Drivers Education Essay

The phone rang. My sister picked it up and quickly ran to find our mother. I was slightly alarmed but did not think much of it. Two minutes later my mom walked down the stairs with a terrified look on her face. I quickly ran to her and she whispered, “Your older brother has been in a bad accident.” What happened after that is still a blur in my memory. Mom started crying and I quickly distracted my siblings with a movie so they would not be upset.

My mom rushed out of the house while calling the police to find out where the accident occurred. When she arrived she found many first responders at the site and my brother’s car was completely crushed. My mom found my brother in the ambulance miraculously with only minor injuries. As mom was talking to my brother the police officer took her aside and said, “This could have ended much worse. I have seen many teens die or suffer paralysis from an accident like this.”

My 16-year-old brother had rolled his car three times taking a curve too fast on a gravel road while looking for directions on his phone. Even in doing something as necessary as seeking direction for a new location, my brother almost died. As the police officer pointed out, this story could have ended much worse. My family feels blessed that my brother was only slightly injured with no lifelong effects.

Many teens believe the lie that humans can multitask. This is simply not true. When we engage in two activities at once our brain is focusing on one and is automatically doing another. This leads to one task being executed on autopilot and unable to respond to abnormal circumstances. Smartphones are designed and engineered to capture our attention. Social media is meant to engross us for long periods of time. This can cause detrimental events when combined with driving. When people are using their phones while driving, they are placing themselves and others in danger. They are not fully aware of what is happening around them and are unable to react to unforeseen circumstances.

Teens are the demographic group most susceptible to distracted driving. With our limited understanding of risk factors, we believe we can do anything, and we are quick to multitask. So how can we inform teenagers of the dangers of distracted driving? Three steps will help teens to understand the dangers, and “ACT” to eliminate deaths related to driving.

A ware of the dangers – When I was taking driver’s education I was required to watch videos where parents talked about their children dying in car accidents. These videos changed my perspective on driving and made me fearful of being distracted. I believe driver education should be required so all teens must watch these videos that help them be aware of the dangers of driving. I was required to watch those same types of videos again when my father took me to register at our insurance company. These videos provided me a healthy fear of driving which has helped me remain safe.

C arry the weight – When teens are not affected by the consequences of accidents they will continue to multitask while driving. Everyone will naturally be affected if their bodies are injured in an accident. However, if teens have to buy their own cars they will be much more careful with them. I have observed this truth between me, who bought my own car, and one of my friends, whose parents paid for her car. I am extremely careful with my car because it has great worth in my eyes since a large amount of work went into making the money to buy it. However, teens who did not buy their own car will not deeply treasure the vehicle and are more likely to drive carelessly.

T alk about it – Teens, parents, kids, and adults should not be afraid to speak up. Parents should talk to their kids about the dangers of driving. Teens should talk to their friends. Safe driving should not be something we are reluctant to share, but rather something we are frequently promoting. Through talking about it and speaking up, the dangers of distracted driving will become better known and teens will drive smarter.

Although I deeply desire that every teen not experience a tragic accident like my brother, I do hope every teen would develop the awareness of the dangers of driving I have learned. Driving provides great freedom, but it is extremely dangerous. Indiana recently implemented a law requiring that people cannot be handling their phones while driving. But laws are not enough. The legislature may implement lifesaving rules, but if young people do not appreciate the value of the restrictions, they are not likely to comply. Only when people understand and believe in why the rules are in place will they “ACT” to obey the guidelines. Although it may feel that the ping from our phones means an urgent message has come through, we must remember that distracted driving places everyone in danger, and any text message or notification can wait until later.