One Mistake Is All You Need

I was seventeen years old and had been driving for about two years when I got into my first “accident.” I had the fortune of getting out of school early that day, so I decided to stop by the library to pick up a few books on hold. That trip was fine, but it was during the journey home where I made my mistake. I was easing up to a line of cars when my phone buzzed. I had made it a habit to have my phone turned off while I was driving. However, as I was expecting a text from a college counselor, I decided this once to deviate from my normal practice. Once was all it took.

Although my driving experience would have been negligible compared to others, I believed I had accurately measured the distance between me and the stopped orange car ahead. So, while I was slowing down, I looked down from the front window to glance at the text. It was a single moment of controlled distraction, and that single moment was all it needed. My car shook. It was like nothing I had ever felt before, and in surprise I looked up. At first, I thought there was a bump in the road, or a problem with the brakes. Even after I saw the orange car far too close to my front, the denial still prevailed. Then, it was the adrenaline-fueled panic.

In the end, the collision was so negligible that it did not leave a dent on either car and I managed to leave the incident without neither a mark on someone’s vehicle nor on my family’s insurance. Still, the experience became a memory that stuck with me – an experience that could have easily been avoided.

It is the minor mistakes that cause these accidents, and driving education helps remove these mistakes from new drivers. It’s not just a perk for those on the road; it’s a necessity. Cars are more than useful tools of transportation – they are multi-thousand-pound pieces of machinery. Even at speeds some would consider slow, they can easily be lethal. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that people who use these machines know how to use them safely, both for themselves and for others.

Education about driving has obvious benefits. It helps people gain introductory comfort towards driving. It teaches and reinforces the rules of the road, such as showing the order people should go at a four-way stop sign intersection. However, an important use that people may not immediately consider is its creation of first impressions among first-time drivers. It introduces the habits that people should do and should never do while driving. Concepts and conducts like using the blinkers are drilled during this introductory period. These lessons create the lasting impressions that the students will follow for the rest of their lives. They will continue to wear their seatbelts throughout their lifetime because of the impressions given during their introduction to driving. People may not always follow the statistics of safety, but they will follow their habits. Furthermore, concepts like texting-while-driving are easier to label as forbidden at the beginning of someone’s driving career rather than at the middle of it. These lessons are the best time for people to gain the life-saving habits that can prevent needless casualties on the road. For this reason alone, some form of driver education should be a necessity for all new drivers. People should encourage their children and the parents of other teenagers to look into these lessons, if only to make the road a safer place.

But there is more to saving lives on the road than education. Training does not cover all avenues of calamitous possibility. Rather, the best way of becoming a better driver, and keeping people on the road safe, is to eliminate all distractions. I almost always shut my iPhone off while driving so that I am never distracted by incoming messages. I never feel tempted to call someone while driving for the same reason. I never eat on the wheel, and I always keep a watch on my emotions during stressful situations. These habits ground me to the road. Even though many eventually become comfortable behind the wheel, it is important to still remain alert and diligent at all times. It is something that I myself should work on, as should everyone else. I remember a quote from the Great Gatsby that summarizes my idea about driving: “It takes two to make an accident.” If I’m not one of the two, I’m safe. Or, in other words, as long as I remain careful and alert, collisions become far less likely. Although this quote is not a universal truth, being vigilant on the road will always make it a safer place.

The highways will become safer if everyone becomes better drivers. However, perhaps a greater threat to people in vehicles is drunk driving. In the US, 31% of crash fatalities involve drivers with a BAC of over .08. Against alcohol, alertness and good habits are not good enough. Even driving education becomes little more than a flimsy shield. The inebriated have little control of their frontal lobe – their decision-making is too impaired to be trusted. They cannot fully comprehend the danger of driving while intoxicated, even if the lessons are drilled into their skulls. DUIs and punishments cannot deter those mentally impaired. Therefore, in order to combat this threat, drivers should expect it and plan accordingly.

A person should always bring a sober friend to any event where they plan to drink. They should put a breathalyzer in the car or take an uber to a party. When preparing to drink, take precautions before becoming too intoxicated to think clearly. These measures will help not only the driver, but the responsible innocents on the road as well.

The world of vehicular transportation is massive. Considering the number of people involved, as well as the inherent risks of these fast-moving automobiles, it seems impossible that driving will ever become perfectly safe. However, following these procedures – removing distractions, planning for inebriation, etc. – and sharing them with others is certainly a step in the right direction.