Making an Impact

The lukewarm windy air circulates me as the front two windows are rolled down. My hair is forcefully blown into my face causing me to have a fight against myself, yanking my hair back behind my ears just for it to blow right back.

“PUT THE WINDOWS UP. I CAN’T SEE!”

He snarls at me and puts them up annoyed.

It’s dark out and I can hardly tell what time it is. The road was hardly lit up by the lights. I cautiously look around at the other cars. Sitting in the passenger seat bored, I glance over at the speedometer.

“Slow down. 90 is way too fast.”

“Don’t tell me how to drive.”

I speak up for myself after feeling unsafe.

“Okay well you’re putting my safety at risk. Slow down or let me out.”

He slows down aggravated with my assertiveness.

I tell myself I will NEVER get in a car with him again until he decides to drive responsibly.

***

Why is speeding considered normal in today’s society? And why doesn’t anyone know how to stick up for themselves anymore. If you feel unsafe, SAY SOMETHING! Don’t be scared to offend your friend, your life is on the line. Speeding is a factor in about 10,922 fatal motor-vehicle crashes a year (NSC) and somehow it still isn’t taken seriously by most people. Is it considered cool? Risky? Attractive? Speeding races in the middle of the night, seeing who can go the fastest, I never understood how someone could find something so dangerously fun to do.

Making sure future drivers are educated before approaching the road is crucial in making sure they are driving responsibly. Without being properly educated, lives will be frequently at risk. Knowing the rules and regulations on the road will make you a better driver and save lives. Driver education makes sure future drivers are left driving with valuable knowledge to help themselves avoid any accidents or tickets. Without this education, drivers would be left clueless on the road and more vulnerable to getting in an accident. Knowing what you’re doing on the road is what gets us from one place to another without going out of safety’s way, and this is because of driver education.

The people you love and know also have a huge influence on us whether we know it or not. Seeing your parents speed can have an effect on your driving, because to you it seems normal and safe. It only seems safe if you never experienced them getting into an accident, because all we see is all we know. Without experiencing something so tragic, we will truly have no idea what not to do in life. Experience is how we learn from our mistakes.

To have an influential and positive impact on the amount of speeding in our country, schools should be mandated to have a representative come in and talk about their experiences involving a vehicle. In my school we had someone come in and talk about a fatal car accident involving her best friend, and it finally clicked to me that driving is serious, and accidents can happen. Before her coming in, I didn’t think anything bad could ever happen to me when driving, because I have never witnessed a fatal accident near me. Therefore, I felt as though there were barely any fatal car accidents. I learned that was false almost immediately after hearing her situation which changed my driving habits as soon as I drove home. Seeing someone come in and talk about their experiences firsthand really has a positive and life-changing impact on drivers, including myself, understand the seriousness of driving and what can happen when you don’t drive responsibly. I don’t think a lot of people realize that not only are you putting your life on the line, but also others’.

Speeding is inevitable for lots of people as they’re careless and can’t comprehend the life changing consequences of getting in an accident because of it. However, there are tons of drivers out there that would benefit from hearing statistics of fatal crashes due to speeding. My goal is to share information with others that are willing to change for the safety of their own and others. Driving education should be preached more in regard to speeding and how unsafe it is. With this in mind, I spread awareness to the people close to me and share the representative that came to my school’s story and how fatal accidents from speeding are more frequent than people think. After circulating this important information to my friends and family hoping something would change, I was able to alternate someone’s perception of driving and now they drive responsibly. One person is all it takes to make change. Be that person who helps others. Make change.

***

“Can you put the windows down?”

The window effortlessly blows through my hair and the warm breeze touches my face as I close my eyes in relaxation. Cars pass us in the passing lane as we cruise down the extensively long highway.

“Can you go a little faster? We are going under the speed limit.”

“Sure”, as he shakes his head and laughs.