As a busy teen who’s about to acquire her license, I can’t help but think about all the places I’ll be able to go without needing to ask my parents or friends for a ride. A license almost seems like a ticket to freedom, a sacred rite of passage. With this revered milestone, though, there still comes a hefty amount of responsibility.
My mother, in particular, made this newfound truth very apparent as she listened to me drone on and on about how excited I was to drive everywhere I possibly could. She told me that while experience behind the wheel would give me more skill, driving wasn’t only about skill, but also safety. Seeing my confusion about what exactly she meant, she explained that, yes, I would be safer as a skilled driver, but there are other safety measures outside of driving skills that are extremely important for all drivers to understand and acknowledge, especially teens. Heeding her warning and bearing the responsibility of a budding journalistic writer, allow me to share two vital examples of how to stay safe on and off the road.
Starting off easy, let’s begin with something we’re all probably familiar with: pumping gas. When my mom and I were on a road trip and we were low on gas, I noticed that she would pass by and avoid certain gas stations even though we desperately needed fuel. When I asked her why, she explained to me that driving a car a couple more miles on empty (E) is a lot safer than pulling into some sketchy gas station in the middle of the night. What my mom said was a crucial warning that I hadn’t thought to consider.
As a pretty sheltered kid in the safety of Naperville, I thought nothing more of a gas station than a place to fill up my tank. In actuality, there can be dangerous people who lurk around these stations, people especially dangerous to unaware teens. The Commercial Carrier Journal says that around 63,000 violent U.S. crimes a year happen at gas stations. This statistic is just another reason to practice safety at gas stations. Before pulling into a gas station, take into account both what time of day it is, and who is already at the station. For example, when the road trip was just my mom and I, we avoided dimly lit, mainly male-populated, secluded gas stations, especially at night. Instead, my mom chose well-lit, seemingly busy gas stations that were in a more densely populated part of town. For all teens out there, especially girls, be sure to be picky about which gas stations you decide to utilize; you are always better off safe than sorry.
This following tip is easier said than done, but still just as important. According to my parents and numerous driving instructors, we need to be aware of our surroundings. This includes looking for pedestrians, identifying the flow of traffic and realizing when we’re being followed by the same car for an extended period of time. Now, I am not by any means encouraging you to be paranoid about every car that follows you for a couple of minutes. Believe it or not, in a bustling and business-filled city like Naperville, it’s likely you may just be going to the same place. Even so, there are certain scenarios where you might be being followed by a car. So, utilizing the advice I’ve been given throughout my journey to acquire my driver’s license, this is what I believe you should do.
Firstly, before anything else, don’t panic. As I mentioned before, the car behind you may very well have a destination that is in the same direction as yours. Still, there are ways to be sure that you are being followed. The easiest way is making four continuous right turns or four continuous left turns so that you will essentially just drive in a circle. A car that isn’t following you, but is just coincidentally going the same way, may stay with you for a turn or two but then go their own way. However, a car that could be following you will trail all four of your turns, proving that they are aimlessly following your car.
If you determine you are being followed, do not go home or to any place that you visit on a regular basis. If you are being followed and the stalker sees you drive to a familiar location, you will have given away where you live or where they can most likely find you. Instead, stay on busier streets and desperately try to avoid any secluded side roads where you could find yourself alone. The next best thing you can do is navigate your way to a local fire station or police station and call 911. If you are genuinely worried for your safety and you feel you are being followed with malicious intent, a dispatcher can both identify where you are and give you further instructions to maintain your safety. In addition to this, driving to a police station or a fire station, both places stalkers might want to avoid, has a higher likelihood of scaring off the driver as opposed to finding a restaurant or a gas station to park at.
I’m aware that some of us have super-hero complexes in which we believe we are indestructible. Let me be the first to assure you that you are definitely, without a doubt, not indestructible. This means that if you see a suspicious gas station, please do not convince yourself that you will be in and out fast enough before anything bad can happen. If you are being followed by someone in a car, do not try to exit your vehicle and confront the stalker on your own. Danger is real and can affect anyone at almost any time. The CDC says that the leading cause of death for teens is accidents of all varieties. This is why it’s crucially important to educate yourselves on and utilize safety tips as drivers. While I trust these tips I’ve given you will elevate your odds of being safe on and off the road, I still deeply encourage you to do your own research and spread your knowledge with your fellow Huskies. Even with the new opportunities of independence that come with driving, remember the responsibilities that come with it, too; train to be skilled, and choose to be safe.
