Fixing The Narrative of Driving

Driving is a milestone that every child dreams of accomplishing. It indicates their freedom giving them a taste of adulthood; however, the death rates that stem from it make driving something to be feared. This is why driver’s education is needed. It will teach people how to drive, yet protect their lives and the lives of those around them. Before I began driving, I listened to other highschoolers and Tv shows that always gave incorrect advice. They said things like speed up when you get to a yellow light, or it’s lame to drive the speed limit, or it’s cool to race your car. It wasn’t until I took a driver’s education class that I learned, driving slower gives you more time to react and that speeding could give you an expensive ticket. Educating people on the truth of driving gives them a chance to understand the responsibility in their hands, and handle it with caution. Once people learn how to handle driving with caution, the number of deaths from accidents will be reduced.

In order to reduce the amount of deaths due to driving, people have to gain awareness of it. People have to know that driving is dangerous, and that it is not without its burdens. For example, making it a required curriculum in school, or even having people from car accidents or their family members speak on the dangers of driving regularly. Society has to teach highschoolers about the dangers of driving so that it becomes common knowledge. People shouldn’t be expected to learn about the risks of driving after they get into a car accident; they should be prepared and know its dangers before they’re allowed on the road. If we teach teenagers about the results of careless driving and engrain it in their minds, then we’ll have a safer community because our drivers are aware of the deaths driving causes.

I have only been in a car wreck once while I was driving. I was fifteen and was one of the first people in my grade to have their restricted license, let alone a car. My ego was high, and I was driving everywhere. It was liberating to be able to get up and go where I wanted when I wanted, take friends home, and go shopping. I loved driving and after a while, was pretty comfortable with the road. Slowly I began to drive a little faster, make riskier turns, and surely enough, I felt the consequences of my actions. It was one day afterschool, and I had dance at 4:30; however, after school traffic made it close to impossible. I had to wait at least twenty minutes at the intersection near the school, I had to stop by my cousin’s house so she could change into her dance clothes, then I had to stop by my house so I could get changed. I was in a rush and had a lot of driving but not enough time. As we were leaving my house, I was at a stop sign waiting to make a right turn, and there was a car across from me waiting to make a left into the lane I was in. Both of us were watching the same lane to see if we would have the right of way. In that lane there was a white truck speeding; I glanced to see if I could beat the truck and turn out. The truck was close and coming fast, so I had to make a quick decision: wait or be quick and make the turn. While I was contemplating my decision, the car in the lane across from me decided to make a left onto my street. In my mind that meant I could go too. I made the turn quickly, and for a while my heart was calm. All of a sudden I heard a large bang up against my window. My cousin screamed, and I immediately snapped my head to see a big, white, truck extremely close to my little, red, honda civic. My eyes were bulging out of my head, and my mind was running wild. I was thinking :“ How did this truck even get beside me there’s no lane here? Was that big bang me?” Meanwhile my cousin in the passenger seat was panicking loudly, screaming my name, and asking questions I didn’t have the answers to. I was in a quiet shock. I was behind the wheel and in her mind, I was an experienced driver. I had to stay calm, but I was freaking out. As I sought to get away from the truck towering over me, my car screeched against the truck to drive away, and I saw my driver’s side mirror hanging by a slight, blue, wire. My mind kept running: “How could this truck just hit me? Do I stay in the middle of the road? Do I keep driving? Is this serious enough to call the police? I’ve never called the police a day in my life, what do I even say?” I decided to call my mom instead. She told me to get the license plate of the truck, but I had driven away. It was too late to turn back and search for the truck, so I continued on to dance. Eventually my mom called the police, in case they were looking for my car, and I was put at fault. Luckily no one was hurt, but I got an expensive ticket, my insurance went up, I had to pay to get my car fixed, and I had to pay to get points taken off of my license. Not only that, but I was no longer allowed to drive where I wanted, and I could no longer pick friends up. It was a small wreck with huge consequences.

After the costly expenses of my accident, I vowed to never drive irresponsibly again. Now I make sure to drive with caution by never going more than five mph over the speed limit, checking multiple times before I pull out, and only driving if necessary. While driving is convenient and sometimes even fun, it’s important to remember the consequences that come with it as well. When you’re behind the wheel you could ruin your future with something as simple as a high ticket or something as costly as ending a life or your own. For this reason society should be more cautious about driving and bring awareness to the danger it poses. If the number of deaths due to car accidents continue to increase there will be a future where driving is no longer an option. Manufacturers have already begun to explore the idea of self operating cars, and public transportation is just as useful as driving one’s own vehicle. People have to see driving as a privilege that can be taken away before they lose it as a whole. Some use driving as a stress relief, everyone has a dream car, it is what all children look forward to when they turn sixteen, it’s a bonding moment for parents as they teach their children how to drive, and it’s a part of our culture. Driving does a great deal for us, but if we don’t change our ways, be sensible to its dangers, and fix the narrative of driving, we will no longer have it to our advantage.