Name: Mary Melo-Severino
From: Central Falls, RI
Votes: 0
Mary
Melo-Severino
Driver
Initiative Contest
As
a Highschool freshman the first student organization I joined was
SADD/ATI, an organization dedicated to raise awareness and educate
students about the dangers of destructive decisions, such as imapered
driving. Needless to say, a fear was instilled into me the moment I
even thought about getting my license. Being aware of everything that
could go wrong on the road mae me all the more cautious about being
on the road myself. As a result, as a Highschool Senior and upcoming
college freshmen I can say I am a safe cautious driver. All this is
attributed to the drivers ed I received before getting behind
the wheel. The important steps that should be taken to reduce the
number of deaths related to driving should be education. A common
misconception amongst the youth is to believe that “it will never
happen to me”. This mindset is dangerous and only education and
awareness can fix it. Because I am a fairly new driver, I am more
aware of the laws and specific things that I can’t and shouldn’t
do while driving. Additionally, now that I’m older, I’ve become
more aware of driving mistakes that my parents make while they are
behind the wheel. This is why I believe that not only has my
education prevented me from being a danger to myself or others on the
road, but it has also been an example to my family and friends and
has helped them see what they are doing wrong and what they should
fix in order to make the roads safer. The main step I can take, and
am taking, to make the roads safer is lead by example. Multiple times
I have been in the car with friends and cousins and they have asked
me to do unsafe things behind the wheel and I have denied their
requests and explained why its a danger to us and to others on the
road. I hope that by leading by example would make my younger
family see that not all teens drive recklessly.
