Name: Garrett Scott Willingham
From: Cullman, AL
Votes: 0
The
Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men in Relation to Driving
Garrett
Willingham
Driving
is one of the most dangerous things any person can take part in.
Likewise, drivers can become the victims in catastrophic events
despite doing every thing they were supposed to do. Drivers ed
is not valued highly enough by all drivers despite the fact that it
is only for their safety. Drivers ed should be viewed as an
asset to all drivers to help prevent horrible wreckage and to keep
people safe, in general.
Drivers
Education should be taught with a greater amount of urgency. For
example, while I was in Drivers ed, most fifteen-year-old kids
did not care for the class too much. Most children, and adults even,
view Drivers ed as more of a right of passage than one of the
most important classes they will ever take. Too many people who take
Drivers ed will pass the class without ever acknowledging what
they have learned in the class. For example, a friend of mine was in
a wreck because of texting and driving. Simple things like texting
and driving are well known to be illegal yet people still do them on
a regular basis; therefore, if people are willing to break rules they
are constantly reminded of, then who is to say they are not driving
completely lawless?
Personally,
I try to eliminate distractions to the best of my ability while
driving, though my actions do not control how other people drive. The
day I received my licensed I vowed to not text and drive to avoid
being in a wreck like my friend, so I completely shutdown my phone in
order to avoid the temptation entirely. Furthermore, I created a
playlist on an iPod Shuffle that I keep plugged into my vehicle in
order to avoid being distracted by the radio. However, no matter how
well I intend to drive, others will still be delinquents on the road.
For example, there have been many times where I have been driving on
backroads and almost been hit head on because of what appears to be
an experienced driver behind the wheel texting.
I
have only experienced one wreck in my lifetime. In my hometown, two
highways merge at a busy intersection and when turning right there is
an outlet separate from the highway that instructs drivers to yield;
however, most people tend to drive straight through the intersection
because they usually do not have to yield to anyone. One time while
my family was in town, we stopped in this outlet and had to yield,
but a driver rear ended our vehicle because she was not paying
attention and did not recognize the car in front of her had to yield.
In other words, the driver’s lack of attention caused the wreck.
Despite my father doing what he was supposed to do, my family became
the victims in a wreck because of the faults of a driver not doing
what they were taught to do. Therefore, people need to apply more
emphasis to the necessity of Drivers ed.
I
believe I could be a better driver if I did not have a tendency to
procrastinate. I am always on time to everything but I will often
leave with just enough time to get to my destination. However, when
something unexpected happens such as unforeseen red lights or
traffic, I will admittedly sometimes speed. I can be a better driver
by leaving at an earlier time in order to account for possible delay.
On the other hand, I do promote good driving by being an example for
my friends by turning off my phone while driving.
Drivers
Education is undoubtedly one of the most underappreciated assets of
our education and should be held to a higher standard. Driving is far
too dangerous for people not to take it as a serious task. Some
drivers’ negligence can cause the most diligent drivers to be
involved in terrible situations they never hoped to be in. In the
words of Robert Burns, “The best laid plans of mice and men often
go awry.”
