The Disguised Dangers of Driving

The faint street lights that line the road are the only objects visible as I sit in the backseat of my friend’s 2005 Chevy Tahoe. After the Friday night football games, the usual procedure is to drive aimlessly around town. “Dancing Queen” by ABBA blares throughout the car and everyone, including the driver, sways to the melody and sings the lyrics (but it sounds more like screeching). Some of my friends don’t even have their seatbelt on, but they don’t seem to mind. Another friend in the passenger seat even shows the driver the newest post on Instagram as if the drivers’ eyes aren’t occupied at the moment. Although it’s only 9:30pm and my friend that’s driving is 18 years old, no one is truly paying close attention to the road.

In this scenario that many teenagers like myself have experienced, the rules of the road and safety precautions go out the car window. So many teenagers find so much fun and freedom when driving, but the entertainment of driving ends just as quickly as a driver’s life can end. All drivers need driver’s education to keep everyone on the road safe and to prevent deaths as a result of driving without care.

One of the easiest ways to be safe on the road is to put on your seatbelt. The simple “click” from the seatbelt being fastened in the car makes a huge difference in the event of a car accident. Driver education is needed to explain to people the reasoning behind the importance of the mechanism. Seat belts are lifesavers and many people do not realize the effects of not wearing a seatbelt. When my friend Amanda was in a car accident, the seatbelt was the restraint that kept her body from being forced out the windshield and onto the pavement. The simple action of wearing her seatbelt before driving kept her safe. The short time it takes to buckle your seatbelt will save your life in the future.

Distractions while driving can often take a deadly turn. Distractions like texting on a smartphone, eating, and even talking to friends while driving can take attention away from the road and direct it toward the distraction. When driving, there are plenty of situations that cause the driver to make quick decisions. Slowing down quickly for a child running in the road or deciding to not merge into the next lane requires the attention of the person behind the wheel to be fully on driving. It is necessary for driver education to teach people the importance of not being distracted, or else the driver and others surrounding the person may be killed in an accident. Driver education informs people about the many distractions that they might not have known was a possible diversion. For example, some people may love to blare their music in the car while driving. This might make driving more enjoyable for some, but music may actually be a distraction on the road. The loud music could cause the driver to not realize an emergency vehicle is headed towards them, resulting in them not pulling over to the shoulder of the road. Music could also distract a driver by causing them to focus too heavily on the music instead of the task of driving. The driver may become too interested in changing their Spotify playlist than actually keeping both of their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.

Being sober while driving is necessary before transitioning a car’s gears out of “park” and into “drive”. Driving while not having a fully clear mind can cause harm to the driver and to everyone else on the road. Drivers must be educated to learn how their driving skills will be impaired when they drive after they have consumed a drink. Oftentimes, drinking alcohol before driving can cause a person to have a slower reaction time. This would result in the driver not being able to react quickly to any obstacle or situation while driving. Those who have consumed alcohol before driving also may not be able to see as well as they would when sober. This would leave the drunk driver to be more likely to collide with other cars and cause fatalities. Drivers must be educated on the dangers of driving while drunk to prevent future deaths.

Driving is an integral part of our society. Driving vehicles allows people to have fresh produce from different states, students to be in school to get an education, and everyone to be more connected with one another. Since driving is a necessity in our lives, we all must take precautions and be willing to learn about the potential dangers when driving. If everyone could take time to learn how to be safer on the road now, less casualties will occur later.