You Only Live Once dont waste it

You
Only
Live
Once

Don’t waste it.

In today’s world, one of the leading causes of death in people
younger than 30 is traffic accidents. It is crucial that new drivers
are properly recognizing the dangers and responsibility’s paired
with driving. Obviously, there is no cure for human error and teenage
stupidity but with proper teaching we can hope to mitigate or reduce
both issues.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about getting a
driver’s license is freedom. Many see that as an opportunity to let
loose, have fun, and maybe break a few rules. But the fact of the
matter is because of that freedom we need to know what to properly do
with it, or else reckless decisions can be made. Decisions many of us
would not make had we known better. Many take for granted and/or
don’t understand the speed and power of our vehicles.

To
reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and damages of reckless or
distracted driving, we need to take extra care to ensure all new
drivers understand the facts. No matter how good a multi-tasker they
think they are, vehicles move so quickly that our normal reaction
times are barely enough, so we can not afford to impair or restrict
it further in any way. This is one of the many reasons why phones and
other distractions need to stay stowed away whenever you’re in the
drivers’ seat. We also need to make proper use of seatbelts and
other protective devices at all times should a crash ever occur, just
because you are a safe driver doesn’t mean the people in the cars
around you are.

In
2018 my mother and sister were on their way home when the car in
front of them, after hitting a dog, pulled an illegal U-turn in the
middle of the highway. The driver of the car (who turned out to have
a suspended license) ended up striking my mom’s car and scraping
their front end down the length of my mother’s vehicle. When I
first heard the news, I was understandably worried and upset, I
couldn’t believe this had happened to a close family member. After
we arrived on the scene, I learned two things, one, my mother and
sister were sore but unhurt and two, the driver of the other vehicle,
the vehicle at fault in the crash, had a suspended license. I was
shocked, when your license is suspended it is usually because you
fail to understand or comply with basic safety regulations. I
couldn’t believe that someone who knew they didn’t have a full
understanding of traffic safety and knew they were an unsafe driver
would drive anyway, and with two small children no less. I knew that
change needed to be made, but I couldn’t figure out how. Part of
the issue is people who make decisions like this are ignorant of the
fact that they are risking the safety of others when they make them.
In their minds they know everything and can’t possibly be wrong and
partake unsafe actions without realizing that they are, in fact,
unsafe actions.

After a lot of thought I realized that besides texting and driving,
we don’t necessarily tell young drivers how to react in certain
situations because it is considered common sense to not do certain
things. In today’s world, we need to be more vigilant in making
young people aware of what to do in unusual situations, such as when
you blow a tire, or the car if front of you starts fishtailing in wet
conditions. Driving schools and insurance companies can offer
discounts to people who register to a notification app. This app
would post notifications on all of the users social medias that can
detail what is the safest course of action should these situations
occur, especially scenarios that create an emotionally influenced
response that is potentially unsafe, ex, when you hit a dog or cat in
the road.

To be a safer driver, we must
always remember and follow road laws. Most importantly, be mindful of
not only us and our passengers, but everyone in the vehicles around
you as well. While there is no cure for basic human error or
thoughtlessness, I believe both of these issues can be reduced
through more in-depth teaching techniques that focus on how young
minds take in information. We need to teach new drivers in a way that
fully engages their attention and makes them really what to listen
and follow the advice being given to them. This should lessen the
chance that someone feels the childish urge to “rebel” against
authority, hurting themselves and potentially others in the process.
I strongly believe that if these techniques are used, we can all move
forward to a safer future.