Please Be Safe

Driving is something that as a child you really look forward to. I mean c’mon through our childhood most of the house likely engaged ourselves in things like go karting or maybe even racing our way through the virtual world. The day comes when you finally receive your driver’s permit and your family teaches you how to drive for the next six months, and that’s it. Young drivers are scared and nervous and tend to be the slowest, however as the months and years drag on you grow comfortable driving and believe nothing can happen to you. Maybe you start to go on your phone more and more even though you tell yourself you shouldn’t every time you get behind that wheel. In reality maybe one day one of these seemingly small and throwaway moments could lead to the last time your life is the same ever again. What I just layed out in front of you has essentially been my experience as a driver these last four years and maybe it is a unique one, as a young driver I had never been more focused. As the years and confidence increase I feel myself wanting to distract myself more and more, am I bored of driving or do I just not care. I see these horrible things happening to my fellow young adults everyday. Sure maybe what I do isn’t horrible, get on my phone at a stop light, change a song on my phone, a small fleeting moment that lasts no more than two seconds. The funny thing is that everything changes when I have a passenger, when I drive with anyone my focus is at a hundred and nothing can get my eyes off the road, hopefully one day it will be like that all the time. Maybe turning my phone off while I drive would be a good idea. I’m getting off topic here so let me try to rein us back to what I think could help soon to be drivers really be prepared for when they hit the road. The biggest thing that I believe could encourage these high school age drivers is at least a one to two semester drivers education course. Many of us were privileged enough to be taught the ways of the road by a family member or good friend but that may not be an opportunity that everyone has. Even then there is nothing wrong with really enforcing all the rules of the road, how many times have you run into a sign while driving in a new area and been completely confused. Thinking to yourself what could that possibly mean, these are the things that parents don’t know the answer to. A more institutionalized system would lead to a growth in what most consider “common knowledge” which could lead to overall safer drivers. I am unsure of how popular it is for high schools to encourage safe driving but I vividly remember my high school trying to help. There had definitely been some sort of violent car accident at what I believe was the previous homecoming. All the students were called to the school’s football and track field. There on the track was a destroyed car with human-like figures strung about, It honestly looked pretty good and I hope that it at least scared someone that day to not get behind the wheel. Days like homecoming and graduation are always days of excitement but are often filled with fear and worry as well. It really baffles me just how many high school age people are huge drinkers. These parties that go on during these highlight times and it always worries me, it’s almost like people drinking on 4th of July. Thankfully I have never had my life changed by a friend or family member getting in a car accident but it is something that scares me everyday and I wish it wasn’t so. To live in fear that your loved ones won’t be there when all they wanted to do was buy ice cream. Teaching student drivers to be safe falls largely on the family that is teaching and after leaving the nest that often leads to the end of driving lessons. The only way that I could perceive better drivers existing would be to lower the license expiration date. My license does not expire until the year 2067, is that sound right? Can I be trusted to be a good driver till then. Sure there is law enforcement in place to ensure drivers don’t get too out of hand but this only goes so far. Those bad drivers who manage to stay under the rider are a hazard for all of us. Your reknewl should also include a short drivers test included and not just be something you complete in an office building. If doing this only saved a handful of people, it would be all worth it. Driving isn’t scary till you see the numbers.