Before It is Too Late

My mother and I went to a small, vacant high school parking lot the day I received my permit for my very first test drive. I remember sliding into the luxurious leather seats and taking in my surroundings nervously, unsure of the purpose of half the buttons that were strewn about the vehicle. My initial actions included moving my seat as far forward as possible to make room for my short legs, and then subsequently moving the seat up as high as possible to give me the best possible view of the vacant road ahead. After starting the car and fastening my seatbelt, I was prepared for my first go-around. Judging by my mom’s white knuckled grip on the ceiling handlebar above us, I could tell she too was ready.

The first thing that mentally rocked me to my core about driving was the terrifying amount of freedom. From their seat on the passenger side, your parent could not keep you from going too fast around a bend or turning the wheel too far on a turn. I was fully in control, and it was terrifying.

This realization hammered home the significance of maintaining constant awareness while driving and the importance of having your head on a swivel. The knowledge that my life, my passengers’ lives, and the lives of those around me were at the whim of my new freedom was beyond horrifying. Despite the fact that driving is practical for getting around, it can also be a killing machine in the wrong hands. These first couple realizations while driving have stayed with me as a constant reminder to remain vigilant on the road.

The second thing that rocked me was the shocking statistics surrounding teenager drivers. I recall my driving instructor informing me that almost 2,500 teenagers are killed and about 250,000 are injured from car accidents each year. This fact reminds me of how easily lives may be taken by vehicles and how important driving education is among those just starting out.

Since then, I’ve progressed from empty parking lots to surface roads to packed highways and bridges on the way to the beach. I am happy to report that I have had my license for nearly two years and have largely managed to maintain my original weariness anytime I step into a car.

However, as I have grown more confident and more experienced, I can admit to myself that even I have developed some unfortunate tendencies that should be rectified on the road. Although I am aware of the data surrounding the high number of accidents that occur in neighborhoods because people lower their guard, I still tend to speed up the hill adjacent to my street, despite how many deer tend to frequent that road. One thing I plan to do to break such behavior is to take the time to slow down while approaching the hill and making a point to stay aware for any surrounding deer that may come from the brush.

An additional major weakness of mine lies in music. Periodically while driving I find myself reaching down and tapping the skip button on my phone when a song I dislike comes on, taking my eyes off the road for a split moment. However, it only takes a fraction of a second. I know that I will be considerably safer if I make the effort to wait till a stop sign or a red light.

Developing safe driving habits early in adolescence and emphasizing the danger in bad ones are largely the main steps that need to continue to be taken to limit the number of deaths due to driving.

The various traffic violations that I have watched friends and family do have only cemented this fact. A friend of mine will purposely pick up her phone swipe out of Spotify and restart it whenever an ad occurs. Another friend literally will not release his grip on his phone when on the road, choosing to drive with one hand instead of simply placing the phone in a cupholder. This made me so uncomfortable while in his car that I had to say something for him to put the phone down. There is no doubt in my mind that among drivers, phone usage accounts for an inordinate amount of accidents that occur.

Passengers’ demands and education are key components of any action that may be made to lower the number of fatalities on the road. I have found that most drivers are usually much safer and amenable to changes when others are in the car due to the greater level of responsibility that has fallen on them. The best way to eliminate driver problems are to focus on continually educating adolescents on these dangers through driver schools and parents. Through statistics and awareness young drivers are provided a better chance of reducing their own bad habits and that of those around them in friends and parents before it is too late.