A Big Responsibility!

The importance of driver education is crucial to decreasing the death toll caused by car accidents from reckless or irresponsible driving. The drivers education courses in my state are solely done for requirement purposes, and I believe that most people who take them don’t learn and take it seriously. Creating a drivers education course that is engaging and instills a bit of fear and the student would be the most beneficial in reducing deaths caused by car accidents.

Driving can be the most exciting thing for independence and being able to drive yourself to the places you want to go, but driving is a big responsibility that comes with consequences if not taken with caution. Thinking back to when I was freshly 16, I was super cautious, and the more I drove, the less I worried about the consequences that come with irresponsibility. I have come in contact with many peers who are irresponsible drivers and did not take the drivers education class seriously. Knowing these people exist worries me when I am behind the wheel anywhere.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths while driving could be spreading awareness of the unfortunate things that can occur if there are car wrecks and spreading awareness on the amount of car wrecks that happen each year.

I have been in a car accident before, the driver who was responsible for the wreck was too old to be driving (he was 90 years old!), that is one thing I have been advocating for around my community. I think that there should be an age where if your eyesight is impaired from old age, you may have your license revoked. Reaction time, awareness, and eyesight are crucial factors to be able to navigate and drive in a vehicle. I think one way to solve this would be to have to take multiple drivers tests in your lifetime, although the DMV isn’t the easiest thing to go through and I’m sure most people are glad to only have done it once or twice… but I do believe that after 65 years old you should be reassessed to make sure you are fit to drive. remembering this accident of mine, makes me upset because I just know that there are others out there who are at risk to get into a car accident because of age limitations.

People today drive recklessly and irresponsibly because they are used to driving, or seem experienced, or have never been in a wreck. All of these factors lead to fatal car accidents and people need to be made aware of that. I have several family members who are irresponsible and don’t practice safety measures like wearing a seatbelt or driving the speed limit. It’s all so scary! I have a good driving record, butI think some improvements that could be made is to always check speed limits and mirrors around me so that I don’t miss anything or drive too fast and put myself and others in danger. One thing my parents always taught me when I was learning how to drive… was to drive DEFENSIVELY. The people you see swerving in and out of lanes in traffic are aggressive and offensive drivers, this directly leads to fatal or tragic car accidents. I always opt to drive in the slow lane and not take big risks when navigating a car on a road with people you don’t trust.

My mom and grandma faced a tragedy when my mom was 10 years old. Her older sister died in a car accident at 18 years old. To my knowledge she just fell asleep at the wheel while her boyfriend was next to her, remembering the story makes me always want to stay awake and alert for when I’m driving. Alertness is key when behind the wheel whether that is because you were tired because you are intoxicated, or because of your age. I’m sure you can imagine my mom’s fear when a couple days after my 18th birthday I got into a car accident with the older gentleman. Thank goodness we were all OK, but all of that is just a reminder of how tragic a car accident can be if you are not responsible.

Overall, I am extremely passionate about remaining aware of the big responsibility and risk you were taking when you were getting behind the wheel each day. It’s easy to get used to driving and forget these things as you grow and get older, but reminding people of all ages the risk you can put yourself and others and each time you get on the road.

Drive safe!