Name: Samera Shim
From: Castle Rock, Colorado
Votes: 0
Drive
Like Your Life Depends On It
By
Samera Shim
Driving
is more than a normal part of every American teenager’s life – it’s
a rite of passage. It’s the transition to freedom and the
abolishment of asking your parents for rides. It becomes such a
habitual everyday occurrence, and once anyone gets the hang out it,
they start to loosen up. “I’m a good driver, I don’t need to
pay attention.” “I only drive short distances when I’m
intoxicated.” “I only text at red lights or stop signs.” “I
only use my phone to change the music when I drive.” One text turns
into two, two drinks turn into four. People learn about the
importance of driving with full awareness, but they don’t
understand the consequences until irreversible damage occurs.
Driver’s
ed is one of the most important steps in order to get on the road and
drive among other people. But people, and teens more specifically,
don’t consider they’re driving a vehicle capable of severely
hurting or killing someone or themselves. I don’t know anyone who
watched the safety videos during online drivers ed or properly
reviewed the units like it was requested. But what teens are failing
to realize is that these videos contain information that could alter
your life, protect you in a time of need, and show the true
consequences of what irresponsibility can bring.
These
videos, these reviews, they aren’t put there for the sake of
filling time. They’re put there in an attempt to minimize the sheer
number of tragedies that happen on the road each year. 34,000 people,
on average, lose their lives on the roads each year. But why isn’t
learning defensive driving a priority for many teens? The price of
looking “cool for speeding” could cost more than you could ever
imagine. It could cost a life.
However,
teenagers should be able to learn in a more effective way. Showing
long videos regarding car accidents or being a safe driver don’t
hold the attention of teens. I believe an effective method of
learning about safe driving would be by utilizing the platform so
many teens, myself included, are glued to. Social media. There’s so
much potential of social media campaigns, or even just paid ads that
are shown as teens scroll through their feeds. Interactive hashtags
to tell stories about car accidents, or how defensive driving saved
their lives in one way or another.
After
seeing my peers get in largely damaging, but thankfully not fatal car
accident, the importance of education grows stronger. Reiterating
safe driving techniques, teaching the importance of not driving under
the influence/getting into a car with someone under the influence,
and showing that even the habit of texting only at a red light can be
detrimental is of the utmost preeminence of this generation. Through
practicing safe driving myself, I can show others that the annoyance
of driving the speed limit and driving without distractions is much
more preferred over death. By educating the masses, you can minimize
the massacre.
