Know Your Limits

In
The Driver’s Seat

Besides
understanding Drivers Ed is the class ‘where you get a license
and learn to drive’, what else makes it significant, or is that
all? Before anyone, key word anyone, can enter a car and have the
privilege to operate it, they must have taken a class equivalent to
or exactly understood as Drivers ed. It is mandatory. Some
may complain “That is dumb to fail me for glancing at my phone for
a few seconds.” or “Why do I have to put on my seatbelt if my
parents don’t?”. However, have those same people seen the rising
statistics of people dying on the road due to unsafe practices or
habits others could not see necessary to break? The proper techniques
and education students receive in their Drivers Ed class deems a
safer future and more responsibility on the roads. It is important
that students practice driving under precise monitoring and receive
feedback to better their skills. Also, it is important that if one is
not ready it will most likely show and they will not continue onto a
license until they meet proper driving requirements.

Many
organizations, schools, and individuals have given more attention to
aggressive driving and other unsafe habits presented on the road.
Yet, there are still those that make their decisions carelessly. More
pressure on these subjects should be addressed often to shed some
light on what one is really doing when they choose to drink and drive
or speed their way through traffic. It may be cliche to assume it is
always the younger generation, however, sometimes more than often it
happens to be. Why? Because they adopt bad habits or attitudes
elsewhere. Parents are a major part of this and we need to better
teach children by example because unfortunately a temporary class and
someone lecturing you on others’ deaths and mistakes can only do so
much.

I
have been in a vehicle where there would have been an accident. My
friend was driving with me to school one morning. It happened to be
fairly dark because daylight savings in the winter; it was 7:30 AM.
We were talking and I guess he was more engaged mindfully in our
conversation than the road. We were approaching a light then before I
could respond to him I was confused. I have never seen someone’s
face shift so fast. Before I could react, he hit his brakes and we
swerved to the side of the road. I yelled at him and he explained
that as we were driving there was a student crossing the road and for
some reason he did not see the light at all. It was red. He was too
occupied in what we were talking about than the road that he did not
see the road completely; he was not alert enough.

This
close experience changed my perspective. Hearing about things
obviously are not the same as experiencing something like it, but
anyone can assure you you would not want to anyway. To become a
better and safer driver, you should always make sure you have a
clear, reasonable mind. That you can see the road not only visually,
but understand it mentally. You should also make sure your vehicle is
in just as good shape as yourself. Then take precautions with your
emotions and decisions; think of all possible consequences because
regardless you affect others. Make sure you also rid yourself of any
cliche distractions and advice. Always wear your seatbelt. That text
CAN wait. That snap from Jeff CAN wait, Jeff is patient so you should
be. And that call from your Mom freaking out whether you need more
toilet paper or not maybe cannot wait so pull off to the side and
PARK. Jokes aside, it takes a few seconds to take another’s
infinite seconds. What are you willing to risk?