One Too Many

Driver
Education Essay

By:
Megan Shissler

It’s
a typical Tuesday morning at my high school. I am in my first-class
Concert Band as my teacher begins to take attendance. “Thomas”
“Here”. “Nicole” “Here” “Christian” There is no
response. She calls his names again. Then finally a student answers
“Oh he will be coming in late Mrs. West. He got into a car crash”.
Silence fills the room. About 15 minutes later the student walks in
with tear stains in his eyes. Thankfully he was not hurt. However,
his brand-new car was totaled after finally getting his license. All
of this happened because someone wasn’t paying attention and ran a
stop sign. I remember asking myself this question: Was not stopping
at that stop sign worth all the damage both physically to the car and
mentally for my fellow classmate?

Distracted
driving is a real problem many teens and adults face today. While my
friend from school was not injured, many times the consequences can
be very severe and even lead to death. However, there are many steps
people can take to prevent distracted driving including young drivers
such as myself. Driving is a huge responsibility and I take it very
seriously. My parents model this same attitude and encouraged me to
take driver lessons before I took my test to get my license. I am
very thankful that I took these lessons. During my lessons I learned
how to be a proactive and defensive driver. I practice in an
environment free of distractions. For me, the atmosphere in which I
drive is important. When I drive, I always wear a seat belt. I drive
with little to no music on and I also never go on my phone. My
reasoning behind all of this is because driving is a huge
responsibility.

Despite
these precautions that I follow, there are still others that I know
who don’t take this responsibility seriously. There are many
teenagers that I know who still text and drive. I see people rolling
into school with loud music blasting. It’s not only teenagers who
do this but adults as well. I know several adults who have been
guilty of speeding to a destination or taking a phone call when
driving. As a child, I remember my family stopping at a fast food
restaurant and eating in the car. I used to think this was no big
deal until I realized how important it is to keep both hands on the
wheel.

While
we can’t change the past, we can change the future. Learning from
lessons in the past is critical to understanding how to be a safe
driver and preventing future accidents. While I can’t change that
my fellow classmate got into an accident, I can change the perception
of distracted driving through spreading awareness through education
and by the way I conduct myself while driving. By being a safe driver
myself, I am not only helping myself but other drivers as well.