The Solvable Impossibility – Driving in the Modern Day

Driving is both riveting and exhilarating as it is dangerous and anxiety-inducing, young and inexperienced drivers are more at risk of an accident than ever before. Learning to safely and properly operate a motor vehicle is essential to everyone’s safety while out on the road, you have to respect and understand that you are solely responsible for operating the vehicle you are in.

Driver education begins at a young age for most, roughly 15.5 years of age, and are enrolled in a driving school where they are instructed on the basics of vehicle operations and rules and regulations while on the road. Here they will be tested and issued a license upon their completion of the course. The issue becomes apparent when you realize the capacity of knowledge a single instructor or school has compared to the incredibly vast amount of information available for vehicles found elsewhere. Online resources along with physical manuals are often more readily accessible for most than saving or remembering a question for an instructor. Accessing new and relevant resources and materials is also important not only for instructors but students as well. Viewing information that seems to be gathered from a much more recent survey or in addition to new video resources as many guides can be very outdated and not show relevant or new information about cars today.

A lot of accidents can be prevented by proper instruction about the process and necessities of owning and driving. Maintaining your vehicle is crucially important for you to safely operate your vehicle, the “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows an average of 45,000 accidents per year are caused by a vehicle malfunction, many of those because of poor maintenance on the owner’s part.” stated in a news article posted By Fox 13 Salt lake City News in 2021 by The Place. They found that on average 35% of accidents are caused due to improper maintenance of the driver’s vehicle the culprit in most cases, are the tires. They listed some tips in order to help new drivers as well.

• If you’ve had tires for more than 5 years get them checked.
  

• Know the correct PSI (find in owner’s manual) and check tire pressure monthly.
  

• Every 3 months check the tread of your tires. Tire specialists recommend the “penny method” by placing a penny head first into the grooves across the tire, if you can still see the top of Lincoln’s head, it’s time for new tires.

Many issues with your vehicle can be diagnosed by yourself as long as you have the information needed, transcribing your questions into Google is a very helpful start in understanding how your car works and how you can keep it on the road for longer. Being safe and caring for a car makes both the driver and the vehicle reliable.

Young drivers can be expected to know many things about their own vehicles starting at the most basic of information to precise information about their exact make and model of vehicle. Knowing the mileage in which you need to check and replace item is necessary for everyone to know.

• Oil changes

• Tire rotation

• Wiper replacement

• Brake pad replacement

All of these items need to be replaced roughly every 5,000 – 10,000 miles depending on the vehicle and it’s use. Other important fluids to check include

• Coolant

• Power steering fluid

• Brake fluid

• Transmission fluid

• Windshield washer fluid

It’s important that you or a mechanic is aware of the amount and quality of the fluid that is circulating through your vehicle. Any change in level or quality could cause problems and long lasting repairs if not managed properly. The first four fluids have died fluids that can help a mechanic understand where a leak could occurring. Always remember to catalog colors, smells, sounds and sight of issues whenever possible to help the mechanic diagnose the problem. Basic maintenance is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reducing fatalities, we must also identify and mitigate other issues like anxiety and anger issues and how they play into the hands of a driver.

A few tips to dealing with anxiousness when driving are to one “Breathe. Put one hand on your belly and the other on your upper chest. Relax your stomach, breathe in slowly through your nose, and exhale slowly through pursed lips. You’ll know you’re doing it right if your stomach expands and your hand raises, while the hand on your chest stays relatively still.”

Two, “Relax your muscles. Close your eyes. Make a tight fist and squeeze, holding it for a few seconds. Slowly open your fingers, focusing on the feeling of tension leaving your hand. Continue tensing and releasing muscles in your hands, legs, shoulders, and feet.”

Three, “Count. Count slowly from 1 to 20, focusing only on the numbers and letting other thoughts subside. If you need a challenge, try counting backwards or by a unique number (for example, count to 100 by 7s).”

Four, “Know when to slow down. If you’re still feeling stressed, angry, or upset, then you may not be ready to hit the road. Call a friend to talk it out or find another ride. driv

Many issues with driving stem from traumatic experiences such as accidents at a young age. I myself have been in my fair share of accidents none of which where the fault of my own, the only real big accident I was involved in was a 4 car collision in front of my high school. From that day I never drove down the same road or parked in the same parking lot. I have fears of traffic and the accidents that can be caused of it and to combat that I practice different techniques of calming myself and find easier routes for me to take at different times. I found ways to conquer my issues with vehicles and the stresses of driving and I know others can too, only if they knew the information to be confident and safe on the road.