Name: Kiron Hattingh
From: Overland Park, Kansas
Votes: 0
Kiron Hattingh
When we are in
middle school, we see how having a car is important. With cars we can
drive to our friends’ houses, go to after-school sports, be on our
way to work, and essentially be at the places we need to be without
having to go through the inconvenience of asking our parents or an
older friend with a license for a ride.
It is crucial
that we learn to drive safely and responsibly. Drivers Ed classes
can be a lot of fun, but it is important that new drivers take
thorough defensive driving courses. These types of classes teach us
how to be safer and think ahead on the road, the important part of
these classes is that the students need to learn that driving safely
is not just for their own benefit, but for the safety of others on
the road as well.
Parents need to
take an extra step in talking with their new drivers; being on your
phone in front of the steering wheel is a deadly, even if it is just
a glance for a few seconds. iPhones now have a setting called “Do
Not Disturb While Driving”, this is a revolutionary step towards
being focused on the road. Schools and Parents need to note the
importance of staying off your phone while driving, and this setting
is quite literally a lifesaver. It would be extremely beneficial for
high schools to implement their very own “Driver’s Recap”
course or discussion. Through this, students can engage on ways to
drive safer among their peers and receive reminders on what to do and
not to do on the road, summarize laws and regulations and explain why
they were put in place.
There are
multiple instances where my friends have totaled their cars due to
not paying attention to the road. My brother hit a deer with his
newly bought car, as a family we have Life360 installed on our phones
that tracks our speed, how many times we look at our phone and how we
drive. My brother was driving a little faster that the speed limit,
the road was wet after it had rained, and he had looked at his phone
to change music. Even with the negligence displayed, deer accidents
happen instantly even when you are paying full attention to the road.
Whenever I am in
a car with a friend, I make sure that seatbelts are worn at all
times. I have told many of my friends to get new brakes, new tires
and even new windshield wipers. I explain to them the importance of
all these things so that they understand what could happen if
precautions are not taken. I make sure that I do not speed, when I
get a text or a snapchat from a friend and I know that they are
driving, I tell them to put their phone down and talk to me when they
have gotten home. I highly encourage everyone I know to focus on the
road and know that they are driving a machine that can take a life
just as quickly as the time it takes to look at a text.
