Why Driving is a Privilege

For as long as I could remember, my parents have told me to never trust anyone on the road. Before I began my driving journey six months back, I always thought this to be a silly saying trying to scare me out of the enjoyment of driving. The independence, freedom, and excitement that came with me getting my license overruled any and all pessimistic comments my mom and dad have made in the past about the “real world” of the road. I had assumed that they were telling me these horrific accidents and absolutely heart wrenching deaths to try and get me to stay home longer, to not leave the nest so soon. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago where all of their so-called “ridiculously dramatic” storytelling tendencies became words I will now abide by for the rest of my life.

Living in a small, mountain town in upstate New York is absolutely beautiful: the scenery, community, and breathtaking seasonal changes will never compare to anywhere else in my book. However, with this amazing mountainside comes an overwhelming amount of windy, poorly paved roads and blind turns. One day, I was walking out of my local gym when I heard a loud, whiny motorcycle zip by on the street, flying by four, then eight, then ten cars on the main road. Knowing the area well, I immediately noticed he must’ve been going at least 70 miles an hour, as the cars already going in that direction have a 45 mile an hour speed limit. I kept this bike bookmarked in my mind, not just because it was lime green and super cool-looking, but because he was going fast enough for me to hold my breath as my eyes followed him down the way. I get into my car, fasten my seatbelt, and begin my ride home, in the same direction as the lime green bike. I get to the first light, then the second, continuing on my route with the sound of the bike replaying in my head, over and over and over again.

As I’m driving through the slightly-congested, small town of Patterson NY, I catch a glimpse of flashing blue and red lights in my rearview, quickly followed up by blaring sirens. Immediately after pulling off into a side street, it looked like the lights were multiplying. First a cop car passes, next a sheriff, and finally, two ambulances. My heart was pounding out of my chest, terrified of what called for this train of first responders. They turn right, making their way in the direction of my house, going so fast that I quickly lose them around the corner. Breathing slow, deep breaths, I carry on with my trek home. About five minutes pass, no sign of any emergency anywhere. A slight sigh of relief leaves my body, assuming the worst is probably over. Unfortunately, to my dismay, as I take a sharp left turn and make my way up the steep hill, I am greeted with one of the most disturbing sights a driver can see: a car accident. But, something about this accident I found all too familiar. My eyes scan across the scene, and after frantically panning my vision, I see a bike smashed into what seemed to be a million pieces right there on the ground. But it wasn’t just any bike… it was lime green. All of the dots immediately connect in my head. The biker who I just saw less than 10 minutes prior, who quite literally made me think to myself, “he is going way too fast”, had crashed into the driver’s side of a car. There were no ambulances to be seen, and no biker. The driver of the car that was hit was luckily standing outside of it, passionately explaining to the cops what had happened.

Driving home that day was solemn. Silent. Thoughts rushing in my mind a million miles a minute. “I hope he’s okay”. Prayers were mumbled and hearts were heavy. While I am completely aware that there was nothing I could do to prevent this, my witnessing of this whole thing unfold made me feel sick to my stomach. I got home, called my mom, and impatiently waited to hear the news of whether or not this biker was alive. My mom scoured the Facebook community page in search of an answer. Thankfully, I heard pretty soon after that both the driver and the biker were okay, the biker walking off with only minor injuries.

As hard as it may be for many children my age to admit, I can confidently say that my parents were right. Driving is not only a privilege, but a danger if not taken seriously. Diligence and hyper awareness is insanely important when ensuring the safety of both yourself and those around you. The simple actions of looking both ways, going the speed limit, coming to a full stop, and keeping an eye on all mirrors while driving will never be insignificant, as it could change the entire trajectory of yours or someone else’s life, just like in this situation. Going fast does not make you look cool, and it is one of the riskiest moves you could possibly make on the road.