Consequences and

As a young eight year old kid I was more than excited to sit at home all day and watch movies with my Dad, though I didn’t understand why he had to wear a neck and arm cast. All I knew is I had more Daddy-Son bonding time, but unfortunately for my Dad it wasn’t all roses. About 10 years ago my Dad was involved in a deadly crash which drastically changed his work and home situation forever, all because someone thought a text was more important than the lives of those around them. Countless surgerys, sleepless nights and visits to medical practitioners could have been avoided if that woman would have understood the impact her decisions make in the lives of those around her. This is why I’m such an advocate for safe and responsible driving as well as driver education, especially while they are young.

Consequences is a word we have all heard a lot from our parents growing up. Phrases like, “think of the consequences” and “you know the consequences” are repeated time and time again by parents attempting to teach their children Newton’s third law, that with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Such a simple concept is true in many instances, including driving. Young highschoolers are bombarded with decisions to make and hard situations. Due to this they may be preoccupied or unintentional while driving. This fault of awareness leads to crashes like the one my father was in, but instead of yelling at young drivers to “pay more attention” or to “never be on your phones”, we should help them understand the reasons behind being aware and the consequences behind not being aware. Educating drivers while they are young is more than just teaching good habits and driving techniques, but it is preventing bad driving habits from forming. Educating youth on how to drive is crucial because they are at a point in their development where their minds are malleable to change or beginnings of habits. Things like constantly looking over your shoulder are important for all drivers, but even more so for the youth of our generation. As we help young drivers understand how crucial everything they do behind the wheel we will see more intentional drivers behind the wheel, which will in return lead to less deaths while driving which plague our highways.

After understanding the consequences of our actions while driving, we can begin the process of increasing our defensive driving techniques. Driving defensively has more depth than being a merely courteous and kind driver, but means driving in such a way where you consciously reduce the dangers associated with driving. This is achieved through small but crucial motions like, checking your mirrors frequently and being aware of more than just those cares in your direct vicinity, or as the dmv of california calls it “scanning”. On California’s statewide DMV website it says this, (i) “Scanning your surroundings (keeping your eyes moving) includes keeping a safe distance around your vehicle. When another driver makes a mistake, you need time to react. Give yourself this reaction time by keeping enough space on all sides of your vehicle. This space will give you room to brake or maneuver if necessary.” This skill of scanning is crucial in all situations while driving. Whether you are driving your kids to a soccer game, or going to a party with your friends, being able to scan your surroundings at all times allows you “room to brake or maneuver” if you are ever confronted with a dangerous situation while on the road. When drivers take small measures of safety like those listed, it shows not only their care for their proper safety, but that of those around them.

Not only have I seen the almost fatal consequences of unintentional driving through others like my dad, but I have been in a high speed crash at the fault of another as well. Nothing can describe those infinitely slow yet high paced milliseconds of metal on metal, feelings that will at times return as I drive through that same intersection. Although we can’t do much to help those already driving on the roads around us, we can increase our own ability to drive safely as well as educate those just learning to drive. As we drive more intentionally and remember the consequences our proper actions hold, the risks of driving and life altering accidents will decrease.