver’s test location.

Beside me, my mother sits in quiet contemplation of all the events which brought us here. First, a pandemic robs me of my chance to get my permit on time, then a slew of misfortunate cancelations and bad timing postpone the ordeal, and finally, issues with the booking website. But at long last, the time is here.

My nerves electrify my chest while I anticipate getting that white slip of paper announcing my victory. I can picture myself driving with my friends, going out on my own, and finally achieving actual responsibilities as a young adult.

But safe driving has gotten harder with the technological advances of the modern era. To have the world at the stretch of your fingertips, to have every song, every text to every person you’ve ever known is so tempting that it’s nearly impossible to set it all down for a simple ride to school. Even I’ve been known to struggle with wanting to text people back or change the song while driving, but I know the consequences of a wrong move.

Death should be avoided at all costs. The effects of a loss of life go way beyond the family and friends affected, rather setting off a domino chain of events resulting in the overall diminished safety and wellbeing of our country and community. In the early 2000s, in the town one over from where I live, a group of girls called the Fairport Angels died in a brutal crash due to a texting and driving accident. The five young women had all graduated five days prior and were speeding down a country road when the driver checked her phone, causing a fatal crash into a semi-truck. Having happened a little less than 20 years ago, the collision remains incredibly prevalent in our community, as there are still signs and posters left out about the Fairport Angels. The crash did not just affect those in immediate closeness to the families but was mourned by the entire community and is still commemorated to this day. The pain felt by Fairport, having lost five brand new graduates, is still seen on the faces of those who were there to remember the incident all those years ago, and it is for that reason, and because of stories like it, that driving education remains so vital to our community.

Being a teenager comes with its fair share of temptations beyond the phone. Drugs and alcohol still pose dangerous players in the game of inebriated driving, and it’s been more than once where I’ve had to take the keys out of somebody’s hand. It can be challenging for people to gauge their mental states while under the influence, which can call for a deadly reckoning moment. Teaching young drivers to put their phones down or turn on do not disturb while on the roads and feeding them fear-motivating content while in driving courses is a surefire way to get the attention—or rather not get the attention—of teens starting to drive.

My parents appear to value safe driving even more than I do. Having gone through their fair share of experiences from a young age, they told my sibling and me to always tell them if we felt unsafe driving with them or other people. They set the precedent of constantly communicating our discomforts so that, even as an awkward, socially anxious teenager, I feel comfortable telling someone if I don’t feel safe. I know that my safety and life are much more important than the awkwardness I’d feel voicing those concerns.

As a driver, I have a responsibility to myself and my peers to be a defensive driver on the roads. Not everyone is going to listen to all of the rules or drive with other people in mind, but as long as I do, not only do I maintain safety in my own driving but provide a visual for others who may lack awareness. I am not the best driver, by far, as I’ve only been on the roads for a year and a half, but I do still try to be an excellent defensive driver every day. My life and the lives of those around me are deeply precious, and I will and have continued to do everything in my favor to keep those around me safe. I do not ever want to imagine causing such pain as would be caused by taking somebody’s life while recklessly driving, nor do I want to imagine one doing that to me. It is a risk every day I get into my car, but by following the rules of the road to the best of my ability, and by there being comprehensive drivers education for new drivers, I can drive calmly, knowing that the instance of a car accident is unlikely.

There are many options regarding what to do to maintain driving safety, one of which I dislike for apparent reasons but remains an obvious choice is to raise the age required for people to drive. Teen accidents account for the majority of teen death rates, which goes to say, if we were to remove the cars from the situation, there would be an acute drop in deaths. Other more obtainable options include creating a more engaging or educational curriculum, making required courses one can take at their high school for credit with comprehensive testing, and putting more restrictions on whether teens can drive based on their record. If a student has been reported for drug use, it should be harder for them to obtain a driver’s license as a teen.

Driving is a privilege and freedom, but it is also a gamble which many teens have gone all-in on and lost. With new education and a comprehensive curriculum, we hope that we might lower those exorbitant death rates and better our community together.