Don’t Add to the Body Count

You
would think that with all the other causes of death in the world,
people would have more caution in their driving so as not to add to
that death count. Yet, hundreds of people skip drivers ed,
foolishly believing that it has nothing to offer them. Perhaps they
are ignorant of the fact that drivers ed carefully goes over the
most common mistakes drivers make and causes of driver-related
deaths, then teaching how to avoid those mistakes. Many teenagers,
the ones who cause the most accidents, suffer from the belief that
they are indestructible. Whatever the reason, drivers ed
should be a mandatory part of receiving a driver’s license.

Why, one may ask, should it be mandatory?
Simply put, making drivers ed mandatory is one of the best
ways to reduce the number of driving-related deaths. In addition, the
drivers ed system one does take should be improved to
stress how important it is that one drive safely and obey the traffic
laws. I personally took drivers ed via correspondence
school which makes the information hit home for me because I learn
from books well, but for someone who did not have the dedication to
safe driving that I did, it may not work as well. Cars can be made
safer. We could even make the driver’s test harder to pass to
ensure that those who are licensed are good drivers.

I
have been in a car accident, but it was not due to the driver in my
vehicle being careless, but the carelessness of the other driver, a
motorcyclist who ran a red light. I have been with friends who sped
far above the speed limit, friends who ran red lights and stop signs,
and family members who text and drive. I have had family members who
tried to convince me to get in the car with them when they were
drunk. These instances always make me nervous. I took driver’s
education. I watched more than one video of people dying from those
same mistakes. I don’t want anyone to die from those same mistakes
if they could be prevented by just a little bit more caution and
responsibility.

As
for me, I have decided to be a responsible driver from the very first
moment I got behind the wheel. To not drink and drive. To not text
and drive. To not even change music on my phone while I drive. To
have the mirrors properly adjusted. To not drive in terrible weather
when it can be helped. To drive the speed limit. To obey all the
rules outlined in drivers ed, and all the tips passed down
from more experienced drivers. I decided to do everything in my power
to not add to the death count of the world with my driving.

That’s
what I think you should do too.