Drive for the Lives of you and others.

Starting your car and putting your hands on the steering wheel are all things a driver must do before entering the dangerous boundaries ahead of them.  The road. Where thousands of people, young and old, die each day. Some accidents are because of their own mistakes, while many are because of the mistakes that others make. You or someone you love could be the next victim.

Knowing the rules of the road is crucial. Do you want to be the reason someone loses a person they love? Is that a burden that you are okay with living with for the rest of your life because of one mistake you made? Drivers’ education allows and gives young adults the opportunity to learn the basis of driving, the rules of the road, and simple maintenance on your vehicle.

Many kids are focused on regaining the freedom of being able to go and do what they want. Little do many recognize that knowing who has the right of way so that you don’t hurt someone or being able to read road signs so everyone can stay safe is important. Some may feel that a driver’s education is not necessary and that it is otherwise known as “common sense” or “things that parents should have taught their kids”. It is important for teens to know and learn these rules so they can begin to mature and take on large responsibilities.

Paying someone to teach your child the safety of the road is unfortunate and unfair. Many families struggle with putting food on the table for their kids to eat, and therefore the thought of paying for a driving class goes through their minds almost instantly. Having a free program or even integrating a program into school districts would be a fantastic way to give kids an easier, more accessible way to learn. No one wants to spend their summer in another kind of school just to learn how to drive, while others are traveling and playing sports. Making a driver education class available for students would significantly change enrollment in the program.

There are thousands of things that we can do to better ourselves and others, but one of the biggest things that we can do, and control is driving. Stop texting and driving.

About 40 thousand people die each year just in the US. That number does not include the people who are injured, some of whom are paralyzed and will not be able to walk for the rest of their lives. 

I will never forget the coffined feeling I had hearing about a young girl exactly my age dying in a car accident just an hour from my home. She was taken from everything she ever had in only 17 years of life. She will never graduate high school or college, get married, or have a family, nor will her parents have grandchildren either. She was the kind of girl that lit up an entire room and now is watching over all of us in heaven due to an irresponsible driver.

The “what ifs” run through my head, like “what if phones could detect when you were in a vehicle and shut off only to allow phone calls?” “What if people realized how one accident could ruin someone’s life?” Steps that can be taken to prevent these things, as I like to call them, are my what-ifs. What if people followed all traffic laws, and if not, then there was a bigger punishment than just a simple fine that must be paid within a certain amount of time? I think that when risking your life as well as that of others around you, there should be a higher standard held against you when those rules are broken.

Not everyone is perfect, and a lot of things are easier said than done. Sometimes even I don’t realize that I have my phone in my hand, and I’m swerving into the other lane because I am distracted by who may be texting me or the post that one of my friends just made. Technology is one of the biggest leading factors in car accidents, but it can also be the people who are in the car with you. They can be trying to show you something, distract you by having a very allusive conversation, or maybe mess around with someone in the back seat. It has become the norm to not take driving seriously because it is forgotten how quickly things can go the wrong way. 

Taking responsibility and recognizing your responsibilities to keep others safe is something that we all need to cherish more. Helping young drivers become aware of this is the most important action that one can take to try and prevent these awful things from happening around the world. Some people won’t listen and may think that it is stupid, while for others, it may put into perspective something that they didn’t see before and create a motive to be a safer and better driver.