Name: Emma Jaswal
From: St. Catharines, Ontario
Votes: 0
Driver
Education Initiative 2019 – Real- life Responsibility
Emma
Jaswal
From
the time I was a little girl, I have always been excited to gain the
freedom that driving a car would provide me with. At that time, I had
no idea that driving a car is a major responsibility, with a lot of
preparation. In all my daydreaming, it never occurred to me that
there was so much to learn and practice before I could safely sit
behind the wheel and drive away. Today, I will be explaining the
steps I took to gain the responsibility to become a smart and safe
driver.
Technology
has become more and more widely used for a variety of things in the
twenty-first century. Before taking my G1 test, I discovered an app
that would teach me the rules of the road, and the signs that I would
encounter while driving. I was committed to learning what I needed to
know to become the best driver I could be and used this app to help
me practice almost daily. “G1 Test Genius”, the app that I used,
has aided many other people become aware of the rules of the road
than I had even realized. This app has had over ten thousand
downloads and has made about five thousand dollars. It has many
five-star ratings and many success stories have been shared because
of its use (1). The many positive comments and ratings on this app,
and even my own experiences with it, showcases the importance of
education for soon to be drivers. The app serves as an extremely
helpful resource to gain and even refresh your knowledge.
Another
extremely useful resource that I used to gain knowledge about safety
on the road was the in-class drivers ed that I took. I took this even
before I had even gotten behind the wheel, and it was a great way for
me to realize how much responsibility I would have while driving.
Taking this course was a great decision for me and is for everyone
learning to drive. Drivers who don’t take their drivers ed are
75% more likely to get a ticket, 24% more likely to be involved in a
crash with a fatal injury and 16% more likely to get into an accident
than drivers who take the course (2). This shows that taking the time
out of your day to become more educated can save lives. I have
personally never been involved in a car accident when one of my
friends or I was behind the wheel.
Once I had gained
all the knowledge I needed to be successful on the road, I started
taking my in-car driving lessons, where I learned how to drive from a
professional. I think that learning from a professional rather than a
family member or friend is a very smart choice to make. My driving
instructor was very experienced and taught me everything correctly,
whereas when one of my parents taught me, it’s likely they passed
their mistakes on to me. Also, when I did drive for my parents, they
seemed to have opposite ideas about how I was driving! It was
very confusing, and somewhat frustrating. I also tried my best to
practice driving as well as my parallel parks as often as I could.
According to professionals, “Deliberate practice was a strong
overall predictor of success in many performance domains, and not
surprisingly, people who report practicing a lot generally tend to
perform at a higher level than people who practice less” (3). I
guess we don’t say practice makes perfect for nothing!
Interestingly, as I did get better as a driver, I became more aware
of how complacent other drivers, including my parents, become after
they’ve been driving for a while.
Now,
I get to do what I had dreamed of when I was young. I can get
in the car and drive, confidently and safely. I have the ability and
freedom to drive wherever, and whenever I need. (I still have
to ask for the car keys, though.) Overall, I think that I took many
important steps in becoming a safe and responsible driver, and they
have definitely paid off!
Sources
“G1
Test Genius Ontario – Revenue & Download Estimates – Apple App
Store – Canada.” Sensor
Tower,
https://sensortower.com/ios/ca/elegant-elearning/app/g1-test-genius-ontario/510568507/overview.
(1)
University
of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Study: Drivers Ed Significantly Reduces Teen
Crashes, Tickets.” Study:
Drivers Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets | News
Releases | University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
https://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study: Drivers ed
significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets. (2)
“Does
Practice Really Make Perfect?” ScienceDaily,
ScienceDaily, 16 July 2014,
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716123835.htm.
(3)
