Driving Essay

Learning to drive was the scariest thing for me to overcome thus far. I am an extremely careful driver and have never been in an accident or gotten a ticket; but it took me a long time to get my liscense in the first place. I obtained my drivers liscence shortly before my twentieth birthday while the rest of my peers around me got theirs at the age of sixteen. I was riddled with anxiety even with attending drivers ed years before. I’m glad I attended the classes though, there were lots of things it taught me that i didnt know. Family, friends, and aquaintences all told me driving would be a breaze because it’s all common sense. While I agree with them to an extent; there was still quite a lot to learn that many of my classmates, including me, did not know. For example, did you know that using places such as gas stations to avoid an intersection is illegal? Or that your oil needs to be changed about every three thousand miles?

Ive been driving consistently for about two years now but that doesnt mke it any less scary. I don’t have as much anxiety as I used to where I would spiral into full on panic attacks but that doesnt make me any less careful. I’m just more relaxed. I think my anxiety for driving stems from my family’s history of accidents. My uncle, my fathers younger brother, died in a drunk driving accident when I was very little. Too little to remember very much about him, that doens’t mean it hasn’t been a constant reminder. Shortly after my younger brother got his liscence he got into an accident and our younger sister was riding with him in the front seat. He took a sharp corner a little fast and the car landed on its side. Thankfully they are both ok but I had no idea until they came home that night. That accident was only the first of many, if i’m honest. Both my parents are addicted to texting and driving and my dad drives drunk often. I wish he would just stay the night wherever he’s at just like he has always told me to do; or to call him if I need a ride home.

From these experiences around me I never text and drive. I may pick up the occasional phone call but I answer those through my bluetooth radio. I don’t drink in general but if I were to ever be intoxicated I would not be getting into my own car or the car of someone who is also intoxicated. I am extremely vigilant of my surroundings at all times and I never speed. My greatest fear when I’m behind the wheel is getting into an accident and having someone other than myself die or be irreversably injured. I would never be able to forgive myself. The thought of one of my siblings or parents dieing in an accident sends me into a depressive and anxiety ridden spiral.

Safe driving is so important to me for these reasons and so many more. There are so many dangerous factors on the roads that can lead to deadly accidents. From ice to animals, drunk drivers, or people who speed and weave between traffic with no regard for others safety. People who drive angry or tired. I can only hope that someday everyone will take driving more seriously so we can see a decrease in annual car related deaths. I strongly believe that everyone learning to drive should attend driver’s education and that the classes should be extended to over a longer period of time. Most classes on average range from only a few weeks to a couple of months. To me that just doesnt seem like enough time; the learning is so rushed and not everybody owns a training car where the teacher has a brake pedal on the passenger side as well. I would also like to see drivers ed be implemented back into public schools as a mandatory course. This would mean that students would be taught how to drive for the entirety of a school year so they have the knowledge necessary to be excellent drivers! We dont live in a perfect world but there are things we can do to make it better and it starts with little steps. Be it through parents or teachers we can show our younger generations to be calm and collected drivers. We can teach them how to be responsible not only for their own life, but for the lives around them as well.