Driver Education Initiative 2022: In the Driver’s Seat essay

As someone new to the driving world, I have been fortunate to fully understand that being behind the wheel is no joke. Years of being in the passenger seat and frequently seeing crashed cars on my commute to my destination didn’t click in my mind. I thought, yes, it was an accident; accidents happen and would often feel empathy for the ones affected; but often so, one doesn’t understand the gravity of an occurrence until it happens to them first-hand. 

I was being taught how to drive sometime this year and before that time, I would often rely on my instructor to tell me when to change gears as I hadn’t gotten used to that operation yet. As I was going on a high speed (for someone just learning how to drive) I was getting dangerously close to another person’s car from behind. Fear gripped me and I didn’t know what to do at that point. It was until the loud shouts of my instructor woke me up from my momentary trance that I was able to press the break just at the right time. 

Now, what am I getting at? What if I hit that car and endangered somebody’s life? This is someone that was probably a father, mother, brother or sister in another family. What would happen then? How would I explain that I couldn’t step on the brakes on time because I didn’t understand what it meant to be behind the wheel?

One might not think of this happening as anything, but it taught me a valuable lesson. To be a driver is to be responsible to yourself and the fellow drivers around you. Do you know why it is easier to crash a car than a plane? The answer is training. Before becoming a pilot, there is a series of extensive training, preparing the candidates on what to do in every given possibility. Pilots are quick thinkers who know the works of the plane inside and out because they are aware that falling from a high altitude, crashing deep to the ground and going up in flames is no joke. They train to avoid the possibilities that they can control. If the training of pilots and the advance of plane technology has caused a decline in plane accidents; then I think with the recent advances in automobile technology, proper training of drivers would reduce the happening of car accidents as well. 

Bringing this back to the ground and away from the airways, being a driver is much easier than being a pilot. The training is less extensive. Yet, people crash for the most unreasonable reasons like being under the influence or going several miles over the speed limit. 

Those who designed the roads put the signs for a reason. That is why before you go for your driving test, you do a theory test first. You need to know the signs and what they mean before even taking your vehicle on the road, you also need to know the types of turns and their terminologies. If you didn’t know these in theory, how would you know them practically? Also, if you don’t know what to do in various situations under guidance, like how to get out of tight parking, or what to do if you are about to crash, how would you know on your own? A driver doesn’t just know things in theory but is a critical thinker. 

Reducing the number of driving deaths stems from the mindset first. Knowing your responsibilities is the first step. The second step is knowing the road and car; that is, the signs, the roadworthiness of your car, how fast you are driving or how fast the people around you are driving at the moment. You need to be aware of all these things. These are the critical points of drivers’ education and they all stem from being responsible. 

I have seen many movies with a setting where there is an intoxicated, tired bus driver holding way more people than he should in his bus thus endangering the lives of many people. To be safer on the road, for a start, people should be sensible enough to be well-rested. If you are tired, you are less alert to see the things happening around you and adequately prepare your mind on what to do to avoid possible situations. One should also be free from any intoxicating substance, and they should know emergency hotlines and have proper car insurance for the eventualities they are unable to control. People should make the effort to go through any form of driving education, and absorb whatever knowledge is needed. 

In essence, everything that encompasses the scope of being a good driver is responsibility and discipline. It is discipline to know how to do basic things for your car like pumping your tires, checking your engine and fuelling on time. It is your responsibility to not be a hazard to yourself and others on the road. It is also your responsibility that in events you were unable to control, you have a backup like the hotline numbers, insurance or where to find the nearest pay phone by taking note of the signs you may pass by on the road. Being a victim of a highway accident at night is not only unideal, but it is also dangerous. If you know the hotlines, you can call and expect help quickly. It is not only from accidents that road users die, it could be from the aftermath of the accident as well, like a malicious road user.

I believe if more people took driving seriously as they should, then there would be fewer accidents. More education on a topic area means less probability of mistakes, you can get this education both formally; through proper driver’s education, and informally; through the experiences you learn from being a driver. Both of these become the tools for a responsible driver, fewer accidents, and road deaths.