Safety and Invincibility

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is that it prepares students for situations where they may not have had the knowledge to do the best or right thing. I took the drivers education course in my area, though it was $600 which put my family in a hard place with only my mom providing and my dad out of the picture. It was hard to finally save up to get it, but I think it was fully worth it. In some of my courses the instructors even told me safe ways to change a tire and deadly mistakes people often make. They said to put the old tire under the car so that when you have to change a tire on the side of the road and if the car falls off of the jack then you don’t hit your head and pass out on the side of the road which happens more often than people think. I was also taught what to do in situations such as hazardous weather, we are supposed to reduce out speed ¾ of the way for rain so as not to hydroplane and I see plenty of older drivers who haven’t taken the new courses going 60 or 70 in pouring rain down the hills of Ct in a 45 zone. I don’t care if they pass me because I know I’m being safe. My close friend was on the same road I was describing and got into a horrific accident from hydroplaning. She told me that she thought it wasn’t raining that hard and that she was fine going 60. Her car spun out on the main road hitting a guardrail giving her permanent injuries, totalled her car, and gave her permanent anxiety and panic attacks when she has ro drive in the rain. Seeing her experience and understanding her pain has shown me the real danger of not knowing.

More people should take defensive driving classes and be told about specific scenarios where they might encounter. I’ve seen too many people old and young drive off the road from distraction, fear, or negligent driving. It scared me that people see themselves as invincible. My close family friend of many years, we called him Mr.Christmas, (his name was Chris). His dad was like a father to me, and they were part of my family. Chris was riding a motorcycle on a main road with his girlfriend, and wasn’t wearing protective gear. A truck veered into his lane and he wasn’t able to stop or move in time. He and his girlfriend, who had a kid, died that day. I still drive by the spot where there are crosses and flowers on the road. It hurts me to see it because I know that he had just turned his life around. He was a recovering addict, he got his own apartment, was starting a family and then he was gone in a second. People need to understand the risks, dangers, and reality of driving. No one is invincible, and no one can consistently cheat death. Every time you go on the road you are risking your life and the lives of other drivers or passengers. Though it is dangerous, the benefits of having that freedom are endless, but at what price if you don’t respect the road.

I have been in countless close calls and an accident. I was in the car with three of my friends, we were leaving another one of our friends’ houses after a cast party (We are all theater kids). It was late and we were tired. It was foggy out and my friend had to back out of the driveway. I was looking through the back window to see for him and we suddenly slammed to a stop. The whole car jumped, and we were thrown around in the vehicle. Because of the conditions, we couldn’t see the tree right behind us. The car was totaled, the back light was gone and the whole frame was shifted. One of my friends in the car had been in a terrible car accident a few years prior and had a debilitating panic attack because of this accident. Everyone was safe and no one was hurt but we were lucky it wasn’t another car at the bottom of the driveway, or if we had been going a little faster I don’t know that the same outcome would have been possible. I experience reckless driving on the regular, but it’s not something that I’m happy about. My mom thinks she is the best driver and is invincible, but she still drifts off to the side sometimes, I just always keep an eye out even as a passenger. My dad had terrible road rage and had substance abuse issues. He would doze off at the wheel, chase down drivers on the highway, make the car “dance” on the highway, but at the time I was 5 and didn’t know how dangerous that was. There were times he was so drugged out of his mind that he would turn on rock music, roll down all the windows and tell his 13 year old kid to talk to him to keep him awake. My friends also drive recklessly. They think nothing can happen, and if it doesn’t it won’t be bad. One of my friends just got his license at 18. He has had it for only a week or so but he still drives like he’s never touched a car. He is scared to pull forward before taking a left at an intersection, which can be very dangerous because if he waits too long, then doesnt have the time to move into his lane because he waited until we could get t-boned. I love my friends, but I always worry about them. If I have any feeling that they might not be good to drive, I am always the volunteer designated driver. I don’t care what they did, if they need a ride, I’m there.

Well my friends hate me for this but I am an absolute backseat driver. I give them tips, directions, and tell them what the laws are if I notice they are doing something dangerous. I know that makes me a bit of a buzz kill, but if I have to lose my reputation to save their lives, if not now then in the future, then I gladly accept my title. I dont think I’m the best driver in the world because no one is, but I know what I can do and I know how I can help.