Driving – A Powerful Drug

There are many substances that surprise people once they realize they are considered a drug: caffeine, which is found in chocolate, coffee, and soft drinks. However, the actual classification of being a drug is not what makes it dangerous; it is the feeling these substances provide that is the real problem. Therefore, the act of driving falls under the category of providing a drug related experience which is why it is key for driver safety to be aware of the lethal effects of overconfident novice drivers.

The euphoria of adolescent freedom. Finally holding that fresh set of keys in your hand, annoyingly telling everyone around you that you have your own ride, is a key stepping stone for many teens. However, to be frank this role of a semi-adult that “understands” responsibilities by being legally able to drive can crumble before the blink of an eye. Driver education is incorporated in every state as part of the process to gain a license, but the program will only give the future driver as much as they put into it. With full attentiveness, a future driver can greatly reduce their possibility of causing a driving related death. Driver education is not a compromised check list that reminds one to put on a seat belt, but it thoroughly goes in depth as to what is at stake and the proper measurements to be a cautious driver in effort to prevent these matters from occurring. Therefore, with proper training with driver education, new drivers can focus on prevention rather than remediation.

Unfortunately, I have fallen under the statistic of a novice driver causing a car accident. As someone who practices safe driving practices – no phone usage, low volume of music playing, and constantly checking my blind spots – it goes to show the road requires a constant state of awareness that can not be subdued by the drug-inducing air of confidence. Immediately after the crash, both parties were lucky to not be injured, and insurance was available on both sides. However, the wake-up call from the event was the true learning experience that I needed. Being a safe driver not only means to read the textbook on driver education, but to put advice to practice. Therefore, even if one is not behind the steering wheel, simply being in a vehicle, grants one responsibility for having a safe driving experience.

Distractions are endless in our status quo, but friends who speak-up against unsafe driving practices such as speeding and unnecessarily high volumes of music are sadly very low in number. Being overly cautious can truly save lives and is the first step to helping others to be safer on the road. Unfortunately through experience, answering many phone calls from an insurance company and hearing the financial consequences of a car accident, are a hundred percent not worth going through over taking an extra thirty seconds to check your blind spot – no matter how confident you are they are clear.

In addition to this outline concerning the drug-like dangers of driving over confidently, there is another aspect that goes hand-in-hand with being a responsible driver: practice. While permits only require six months in most states of supervised driving, by no means is one prepared to handle every roadway with only half a year’s worth of experience. US Highways, according to Wikipedia, have seen more deaths from 2005 through 2012 than in the Korean War which has 33,686 deaths from combat. In the 21st century, there is little reason as to why our Country’s highways should be related to a war zone. The best remedy is in education. With the proper training, novice drivers can truly understand why people harp on the fact that driving is a privilege not a right. With this mindset in place rather than the overwhelming high of freedom of transportation, people are better equipped to take driver education seriously rather than as another check box to get that shiny new card from the DMV. Furthermore, this new outlook on driver education can encourage new drivers to speak up to parental figures or other older family members to oversee their driving and have feedback as they encounter complex roadways such as highways before growing comfortable in their lack of ability and risking every day.

Luckily, no one is alone in the process. Everyone is in the same circumstance in constantly needing to be an attentive driver. Therefore, being that friend that lowers the volume of the radio, encourages everyone to silence their notifications on their phones, and check the driver’s blind spots despite not being behind the wheel is far more valuable than sitting back and trusting people’s lives in the hands of a driver that breezed through driver education. All in all, not allowing novice drivers to fall victim to the drug-like symptoms of finally being able to drive will encourage better attention to driver education, a greater average of peers being cautious passengers, and overall a safer status of the roads benefiting all drivers.