Name: Jennifer Parkinson
From: Boca Raton, FL
Votes: 0
I still remember the terror. The fear I had to start
driving. Most kids, once they get their permit, want to drive
everywhere so that the minute they turn 16 they can get their
license, but I dreaded it. I had no desire to learn. Learning from my
parents terrified me, but looking back, I realize the good it did me.
The constant reminder to “look x amount of times,” and to “back
up slower because you aren’t in a race,” and that “you need to
be careful because you can kill someone,” opened my eyes.
Now
most, if not all of us, have seen those commercials about how
drinking and driving destroys lives, but people don’t always know
the risks of a misinformed, unknowledgeable, or inattentive driver
could pose. Without knowledge of what a street sign means or how to
properly operate a car outside of what is needed for the driver’s
test, disaster awaits. Uneducated drivers may keep driving through
the crosswalk stop signs when someone is trying to cross the street
or change lanes on a busy highway while there is someone next to
them. This poses a danger to other drivers, pedestrians, and the
driver themselves.
I took
a driving course before I got my license where I was taught ways to
become a better driver. I learned how to operate a vehicle, what each
sign and signal meant, and to judge what other cars might do. This
program aided me significantly and, though many exist, they are
hardly heard of. If they were more widely advertised to younger
drivers, they could be taught what signals mean and what to do before
they get on the road. This would help to lower the number of deaths
related to driving.
Along
with a drivers ed program that is more readily advertised,
I believe there should be a way to have a setting on all phones and
smart devices that when driving, they cannot receive or send calls or
text messages unless it is an emergency. Texting and driving is a
major issue and causes the drivers to miss key details such as a
changed light, or that the person in front of them is slowing down,
or that there is a person crossing the street in front of them. Many
people ignore the danger, but if there was a way to entirely prevent
the problem and inform the drivers, deaths could be lowered.
I have
been in an accident where a man ran a stop sign directly in front of
my car. No one was hurt but it was a haunting reminder of the damage
that a vehicle can do. To be a better and safer driver, I feel we
should take a drivers ed class to keep our minds fresh on the rules
and regulations of driving every so many months and with all the
technology we have, develop a way to keep it from distracting us, for
our own sakes as well as for others.
