Our Social Responsibility

Our
Social Responsibility

In
these strange and frightening times, the Coronavirus has occupied
most of people’s minds. Every time we step foot outside, we
(justly) fear being exposed to the virus; however, we rarely feel the
same sense of seriousness when we sit behind the wheel. Driving, just
like the coronavirus, can be deadly, so it is imperative that we
approach it with an understanding of the consequences.

Education
is the first step to prevent dangerous and ignorant driving. Drivers
ed clearly lays out the imminent dangers of driving, as well as the
significant punishments that are given to those who partake in
reckless behavior. It teaches you that your license and insurance
prices are not all that’s on the table when you sit behind the wheel
– your own life and the lives of others are too. From my own
experience in driving school, I can say with confidence that the
videos shown to us of distracted or drunk drivers causing devastating
accidents should be enough to single handedly make any teenager
hesitate to check their phone when driving.

This
past summer, my mom and I were rear-ended while waiting at a red
light. We were hit hard and pushed into the (fortunately) empty
intersection. Both cars were totaled. Nobody was severely injured,
but the driver’s inattentive driving created a dangerous and easily
avoidable situation that could have been much worse than it was;
clearly, he did not take his job as a driver with a sense of
seriousness.

Every
time I sit behind the wheel, the first thing I do is put my phone in
the glove compartment. While I never intend to look at it when
driving, its presence alone may be enough to inspire the occasional
glance. Putting the phone away ensures that the temptation to take my
eyes off the road will not build as I hear the vibration of texts
coming through. One step that every driver should take to ensure
safety on the road is getting occasional check-ups on their vehicles.
Many otherwise-preventable accidents are caused by simple failures of
turn signals, brake lights or headlights. Checking that these are all
functional will ensure that you do not cause an accident because of a
simple mechanical mishap.

It
is imperative that we prevent dangerous driving, just as it is that
we prevent the spread of dangerous viruses. Drivers ed
helps ensure that we will understand the importance of taking our
jobs as drivers seriously. The coronavirus has opened people’s eyes
to the direct impact that their actions have on others; if we are not
cautious, we will spread the virus and many more people will die.
Once the pandemic slows, we need to apply this same lesson to
driving. We need to always remember that our poor decisions can take
both our own lives and that of others.