In the Passenger’s Seat

In
the Passenger’s Seat

By
Ashleigh Briggs

Oftentimes,
blame following a tragedy such as a car accident tends to fall
exclusively on the driver of the vehicle. Were
they paying attention to the road?
You might ask. Surely,
they must have been distracted.
Cell phones and passengers are distracting, and a good driver knows
how to tune it all out, but it is irresponsible to continue to ignore
the impact of the passengers of a vehicle in tragic accidents.

Driver
education was an irreplaceable opportunity for me and many others to
learn about and come to terms with the responsibilities that fall
upon passengers in a vehicle. Being self-aware is an essential aspect
of safe driving and being a safe passenger for your loved ones.
Drivers ed taught me how to prevent accidents by being a good
passenger. The number of deaths as a result of driving could be
reduced significantly if passengers took care to prevent becoming a
distraction in the vehicle and acted against dangerous driving that
they may witness.

Similarly,
the importance of being a safe passenger also applies to the severe
danger of impaired driving. Being a responsible passenger means doing
everything in your power to prevent somebody who is impaired from
getting behind the wheel and understanding that it simply is not
worth the risk to get into a vehicle with somebody impaired.

Being
in a car accident is terrifying. Even more so when it is not your
fault, but rather, the other vehicle’s irresponsibility directly
affecting your health and safety. While I have not been in an extreme
car accident, I have been in a vehicle that was rear-ended. It is so
important for drivers to be educated on the impacts of distracted
driving on not only themselves, but everybody who is sharing the
road. The passenger in the vehicle that had rear-ended mine began to
distract the driver, thus causing them to look away from the road for
a brief second, but that is all it took for the accident to occur.
Being a responsible passenger means giving the driver the space
required to drive safely.

The
biggest lesson that I was taught during drivers ed was that I
am not the only person on the road. My actions directly affect other
people, other families, and other lives. By being a good passenger
and reducing dangers such as distracted driving and impaired driving,
you can become safer on the road and help everybody involved.
Educating the masses about the possibility of completely changing or
ending a life while driving is necessary to make the roads safer for
generations to come.