Name: Jordan Cook
From: Florence, South Carolina
Votes: 0
The
Ignorance Hidden in Excitement
All
through their short lives, children dream about getting a license and
driving. They fantasize about a new car and driving themselves the
“spot” to hang out with friends but most of all, they desire the
freedom and privacy that comes along with this milestone. However,
while these things are extremely exciting to a teenager, excitement
tends to overshadow the severity driving holds as well as the
responsibility it takes to be a safe and effective driver. Motor
vehicles can be extremely dangerous if placed in irresponsible,
careless hands. Drivers ed is very important to equip
drivers with knowledge on how to protect those around them; however,
it is ultimately up to the driver to save other’s lives.
Most
people have experienced some type of unsafe driving. Personally, two
events stick out in my mind. The first is my mother. She was rear
ended by a young, reckless driver who accelerated as soon as the
stoplight turned green, without paying attention to the traffic in
front of him. This resulted in her seat being launched backwards,
trapping her. Not only did this terrify her, but it totaled her brand
new mustang and has given her back problems she still struggles with
today. The second incident was much more tragic and involves a girl
who was a year ahead of me in high school. Unfortunately, she lost
her life because of a driver’s intoxication and general misconduct.
Although I did not know her well, she was a fellow student athlete
and an overall bright soul; for that reason, her passing has
particularly impacted me and how I think about driving. This
heartbreaking accident weighted on our heavily school. Everyone in
the school felt the loss, no matter how well they knew her. This type
of pain is felt by people every day without a reason, as it could
easily be eliminated.
There
are precautions being taken to prevent these tragedies from
happening, such as required Drivers Ed and modifications to
licenses (such as day licenses and waivers), but this has not
alleviated every accident. The dangers of driving are not taken
seriously. Simply look at the texting and driving or drinking and
driving epidemic to see how little has been accomplished in attempts
to make driving safer. The only way driving can truly be improved is
if every driver makes a conscious decision and take it upon
themselves to change these habits and ultimately improve the roads
while sparing thousands from pain of a lost loved one.
Furthermore, the only way young drivers can reach this conclusion, is
if they are educated and aware of the gravity involved when driving
to the mall for Chinese food.
