By the Book or By a Monitor

As a new driver, many people have told me that if I could drive in New York City, I could drive anywhere. I’ve lived in New York City my whole life, but I never understood what people meant by this before I became a driver. I wondered what could make driving here different from other states, but I learned fast. The city is very crowded, and although there are other forms of transportation, many people have cars here. Drivers here tend to forget this, and they drive as if there is no one on the road, which can be very dangerous for others. I may be new to driving, but I know how to drive safely and am aware of unsafe drivers at the same time.

I know many drivers that are self-taught or taught by their friends/family, and they have told me they know how to drive. There is a difference between knowing how to drive quickly and driving safely to get from one place to another. Going to a driving school instead of learning from someone you know is beneficial because it allows you to learn by the book and makes the road safer for everyone. Someone you know might teach you to drive with one hand because that is how they are used to driving, but this technique is dangerous for someone learning. Most new drivers do not react as fast as drivers with years of experience, so driving with one hand gives less support of the wheel and can result in an unfortunate accident. Learning how to drive with an actual driving instructor can also ease your nerves during the process. Someone you know may yell at you while teaching out of fear that you will crash, but they can cause an accident by scaring you. There is a brake on the drivers and the passenger side in the driving school cars, which prevents many accidents that can result in deaths. Driver education allows you to be more safe than sorry.

Sitting in traffic for a while can be annoying for many drivers. Sometimes I even wish that the cars would hurry up and pass the cause. My attitude changes once I see red and blue lights gradually getting brighter because there is always an unfortunate accident next to it. Upgrading the cars we currently have can reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Manufacturers can change the headrests in cars by adding pieces that provide more head support, and they can also make a new brake system that stops the vehicle as soon as it senses it has hit something. These changes, along with the seatbelt, will prevent sudden movements that can cause injuries. Manufacturers can also add a bumper around the entire car, like bumper cars. It may not look appealing, but safety is more important than style.

When my aunt drives, it seems like there are no rules. She is closer to my age and one thing she loves is her phone. She drives while texting, going on social media, and looking through her photos. She even looks away from the road for long periods to be on her phone, but the worst part is that she drives fast. Imagine being in the car with someone that goes way above the speed limit and barely watches the road. All you can do is pray that you get to your destination safely. She even got in a car accident with my little cousin before, but it was not severe, so she continued driving the same way. People that tend to drive irresponsibly have not bothered me, but after getting in a terrible accident, every little thing gives me anxiety while on the road. In the summer of 2018, my grandmother took me, my little brother, and my little cousin to the beach. On the way back, it was dark outside, and there were not any lights on the road we were going down. My grandmother zones out sometimes while driving, and she usually does not do it while other people are in the car, but this day she did. I saw a car turning as we were going straight, but when I tried to warn her, it was too late. Both hit each other and spun in circles. When we stopped, everyone got hurt in different places. This accident hurt me physically and mentally. Every time I got in a car after this, I would get very jumpy. Safe driving is major because one car accident can affect you permanently.

Many accidents are usually a result of people that learned how to drive by the book to pass the test and completely ignored the book afterward or by people that did not learn by the book. Rules found in the driver’s manual, such as using your signals before switching lanes, driving at the speed limit, leaving a distance between the car in front of you, and staying in the lines, can reduce the number of deaths related to driving. No guarantee rules in the manual will impact road safety, especially if a car malfunction causes the accident, but it’s a start. Getting your car checked for maintenance often can prevent a situation where your car stops in the middle of the road or where one of the car parts separates, leading to a lethal accident. These are steps I currently take and recommend to reduce the number of deaths on the road. People may not read these steps and change the way they drive, but providing me with this scholarship will allow me to tell my peers in college details of the car accident I got into, leading to more awareness while driving.