Name: Stacey Emily Chao
From: Austin, Texas
Votes: 0
I had never heard
my mom scream so much as she did when I first drove to the Randalls 5
minutes away from where I lived. Even though the only direction I
ever turned was right, that first lesson was one of the worst
experiences I have ever been through. I think I almost crashed once
missing the entrance, bringing about another wave of fear in my
mother and me.
Driving was never a
strong suit for me; although I am capable of driving, I’m
constantly plagued by fear of crashing, being honked at, and getting
pulled over. Even alone, I feel my mother’s paranoid presence next
to me, shrieking at my small mistakes like slowing down too early or
not being completely in the center of my lane. This fear forces me to
pay constant attention to the road, my speed, and the cars or
pedestrians in other lanes or sidewalks. I have yet to contribute
towards the many deaths caused by accidents and for that, I am
grateful towards my mother who pushed me to become a better driver.
Fortunately, I have
not personally experienced a car accident, but I have friends who
have had crashes right after obtaining their licenses. In each of
these stories, the driver at fault is usually distracted, whether it
be my friend on their cellular device or another driver focusing on
anything but the road. I, myself, almost hit the car next to me the
day before my driving exam because I did not use my mirrors.
It’s
these small things that can really make a difference, whether it be
the two seconds looking down on a phone or even spacing out. A car
may decide to try switching lanes, cutting you off, or backing out of
a driveway. Regardless of the instance, getting distracted away from
the road may result in injuries or death. Personally, I believe that
I need to work on using the mirrors more efficiently. During my
driver’s test, the one criticism of my driving was that I looked
over my shoulder too long. In retrospect, if I was driving while in
heavy traffic, this action could have led to an accident. Another
thing I’m doing to practice safe driving is putting my device on
“Do Not Disturb” so I do not instinctively check it.
If
I were to change the driving curriculum, a step that could be taken
to ensure reduced deaths would be to increase the age you can obtain
a driver’s license to 18. This’ll allow for a teenager to at
least have matured and become an adult. I believe that as you gain
more responsibilities, you begin to assess the decisions you make
rather than rashly acting on instincts. However, drivers ed is
just as important in reducing the number of deaths resulting from
driving. Not only does it teach people how to drive, but it also
warns people about the potential consequences of distracted driving
and provides advice on how to prevent carelessness.
