Keep your eyes on the road!

Growing up with my family, my dad has been addicted to beer. He is an alcoholic and would chug cans of beer every night to help him sleep. Some nights, he would leave the TV on and fall asleep on the couch. On the other hand, my mom is the complete opposite. She is against beer and reminds me to never drink when I grow up. One day, my dad was involved in an accident and this was the first time that made me realize that driving while being under the influence is terrible. At that time I was super young and when I turned 17 I obtained my drivers license from my local DMV and helped my mom drive my sister to school. Additionally, my dad had stopped driving because he was traumatized from his event and I became the second driver in the family. The lesson I learned from my dad was to not drink and drive. It is crucial to be fully focused while driving and not be under the influence. I educated myself on the rules of driving during the summer of 2022 by taking a DMV practice test and watching youtube tutorials before obtaining my permit. Lastly, my dad is a big reason why I will never drink beer!

During my Junior year of High school, I witnessed a semi truck hit a bicyclist while I was coming back to the campus from lunch. I remember the school being locked down and my classmates being terrified of the incident. I sat in my math class and the teacher announced that the semi truck was speeding while the bicyclist was crossing the street. I was unsure who was in the right and wrong of that situation but, all I knew was that someone did not follow the rules and it led to a tragic ending. My school is also located next to a free way where the accident happened and as a student I felt unsafe walking around the campus after that incident. It made me more careful and alert when I crossed the street to eat at a park with friends or to grab food at a local food truck. Thus, it is vital to know the rules of driving and to always be alert of your surroundings when driving, especially in a school zone. After the incident, there were more teachers and supervisors eating outside and making sure that students were safe. In the future, I think my school should protest for safer roads because there is a freeway located a couple blocks away. I remember my teachers talking about the protest after the incident, but there was no effort from the teachers and no change was made.

During my senior year of high school I had five more IB exams to test in order to get the IB diploma. I participated in the IB program for two years and during the month of June, I drove downtown and tested in my math exam. On the way home, I was at an intersection and decided to cross the street, thinking it was safe to go and then a car hit the rear of my car. That was my first ever accident after driving for two years. I was impatient and that resulted in a collision. I remembered being sad because I was not going to be able to drive for a few weeks. I still had more tests and this ruined my mentality. However, my mom was extremely supportive and she drove me downtown so that I could finish off all of my exams. Additionally, this event made me become a more cautious driver as I now take my time to look for oncoming traffic and make sure no cars are in my blind spot before crossing or changing lanes.

The lessons that I have learned from these three events are to not drive under the influence, always be alert and patient when driving. I think one of the ways to be a safe driver is to be educated on the rules. Thus, driver education is important in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. I have improved as a driver by educating myself to the rules of driving and by learning from my mistakes. Driving is an essential part of life as it is convenient. However, without patience and knowing the rules of driving, you can be dangerous to yourself and the people around you. Keep your eyes on the road!