The Impacts of Reckless Driving

When your loved one walks out of the door to go somewhere no one ever considers that this may be your last time seeing them. No one should ever have to have a last goodbye, I love you, or see you later. Sadly, this is the reality for thousands of families. Death hurts in any situation, but it especially hurts when it is completely unexpected. Unfortunately, thousands of people die unexpectedly in car accidents. The sad truth is most car accidents are simply just accidents, but this is unacceptable in my opinion. Accidents are preventable, and they must be prevented.

Prevention is why drivers’ education is so important. Young drivers can be very naïve when it comes to the dangers of driving. Drivers’ education educates young drivers on the risk they are taking if they are not careful while behind the wheel. Drivers’ education also ensures that every person is taught to drive the same way. While most teens are taught to drive first by their parents, this is not always reliable. Without drivers’ education we could risk teens not knowing traffic laws or proper driving techniques.

Teens have a tendency to drive recklessly. This could be because many teens see themselves as indestructible. Drivers’ education plays a role in making sure teens realize that reckless driving is not a smart choice. Although drivers’ education is important it is not the only solution to reducing the number of deaths while driving. One way to reduce deaths while driving is to make citizens retest every time they renew their license. This ensures that citizens are staying up to date on new traffic laws and that they’re not slacking off on driving techniques. Car manufacturers should be required to install safety features in new cars such as automatic breaking, beeping when crossing lanes, and cameras. While all self-driving cars would be ideal for reducing car accidents this is not the most achievable. Another way to potentially reduce deaths is to require phones to be unusable while driving, unless the person is using a hands-free system in their car. While these ideas may seem like a disruption to people’s current habits, reducing the number of deaths is worth it.

There have been several occasions where I have seen family members try to leave a family party drunk. They claim that they are a “pro” and that they could “drive better than I could sober”. I can’t explain the anger this fills me with. These statements made me question my own family’s character. I will never understand how someone can knowingly put another person’s life at risk without a care in the world. I ask, “what would you do if it was your child dying because of a drunk driver?”. Of course, there was no response, yet they did not change their behavior. Imagine a person driving home to their family, but they never make it because they are killed in a car accident. Luckily, I am able to imagine because I am blessed enough to have never experienced it. Thousands of families are not so lucky. When someone chooses to get behind the wheel, they take on a great responsibility.

Last year I had to watch my friend grieve the loss of someone she went to high school with. She ran track, praticipiated in student government, watched movies, laughed, jammed out to music, danced, cried, smiled, and so much more with this friend. Notice that I said she ran track instead of she runs track. I am speaking in the past tense because her friend was killed in a car accident. She was in a car with two other people, and she was the only one who passed. I can’t even begin to understand the emotions the other people in the car must feel knowing that they made it, and she didn’t. She will no longer run track. She will no longer participate in student government. She will no longer watch movies with her family. She will no longer have a future. The day she passed a mother said goodbye to her daughter for the last time and she had no idea. I pray for this girl’s family; I truly hope they are healing. I also hope that their story can be an inspiration for others to drive safely.

I know that her story has inspired me to become a better driver. In an attempt to become a better driver, I try to completely avoid my phone while driving, because sometimes I do scroll through my playlists. This is something I want to stop doing, because no song is worth risking someone’s life. I am also going to practice being more alert while driving instead of zoning out like I usually do. Speeding has been an issue for me for a long time as well, this is because I can never leave on time. I am going to become more punctual because my inability to leave on time should not affect another person’s life. Before getting behind the wheel please remind yourself how fragile your life and the life of every other driver around you is. It is imperative that drivers start to realize this.