Have The Drive to Survive

Being a safe and dependable driver is of the utmost importance, especially when first getting behind the wheel. Many young drivers are constantly at the mercy of their devices when it comes to driving on the roads. They are checking messages, changing soundtracks, or even watching videos while being in full control of a car. It is important to be aware of those around you and make sure that you get yourself and your passengers to your destination with care and safety. As my grandmother once told me, “The world needs more perceptive people.”

Before I could drive I was an active biker. I often traveled long distances and tried to see how far I could get, riding around my town almost every day. I would often find myself at an intersection with a car at one of the many trails in my area, and usually the drivers would be very kind. Occasionally, though, there would be drivers that would bolt by without any regard for the safety of those around them. Those experiences have given me a unique perspective that has caused me to always be as mindful of pedestrians as possible. It may be a somewhat common occurrence that bikers are riding slowly in the road near my neighborhood, but I always look at it with an understanding view and either pass them when the time is right or just drive behind them like they are another car on the road. I am pleased with the fact that bikers feel safe enough on our roads to do so.

Drivers who are not mindful of their surroundings can cause many issues. I have had a multitude of friends who have gotten into minor accidents, the most recent of which being when my friend was driving down the road and someone ran a stop light and hit him. Luckily it was only damage to the car and he was alright, but in the worst case, if the other driver was going faster, someone could have gotten injured, or died. It is a very common occurrence for young drivers to die within their first two years of driving, not that the risk is ever gone, and it is mostly due to a lack of patience and awareness. Many of these accidents cause a death for the driver, and someone else, causing families to grieve, futures to be taken away, and friends to suffer the consequences, when all it took to prevent it was a little bit of patience not to text back immediately.

The biggest step to being a safer driver is learning self-discipline. You need to learn to put your phone down and leave it down. You need to learn that being somewhere quicker is not more important than somebody’s life. There are a few ways that we can be more attentive to the road. There are certain driving modes that many phones have where you can turn it on to turn off all notifications and distractions. Or you can do as I sometimes do and simply throw it in the backseat so you can’t reach it. Most cars come equipped with hands free calling now too so you don’t need to reach for your phone to make a call which is much safer than texting and taking your eyes away from your surroundings. Regardless of what you need to do, everyone needs to find what is right for them to get rid of distractions when driving.

The most important thing we can do to make the road a safer place going forward is to teach new drivers how to be safe from the start. Make sure to make it clear to new drivers that their main objective is to be safe and be defensive on the road. Teach them to be courteous of others, and to learn how their car works. Many car owners do not know anything about the vehicle they use so it is important to at least teach the basics of maintenance. When I first started driving I was not told how often I needed to pump up my tires and it caused me to get a flat tire and have to get off the road in a hurry on my way home from school one day. It is not a pleasurable experience to have your first breakdown and not know how to deal with it or how you could have prevented it. Learning how to deal with maintenance and basic repairs on your car can also save you from paying tons of money to a mechanic.

To wrap-up, safe driving is too important to brush off. We need to teach future generations how to be smart and attentive by example and be smart and safe for each other. Remember that driving is a team exercise and that you are not alone on the road. What you do affects others and your attitude to others is everything.