Can Excitement Turn Into Pain?

Can
Excitement Turn Into Pain?

Every teenager
waits excitedly for the sixteenth year of their life; everyone knows
it and has experienced it themselves. When a kid turns sixteen, they
can finally get their license. They have awaited this moment for
years because they’re searching for a greater sense of freedom than
a locked bedroom door or a parent dropping them off at their best
friend’s house. While the child couldn’t be happier with this
milestone, the guardians are filled with a sense of worry and
sadness. Why? A driver’s license means that their baby is all
grown up. However, the greater emotion that comes with driving, most
often, is worry. An adult knows deep down how dangerous driving can
be, and they just want their child to be safe. Drunk drivers scatter
the roads late at night, phones distract people young and old.
Crashes are inevitable.

The first few
months of having my license were some of the greatest months of my
life that I can remember so far. Being able to drive a car on my own
gave me a sense of pride, freedom, and happiness that few things have
brought me. I knew my parents had a different attitude towards the
situation, though. “Guys I’m going out!” I would yell as I was
putting on my shoes. “Be careful!” they would reply. I used to
ask why they would get so worried when I went to drive somewhere.
Their next words are some that will stick with me forever. “Its
not you we’re worried about, Shelby. It’s the other people who
drive careless on the road.” From the first time hearing that, I
have made it my goal not to be one of the drivers that parents
worried about their child being on the road with.

Driver’s
education, in my opinion, of teaching teens how to drive safely on
the road. However, I feel like it needs to include a section that
tells about the dangers of impaired and distracted driving. As part
of driver’s training, I feel that videos should be featured,
showing pictures of vehicles after accidents, as well as interviews
with those whose lives have been changed forever due to careless
driving. The videos would almost be like documentaries about how
dangerous driving can truly be. I feel that the videos would open
the new drivers’ eyes and encourage them to be as safe as they can
on the road.

A major part of
impaired driving is decision making. Getting into a car while you
know you’re under the influence is selfish and careless. I believe
that friends and family need to start holding each other accountable
when it comes to driving under the influence. Most importantly,
though, people need to start holding themselves accountable. If a
driver is caught under the influence at any level, strict action
needs to be taken. We need stricter laws overall when it comes to
impaired and distracted driving. Technology has become one of the
biggest distractions for drivers, causing more deaths, due to wrecks,
than ever before. With the advancements being made today, I feel
that all apps should be required to have a setting that disables the
use of it, while driving. This feature would prevent the driver from
using their phone and becoming distracted on the road.

While I have never
personally been involved in an accident due to careless driving, it
has affected my community tremendously within the last five years.
The amount of hurt I have seen in the families I know crushes my
heart. A mother that will never get her first born child back, a
single mother that will have to raise two babies without their
father, and entire schools filled with hurt because of close friends
losing their lives. It seems like every month, someone is dying
because of a car wreck. I know that everyone in our community is
doing what they can to prevent more accidents from happening.

In order to be a
safer driver for myself and everyone around me, I will vow not to
touch my phone while driving. I will never get into the driver’s
seat while under the influence and I will never get into the car with
someone who is under the influence. I want to encourage those around
me to do the same so that the road is a safer place than ever before.