Name: Sarah Jacobelli
From: Prescott, Arizona
Votes: 0
Safety
for Every Driver
Any
time that you turn on the news, you are bound to see the daily car
crash: the mangled metal shell of the car, the first responders
tending to the victims, family members crying at the news of the loss
of their loved one. I grew up watching stories like these, and they
soon became a constant occurrence. Someone cut someone off, someone
ran a stop sign, someone was going too fast- but it ends all the
same. We were always taught in school to pay attention to the road
and avoid distractions. Once I got near the age I could drive I began
watching the adults around me driving, absorbing all the information
I could. I noticed their good habits and their unsafe ones. My
father, a former police officer, will himself occasionally text and
drive. A person who used to ticket other people for distracted
driving was now doing so himself. This learned behavior, passed from
teacher to trainee, has to be broken. Our society needs to commit
itself to putting the safety of everyone on the road first, before
checking your teeth or trying to find that shopping note on the
floor. Everyone is at fault, even myself. I’ve been known to get
too caught up in the scenery, allowing my eyes to wander from the
road for too long and putting others in harm’s way. Distracted
driving is not the only problem; we must all remember to always be
cautious drivers. Parents need to instill correct driving habits in
their children, such as remembering to always use your blinker, stay
three seconds back from the car in front of you, and to turn off your
brights when there is oncoming traffic. There are also certain times
of the day that are more dangerous to drive than others, such as dusk
and dawn, rush hour, and in construction zones. Drivers ed,
whether from family or a class, is imperative to the safety of every
person on the road. Small reminders of the proper driving techniques
could solidify understanding of safe driving, reducing car crashes
and deaths. Driving is a skill like any other, and guided practice is
the best way to save lives in the future.
