The Rearview Mirror

There’s glass and blood everywhere. There are three passengers, all unconscious or deceased with looks of anguish on each one of their faces. Through the front of the car is a large tree. Parts of the car are strewn throughout the street, plastic and shards of the side mirrors contrast the brown dirt. And in the rearview mirror is you. We have all heard the story of an inebriated driver crashing and taking the lives of a few others with them hundreds of times. Our parents, friends, and even colleges have hammered it into our minds, do not drink and drive. Less likely to be burned into your mind though, is the story of the innocent driver who didn’t see another car pull out in front of them in time and as a result died. A car crash such as this can happen to anyone, anywhere, in any circumstance. Thousands of Americans die or are seriously injured each year in preventable motor accidents. The first step in reducing fatal accidents in the United States is through driver education. 

Driver education is essential to anyone who currently drives or is planning to drive in the future. An effective driver education course should include classroom instruction as well as training on the road. Through practice and instruction, drivers can better develop the necessary skills and techniques to minimize the chances of a fatal accident. However, accidents are not always preventable, and therefore courses should also prioritize training students on how to handle unfavorable situations. These programs can help raise awareness about motor accidents and how to prevent them as well as encourage students to motivate others to use safer, more effective driving techniques. Even with small increases in driver education program engagement, the skills taught can have a ripple effect that will reduce the number of fatal car accidents in the United States. 

Learning to drive in a safer manner is not only limited to driver education courses and programs. Taking steps to be as attentive and careful as possible on the road and encouraging others to do the same can be done by anyone. Inspiring others to point out and correct dangerous approaches to driving may also lessen car accidents. Normalizing bettering driving methods will not only ensure your own safety, but it will also leave a lasting impression on younger drivers. A moment of fun is never worth more than your life and the lives of others. If someone you know is driving recklessly for their own enjoyment, suggest that they drive safely on public roads and head to local racing tracks on their own time. Race tracks can provide a safe place for high-speed driving and in many instances, they also provide driver education specialized for such driving. Other alternatives include go-karting and off-roading. In this way, driving does not have to be mundane, but while on public roads, one should always drive carefully and in accordance with the law.

Driver education helps to reduce the number of accidents on the road. Drivers who have received the proper education in driving are less likely to be involved in accidents, especially fatal accidents, and are better equipped to handle adverse situations while driving. By reducing the number of accidents, driver education can help to save lives and prevent injuries across the United States.

But every time your parents said these things you only half-heartedly listened. When the annual school presentation on impaired driving came around, the only thing you paid attention to was how hungry you were or how cold it was or how hot it was. When the PSAs about safe driving came on the T.V to interrupt your favorite show, the only thing you felt was annoyance. But that was then, and now the only thing you feel is your head throbbing and the sharp pains shooting up your legs. How could you have known what would have happened? Waking up in the hospital and hearing the news that none of your passengers survived sends another pain shooting through your body, this time in your heart. From then on, the mirror hanging from the roof of your car will stay in the back of your mind, serving as a reminder of a night that changed everything. The night an innocent mirror turned to an object of fear.

With our collective effort of becoming better and safer drivers, less people will find themselves looking into their rearview mirrors wondering where it went wrong and what they could have done differently.