Enjoy but be cautious

I would have never thought that driving would become something that I would have to do on my own. I have always entrusted that responsibility to someone else, them being my parents, but the time came when I was now responsible for driving myself around. Driving is the reason that I can come to school, have fun with my friends, and have late-night drives, but all this can be destroyed if someone does not take driving seriously.

It’s heartbreaking to hear stories about the deaths of families, friends, sons and daughters, etc. Due to car accidents. Whenever I hear about the causes I am always reminded that small incidents can cause larger ones. “I was texting and driving, I got distracted, I was speeding, I did not look at my blind spots” These are small things that happen and we all think that they won’t be harmful, but when we least expect it an accident can occur.

Driver education not only teaches us how to step on the gas and brake, but also to learn more about the signs, speed limit, and lanes on the road. All of these signals on the road are going to direct us. All we need to do is make sure that we are obeying and the chances of accidents are minimized. If more people are aware of the road and be conscious of others around them then I truly believe that it can reduce the number of deaths related to driving.

Ever since I was small I have seen the habits that my parents use when they are driving; speeding, quickly changing lanes, and at some points even tailgating. I was clueless about the driver’s education world, but in my 8-year-old mind, I knew that they were recklessly driving and it could cause consequences for us and others. I would always tell my parents to be careful, but because I was a child they said that the grown-ups knew what they were doing. I am thankful that at that time nothing ever happened, but the habits never disappeared.

It was a normal day my dad said bye to my sister and me as he left off to work. Minutes later I heard a familiar sound as if someone crashed outside my house. My heart sank at the thought that it might have been him. I quickly opened the curtain and saw that 3 cars crashed, one of them being my dad’s car. He was in the middle of the other 2 cars in the t intersection that we live in front of. He tried to beat the other cars by speeding straight into the road, but that only made the situation worse. The police also found out that the other two cars were not going at the speed limit of 25. They were all guilty of this accident and deep inside of me I wished that my father could have been more patient. If only he waited one or two minutes this accident could have been avoided.

This casualty allowed him to see that he could fix that nasty habit of his and wait for an opening. (with a fine that he had to pay) If I encourage others to become better drivers by obeying the laws, being aware of all possible consequences, looking at all directions of the road, etc. Then I should be able to set this example in front of my friends and family. When I do not follow my advice I also get reminded by my family and friends that I should be more careful. The people that I love the most are watching out for me and I do the same because we all want to come back safe.

In conclusion, I believe that driver’s education is essential for everybody because it opens a new world for everybody. We are not aware of the many possibilities out there but when we take this class we learn and get to see how it can be applied on the road. As someone who drives every day I get reminded of the laws that I need to follow and when I break them I feel guilty. Not only is this a temporary feeling but I become afraid that due to my ignorance, I could risk the lives of others and my own. Driving is a privilege that can be lost by one simple mistake so I ask that everyone be safe on the road and as a community encourage each other to become better drivers.