Driving Is Your Responsibility

I do not have my drivers license. I’m one of the rare kids in the senior class without one. I’ve got no special painted parking spot and I still rely on my parents to drive me to and from hangouts with my friends. However, I have my learners permit which expires in four months. Everyday people ask me when I’m doing my test, when I’m gonna finally get my license and I still don’t know.

I could’ve gotten ahead like everyone else, taking the permit test at 15 ½ and getting my license on the day I turned 16, but I didn’t. I was never eager to get behind the wheel, because I’m terrified.

The way I saw it, I was putting myself, a teenager, in front of an extremely dangerous machine. Sitting in the driver’s seat was sitting in a gilded cage of sharp metal and flammable materials, surrounded by millions of other people in my same position, but lots of them didn’t see it the way I did. One wrong move on the road could change everything in less than a second. I could crash into another car and seriously hurt someone or myself. I could ram into someone’s side and paralyze them, I could be stuck by a distracted driver. The kind of responsibility that goes into being in charge of a car was terrifying to me.

My older sister had gotten into two accidents when I was younger. She thankfully was never hurt, but she totaled both of the cars she drove those fateful days. I couldn’t understand, my sister is the most intelligent and collected person I know, yet she was involved in two accidents? It made me sick that she had to go through those experiences when there were plenty of people at my high school bragging about pushing 90 mph on the freeway and never getting so much of a scratch on their car. I would never wish any kind of car accident on anyone, don’t get me wrong. I was in my friend’s mother’s car when we got rear ended on the way home from prom and I felt my soul leave my body. There was barely any damage on the car and nobody got hurt, but the driver got away. That being said, people who drive recklessly are definitely part of the reason I took longer than others to get my license.

One guy at my school wasn’t so lucky. He had taken a turn too quickly and crashed. He spent months in the hospital and missed a term of high school. This horrific event would serve as a grim reminder of how fragile we are in cars, and why we should all strive to be careful.

But, bettering myself during my driving journey took putting myself in some uncomfortable situations. One thing that helped is a teen driver education program. They ran us through several driving simulations such as spinning out, driving off the road and getting back on, swiftly avoiding a collision sight on the freeway, slamming on the brakes, and much more. Having the confidence and awareness of those situations did wonders for my driving skills and I am incredibly grateful for that opportunity.

Nowadays, I’m driving much more confidently. I can merge into the left lane to pass a slow semi truck without slowing down when that would’ve overwhelmed me just a couple months ago. I’m feeling calmer and more in control when I drive. I believe that the way to reduce deaths in driving is to spread more awareness. Driving should be on the top of the list for everyone’s responsibilities given how often it’s brushed off. I also believe everyone should take some kind of defensive driving course before getting their license. Putting yourself in a simulation will give you the confidence and know how to handle a dangerous situation when it happens, and it’ll make people think twice before pulling a risky driving maneuver. I know that there are people at my school who talk about me. “I was stuck behind Mallory on the backroads this morning and she goes so slow.” But, I just keep driving as responsibly and try to set a good example for other drivers by being alert and driving like my life depends on it, because it does.