” Pay attention dude”

When I first started to learn to drive I was filled with worry, I soon got the hang of it fairly quickly.Everything though still seems confusing. It is almost as if every time I drive there is something new I am learning. After all the long hours of practice, stress and tears of learning I still do not have my license, not even my permit.

Learning to drive did come with more weird experiences than I could have Imagined.It was just me and my father in the car driving back home from school, my father decided to let me drive the rest of the way home. It was only down the street. Once we start driving everything was going smoothly until he let me drive around the block just to get some practice in. At this point I’m having a blast and decide to turn on the radio. I turn my head in order to see what station I am turning the radio to. All of a sudden I begin to hear my dad yell my name trying to gain my attention. I didn’t realize it but I was swerving and almost hit trash cans. Once I did realize I accidentally took my foot off the gas. It made me realize how much of a good attention span someone needs inorder to drive.

It may not sound like an experience that could really change one’s perspective on driving but for me I started to wonder what if those trash cans were people?What if there were people, children walking across the street? What if there was a car behind me or in front of me? I could have caused an accident injuring not only random innocent people but my father as well. Let alone myself. All of these “what if’s” started to make me have a slight fear when listening to music while driving. I soon got over it though because my father told me to stop being a cry baby.

Eventually,after some more practice I began to realized I wasn’t such a bad driver but not paying strong attention to the road really impacted my ability to ensure everyone’s safety.I started turning on the radio before I start to drive and make it slightly low to where I can hear it but still be able to hear all the things around me that is happening outside of the car. At this point it had become a routine.

Once I do get my permit and license I plan to continue to do this little routine I have developed.I would never in a million years want to put anyone I am driving with and myself in danger all because I wanted to listen to music. For the past few months I have decided to put the incident behind me in order to grow as a driver. Not all the way behind me so then I do not forget the importance of doing this.

Just like every other seventeen year old teenager I have a strong love and connection with music. In today’s society teens use music as a way to express themselves or as something to just navigate through life. To where it feels like we need to depend on it in order to focus.

Even though music is a very important thing in my everyday life, driving has helped me realize that I’ll be fine without it. It does need to be on twenty-four hours of the day, every single minute of the hour. I have noticed myself not wanting to listen to the radio as much whenever I drive.

Instead of listening to music and trying to guess what song will come on next. I am instead communicating more with my passengers about their daily lives. Which seems to be bettering our communication and helping me understand the importance of communication. WIthout the music playing I am also realizing how much my attention span is begging to become better. Not only when driving but also my everyday life. I am paying stronger attention in my classes and at practice which is helping me grow mentally and physically.

As scared as I was when that minor incident occurred, I am thankful it happened. Without it I may not have realized all of these things sooner. Which could have messed me up later on in life.

In Drivers Ed one of the most important things they want you to understand is the importance of paying attention to the road.I honestly think that I would never have understood the consequences of not doing so if it was not for my irresponsibility. Many think that this is something that could just be shrugged off instead of a learning experience. I now know that those chug off moments aren’t just something to shut off.