Taking the Safe Driver Initiative

It was the night before my sixteen birthday. While many girls await their sweet sixteen, I was excited for something else–I would finally be able to begin learning how to drive! When the clock struck midnight, I logged onto the DMV website and passed my permit test.

Part of the reason I was so eager to get my permit was to enroll in Drivers Education at my school. Drivers Ed only has 32 slots a semester, and there are over 1,200 students at my school. I knew getting one of these slots would allow me to become a safe driver.

I have witnessed firsthand numerous car accidents and bad drivers among my peers. One of my coworkers totaled his father’s car hours after getting his license, T-Boning someone at a red light resulted in an injured baby. Another friend crashed her mother’s car in a deep ditch because she was on her phone, speeding, and driving on ice. Unfortunately, my peers find this funny and “memify” reckless driving instead of learning from their mistakes.

Taking Drivers Education at my school has been life-changing. I am a cognisant driver who understands that my safety is more important than looking “cool” and driving recklessly. The implications of being a driver is much more than just transporting myself. It is a social contract to my friends, family, peers, and community to ensure safety. Yes, my 3,000-pound car is capable of soaring 120 miles per hour down the highway, but that 3,000 pounds of steel can also take innocent lives. Even if I got into an accident that did not injure anyone, it is not fair to society to have to deal with the repercussions. Without Drivers Education at my school, I would not have been able to afford private driving lessons.

As someone majoring in Economics and Political Science, statistics are vital to my studies. When studying the statistics of automobile fatalities, I found that reduced phone use and fewer distractions reduce accidents. Even talking on the phone with Apple CarPlay can significantly increase the risk of an accident.

Helping others become safer on the road starts by normalizing safe driving. Many of my teenage male peers refuse to wear a seatbelt and even purchase seatbelt inserts so the car won’t beep. There is a misconception that not wearing a seatbelt only affects that one person. In reality, not wearing a seatbelt can make someone a heavy projectile during a crash, crushing innocent people. Anytime one of my friends refuses to put on their seatbelt, I drive normally for a few minutes and then brake hard so it jostles them enough to want to put on their seatbelt. While some may find this cruel, it is effective. Had an obstacle forced me to brake immediately, they could have flown through the windshield or crushed me.

When I was eleven, my younger sister was just a baby, and my stepmom took us to a party. There was going to be a snowstorm that night, and my dad urged my stepmom not to drive. She did not listen, and the next thing you know were in a car accident. Our car skidded, rear-ending the car in front of us and totaling ours. The man driving the car in front of us was hostile (rightfully so) and started yelling at my stepmom, demanding she pay him cash and not use insurance. We lived in a dangerous area of The Bronx, and this situation could have turned violent. My little sister, a newborn, could have been severely injured. It took over two years for us to replace the car. From witnessing my own family members not take proper precautions while driving, I am extremely vigilant while driving and avoid driving during extreme weather.

Driver’s Education needs more funding. The only reason I was able to get into the class was because I persistently asked my guidance counselors. I was in the guidance office for something completely unrelated when someone had just dropped Drivers Education, and the counselor offered me their slot. Although I am proud of myself for consistently taking initiative, no student should have to nag their guidance counselor to get a slot in the course. Due to underfunding, the school’s vehicle was out of commission for the entire first semester and was not fixed until I joined the course second semester. So many students in my town do not have their driver’s licenses, and taking Drivers education could provide them with this crucial skill.

I have one standard for myself–and that is excellence. I embody this excellence standard when driving because it is my duty.