Safe Driving: Taking Responsibility

“Someone you know will likely die in a car accident.”

Those were the words my father told me as I was starting my freshman year of high school. He reminded me that I would be driving in a year and would be around many teenage drivers during my time in high school. I was the first of my friends to get my license, which gave me a lot of responsibility as I was the first one to drive us around town. My dad reminded me of the statistics surrounding driving, especially among teenagers. He said that it was likely that at some point during my high school years, someone I know, or someone in the community, would be a victim of a car crash. He was right. It happened to a student in one of my junior year classes on a road that I drive almost every day. The truth is that car crashes are very common. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that there are approximately 13 car crashes every minute. Despite this high number, education and preventative measures can help to reduce the number of car crash fatalities.

A driver’s habits are formed long before they get their license. As children, we watch our parents drive and see how they promote safety. Parents have a responsibility to be a good influence and put down the phone while driving. They should also work to educate their children on how to be a safe driver even before their child gets a license. I remember my dad teaching me about defensive driving long before I got behind the wheel. Both of my parents constantly send me articles about car crashes in my county or the next county over. Sadly, many of these crashes include fatalities, even with high schoolers. But it helps me realize that I must work to promote safe driving, because it can happen to anyone. It’s easy to think “Oh, it’ll never happen to me,” until a student in your own community dies in a car crash, and the realization that driving is dangerous hits you.

The single person with the most amount of responsibility and control over safe driving is, of course, the driver. Personally, my number one rule while driving is to put my phone down. After I start my playlist, I leave my phone in the backseat, so that I am not tempted to check text messages or change the song that’s playing. Another common distraction is food. The fix is easy: eat before you drive or save your snack for later. Getting to your destination safely is the priority. Drivers everywhere, not just teen drivers, have a responsibility to put away distractions before they drive. This is not just for their own safety, but the safety of everyone else on the road as well.

A third group that contributes to ensuring a safe drive are the passengers. As teen drivers, we must hold our friends accountable when they drive unsafely. I have had to ask a friend of mine multiple times to put down her phone when she is driving me. In addition to asking your driver friends to get rid of distractions, you can be proactive. This may include offering to send or read a text for your friend so that they do not have to check their phone while driving. You could change the music that’s playing or reach their sweatshirt in the backseat for them. You can also take personal responsibility and try not to be a distraction. Don’t turn up the music very loud, yell, reach over at them, or be distracting in any way that could be dangerous. Passengers can potentially control safe driving tactics just as much as the driver can.

There are no exceptions when it comes to driving safely. I’ve heard a couple adults say things like “I’ve been driving for longer than you’ve been alive, I’m good enough at driving to glance at a text for a couple seconds.” This is a dangerous way of thinking, because those couple seconds could mean life or death. Some teenagers think they’re immune to car crashes as well. “I don’t need to be as careful on this road because this road is always empty.” This logic is also flawed because even if there are no cars, animals could run into the road at any time and pose a threat. Some people choose to ignore safe driving because they would rather take that risk than be late for school, for example. They speed down roads in an attempt to make up time and avoid detention. It’s as simple as this: the risk outweighs the benefits. It’s more important to arrive alive than on time.

We can work together as a society to educate young drivers. Taking personal responsibility and holding our friends accountable is just as important. With expanded drivers’ education among both parents and teenager drivers, and teaching responsibility, we can work to reduce the number of car crash fatalities.