Driving Is a Privilege

One of the main reasons why I have delayed obtaining my drivers license is because I am fearful of not only the safety of myself but others as well. When you are the driver you are responsible for your own life, the others in the car, and others on the road. Having a driver’s license is not a right, it’s a privilege.

My family and I have taken many road trips while I was younger. We were always on freeways, highways, backroads, etc. Anytime we went to the coast, Las Vegas, or the mountains, there was always traffic. There are so many causes of car accident deaths around the world. Speeding, drunk driving, drivers being distracted, aggressive drivers, being fatigued while driving, and road conditions can all cause car accident deaths. According to the article “ Leading Causes of Car Accident Deaths In California – Casey Gerry, ” it states, “ Traveling above the posted speed limit or too fast for roadway conditions is a primary cause of car accidents and traffic fatalities in California, ” ( para. 1 ). Speeding can cause a more impactful and injure risk car crash. Since the car is moving at a fast rate, when hitting something there will be a nasty impact. Driving under the influence can impair your vision and ability to operate a vehicle. It most certainly affects your ability to react to a situation. This can do as much damage as someone who is speeding since the driver is being under the influence. Technology is an essential to our daily lives. However, our cell phones are a huge distraction to drivers. If they can multitask in other things, they most likely will think they can multitask while driving which is extremely dangerous. Your focus should be on the road and aware of your surroundings. It shouldn’t be half focused, half distracted. The scary thing is that some people do it with no problem. Another factor in car accidents is aggressive driving. There will be those reckless drivers that put themselves and other lives at risk. They disobey traffic laws which can cause a domino effect on the road.

My family is guilty of doing some of these things. Ninety percent of the time I feel safe and comfortable in a car with most of them. Some of them however, I feel the need to clutch on the overhand handle. It’s mainly my cousins who are closer in age to me. I obviously trust my parents, aunts and uncles when driving since they have more experience. For each one of my older cousins, I vividly remember being scared to be in the car with them the first time. I didn’t know how they drove, how safe, and aware they were of their surroundings. My cousins closer to my age, 19 and 20, are faster drivers and distracted drivers. My other cousins, both 24, were safer when first driving. The first car accident I was in was not bad, but I was a little scared. I remember how stressed and anxious she (my cousin) was. It was a matter of decision making. This was when she just got her license. My two oldest cousins got their license late in high school and college. My two other cousins got their license early in high school. I feel like many teenagers get so excited about getting their license that when they do they feel like they are like everyone else that has a license.

People need to be more aware of what they are doing while driving. People who have a habit of doing irresponsible things while driving will continue to do it. Getting into a car accident is easy. It’s unpredictable. Say there are two cars on the road. One driver could be following all the rules of driving lessons, while the other driver is a reckless driver. There is no guarantee that there won’t be an accident. Even if you are safe, there will be others around you who aren’t. We all should follow what we learn when we take our permit test. If we follow those rules, there will be less accidents and especially less fatal car accidents. There will be less speeding drivers, less reckless drivers, less impaired drivers, etc. If we actually follow what we are supposed to do, the only thing that can cause a car accident is road conditions or weather conditions. This isn’t a solution to no car accidents, nonetheless, car accidents will likely decrease and will result in less fatal, injure risk accidents.