Don’t Get Comfortable

Often times I feel as though we get behind a wheel, make it from point A to point B, and somewhere in between forget how lucky we are. It’s easy to forget your life may be at risk when doing something as simple as driving. We grow up and one of the biggest highlights of our lives is going to the DMV on our sixteenth birthday and getting a driver’s license. I know it was for me, at least. I was so excited. Although the more I think about it, the scarier it is. Everytime I hit a curb I wonder to myself, who gave me this driver’s license? That isn’t even the worst part. Sometimes it’s even more worrisome to think about who else is on the road with you. A driver in the other lane of the freeway could be texting someone, and just merge right over and hit you. You could be a red light, and the person behind you could be too focused on the building to the left to realize you’re stopped. Right into the back of your vehicle they go. My sister’s best friend’s mother tragically passed away to something very similar.

I’m from a very small rural town. Flemingsburg, Kentucky. Not many people have heard of it. The roads are narrow, curvy, and pretty dangerous, in hindsight. When I finally got my license, I must have forgot I didn’t have much experience driving. Somewhere in my not very developed brain, I must have trading in those back roads for a race track. Not many cops were on my roads, so a speeding ticket was never a worry. Everyday consisted of me timing myself making it home from work, seeing if I could beat the time from the night before. A very short eight months after I had started driving, I woke up late for school. Long story short, you probably know where this is going. I lost control of my car and totaled it. Forget the car, most importantly I totaled my spine. I shattered three vertebraes, and the doctor told me if it had been one more vertebrae lower I would be paralyzed from the waist down. Safe to say, God was with me that morning. I’m pretty lucky to still be here, but from time to time when I’m driving and go over the speed limit I forget. I always slow down now, and realize being late is better than being gone. I go to school in Lexington, Kentucky now at the University of Kentucky. The roads are a lot better than my hometowns, although they face the fear more along the sides of what everybody else beind a wheel is doing seeing as Lexington is mostly interstate or very busy city roads.

I lost a very close friend of mine my senior year of high school to a car accident. His name was Buddy Morgan. We went to school together, worked at Dairy Queen together, and I cheered for all the sports he would be playing throughout high school. One afternoon in early May, he left a baseball game and wrecked his truck. I could give you a very detailed story, but I’ll keep it short. He fought for his life for about two weeks, and ended up passing away the night before our high school graduation. It’s one of those things that give you a lot of grief and leave you heartbroken when you think about it. Going through that is something l wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy, although most importantly, I think everyone’s experiences should be paid forward. If something that I’ve went through could help or save someone else’s life, I believe it’s only the right thing to do.

There is an underestimated responsibility in driving a vehicle. You have your life in your hands, your passengers lives in your hands, and totally random stranger’s lives also. There’s some things that can’t be changed and are out of your hands, but I believe being properly educated on the risks of driving would dramatically lower the deaths associated to car accidents.

There are so many things you can do to be a better driver. One of the biggest issues is texting and driving. It may be hard when you’re faced with the temptation but there is so much you can do to avoid it. As a driver, you have the ability to put your phone out of sight so it cannot distract you. If you’re faced with an emergency, remember you can always pull over to text or call someone. It only takes half a second of distraction to wreck. In the bigger picture, it isn’t worth it. There are things you can do to prevent this, even if you aren’t the driver. If one of your friends is known for doing this, wait until you know they’re parked to text back. You can help by not being more of a distraction by texting them. Have that talk with your loved ones and let them know that you want them to be safe and will text them back when they get where they’re going.

Another concern is drunk driving. Under no circumstance is it acceptable to get being a wheel while intoxicated. Some ways to battle with this are if you plan on drinking, give your keys to a friend and have them put them in a safe place to take away even the potential that something could happen. Secondly, be that friend that lets people know if they are in a situation where they need a ride home they can call on you. Being that support system to others could minimize the risk of this.

Education wise, I know for the state of Kentucky you are required to take an Alive at 25 driving course before you are given your full license. This leaves out about a huge period of time being able to drive without this course. For a new driver, I think this course would be extremely useful before being on the road at all. I think it would be beneficial to make a policy state or nationwide for requirement of taking a driving course on safety before being permitted on the road. Personally, I know this course would be an eye opener to sixteen/seventeen year old new drivers. I wish I had been required to take this course, before I had my accident.

Driving is a privledge you have, but should never take advantage of. Driving may only seem scary if you’ve had some of the experiences I shared. This is where things go south. Ususally we strive for comfortability in everything, but driving is the last thing we want to be comfortable doing. The second you get comfortable driving and no longer have that fear is when mistakes happen. You may get more experience, learn skills to decrease your risk of wrecking, but the second you have no fear may just get somebody killed. Always keep your guard up, stay aware, and pay attention.

I hope you found my essay both gripping yet informative. Thank you for taking the time to read what I have written and considering me for this scholarship. Have a great day and may God bless you.