Driving Towards a Better Tomorrow

Hawkins
George Pontes

Driving
Towards a Better Tomorrow

In
1956, the Federal-Aid Highway act was passed which authorized the
construction of over 41,000 miles of highway and interstate roads.
This act tried to create “speedy, safe transcontinental travel”
and eliminate the need to travel on unsafe
back and gravel roads. However, this act only served to become the
cause of over 34,000 deaths nationally.

Driving
is a privilege that many citizens take for granted, especially
teenagers. Children wait over 16 years to earn their license which
clouds the importance of knowing safe drivers ed. Furthermore,
with the transition of our society to be tech-based, 84 percent of
teenagers now have a phone. As such, 33% of teenagers admit to using
a phone while driving according to Edgar
Snyder. States need to recognize this increase in phone-use and
pass regulations, such as Georgia’s “Hands Off” law.

Furthermore,
drivers ed courses have one major flaw and need to be revised
in order to effectively decrease the amount of driving-related
deaths. Engaging in a driver-education course allows teenagers (and
new drivers) to understand driver laws, learn ways to be a safe
driver, and prepare themselves for the first time they drive.
However, a majority of these courses are booked months in advance and
are not even available during periods when school is in session. As
such, many students have to wait months to take the course after they
turn 16 years of age. Thus, some students start driving before they
even take the class; they have not even been exposed to material that
drivers are expected to know. Therefore, the school system and the
drivers ed class need to establish a way for students to engage
in the drivers ed course during periods of school, instead of
waiting months for a school break. With this, many drivers ed
courses are now being offered online which is a step toward
effectively reducing the number of deaths related to driving.

Driver
courses although still do not completely reduce the risk of car
crashes. I personally took a drivers ed course with a friend of
mine. We passed the final exam with high A’s and earned our
licenses. However, in January I was eating at a local wing restaurant
and heard an ambulance flying down the road I was on. I was praying
for who the ambulance was for and hoping they were safe. At that
moment, I get a text from the same friend I took my driver course
with. She said she was in a car wreck on the same street I was eating
at. The ambulance I saw was going to her and my heart sunk, but
thankfully she was ok. She admitted she was not paying attention to
the road and inadvertently
ran a red-light. Thus, teenagers need to learn to pay attention to
the road at all times, including myself. The road is a danger that
many do not see as dangerous.