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[Master Raiden]

People wonder why I never learned how to drive

It's because driving is scary as hell

Everything is scary when you first start. I can tell you driving was scary for me at first.
Moving to another school where you don't know anyone is scary. Starting a new job is scary. Moving out is scary. But that doesn't mean you can't do it and be successful at it.

The first step is always the hardest. But then it becomes easier, not because it actually gets easier, but because you get better. This pretty much applies to everything in life.

How many times in the news do you hear about fatal car accidents

How many times do you see a twisted wreckage of a crash on the side of the road

Media bias leads us to believe that things happen more often than they do because they are reported more often. If there was 1 report for every person who arrived at their destination without an accident along the way, you would probably need hundreds of TV channels reporting it 24/7.

Here's a challenge for you if you think car accidents are common. Go out and try to witness an accident. You probably won't be able to >99% of the time. And even if you manage to, no one will be injured most of the time.

I've witnessed 2 crashes myself, one of them was at an intersection where a woman got blindsided

I could see her head slump down after the hit, it was horrifying

And I still don't know if she was okay or not, I couldn't find the accident report in the news

I thought "If we had been at this intersection 5 seconds sooner, we might not be here"

So I'd rather put the driving to someone with more experience

Someone who doesn't get as nervous and panicky

The thing is, if someone runs a red light and T-bones you without you seeing them, experience will do nothing to prevent the collision.

If you want to be safe, it's good to always be cautious and not be lazy when driving.
This means you should continue to do things that many experienced drivers no longer do, such as:

• always having both hands on the wheel
  
• always checking your blind spot even if you're certain nothing is there
  
• always following a safe distance behind the vehicle in front.
  

And being extra cautious with things such as:

• looking both ways before going when the light turns green
  
• not staying beside another vehicle when turning, or going around a roundabout
  
• doing a defensive driving course to improve your skills
  

If you are riding in a car with someone who does not do these things, you could potentially be a safer driver than them. All you need to do is get started and become comfortable with driving first.

Driving can be fun and grants you a lot of freedom. If you have decided you never want to drive, affordable self-driving cars are probably no more than 10 years away.