Lasting Sentiments from an Early Encounter

When I was just shy of three years old, I learned about motor vehicle’s capacity and power when I was in a bad car accident with my mother and sister. From what I have been told, we were traveling in the fast lane of the highway on the far-left side in our family van. We were going the speed limit, and at an adequate distance from the car driving in front of us. But unexpectedly, that car ahead of us- which had been transporting a mattress with it tied to its roof- lost its cargo and the mattress came flying at our car. My driving mother had enough time to try to swerve out of the way, but in doing so our top-heavy van flipped across to the other lanes and into the opposite side of the highway before crashing into a sign posted. Miraculously, and because my sister and I were both held tight in our car seats, apart from my mother’s whiplash we were physically unscathed. From that moment on, I was aware of two very significant lessons which would be significant in later becoming a safe driver myself- the understanding of the potential for danger involved when getting behind the wheel, and the importance of defensive driving. Driver’s education, which includes these two concepts, and ensuring drivers understand the associated risks and personal responsibility involved with using a motor vehicle would drastically reduce the number of deaths due to car accidents. 

When drivers understand their motor vehicle as the powerful machine that it is instead of a simple personal possession or “toy”, they are more likely to avoid reckless driving and be much more mindful of that machine’s capacity when they get behind the wheel. If the driver understands the vehicle’s potential force, they will not be so foolish as to think that they could be a match for such a force. As such, the sense of invisibility which so frequently causes reckless driving is less likely to be present when they are driving. This is one of the reasons why comprehensive driver’s education is so important for making streets safer, although it is the concept driver’s education I believe should be emphasized more. By spending sufficient time ensuring new drivers understand the potential dangers of not just drunk driving, distracted driving, and negligent driving. Of course, the vehicle’s capacity to cause damage can be seen in the aforementioned examples, which means that it has equal capacity in any other situation…but I think teens who are new drivers don’t always connect those dots.

Defensive driving is another integral part of driver’s education, and I believe is something which can significantly reduce vehicle fatalities. I like to think of it a bit like “assuming for the best, but preparing for the worst” and acts to proactively avoid potential collisions. Defensive driving includes the understanding that sometimes ensuring one is acting as a safe driver themselves isn’t enough to ensure one’s safety. It does not mean assuming the worst is going to happen, but making a series of precautionary actions just in case it does happen. This is something that is included in driver’s education, but I believe that it is something which we can all constantly improve upon or be mindful of. This can be done, for example, by leaving even more ample room when following load-carrying vehicles or changing lanes altogether. It means staying constantly aware of one’s surroundings, but paying particular attention to the part of it that is your nearby fellow drivers. Assume that they cannot see one’s car if you are unsure, avoid and report speeding and/or swerving vehicles, and understand that we can only be responsible for our own actions and reactions.

Of course, there are certain events which are beyond our control and even when taking these lessons and others taught in driver’s education into account, we cannot always expect the unexpected. But the more drivers on the road driving with a keen awareness of the power of their car makes for less expected events- aka accidents. And continually improving and implementing new defensive driving practices makes drivers more prepared for when the unexpected does occur. Taking such precautions, and instilling this understanding within new drivers through driver education, will create more vehicles being operated by mindful and self-aware drivers. I believe this will reduce the number of accidents and the number of other drivers who had to learn the hard way as I did as a child. As a result, overall street safety would improve.