In The Drivers Seat

Driving is often seen as a daily task. It is something you have to do to get to work or school every day. It is also used recreationally to hang out with friends or go to an event. It is a symbol of freedom and independence. However, it comes with significant responsibilities that most people overlook. My journey to becoming a safe and responsible driver was emphasized not too long ago.

I have always been a careful driver. I would like to keep my car nice and drive it until the wheels fall off but not always is that the case. It started about a month ago.

I have finally saved up enough money to take my fiancé and kids on vacation. We have not had a vacation in five or six years prior. My kids have never been able to experience the joys of Great Wolf Lodge.

A new location opened up in Webster, Texas and the tickets were half priced so we booked a stay for the weekend. It was all joy and smiles until five minutes from our destination we had gotten into an accident on the highway. We had rear ended the car in front of us. All because one car way up ahead of us tried to go around a wide loaded vehicle and the motorcycle police officer stopped the car from doing so. After that it was a domino effect of everyone slamming their breaks and swerving out of the way to avoid getting hit. I kept thinking how if I was paying better attention to the situation and my surroundings I could have avoided this accident in the first place. After about an hour of getting our cars safely off the road and the police officers taking our statement, we were finally able to go on our way.

Thankfully my seven-month-old daughter in the backseat was okay and my son rode separately from me. My car was drive-able for only a week after the accident and now I have to pay tons of money to get it fixed or get a new car in total.

Due to this event, I have become a very careful driver. I inform others of the dangers of the road and how it may become a daily task or a mundane thing over time but that does not discredit the dangers that driving a six-thousand-pound steel vehicle can cause. Educating others on driver safety and how to be safe in your vehicle should be talked about more in normal conversations.

Receiving a citation for failure to control speed and the totaling of my vehicle during my accident has opened my eyes to the true dangers of the road. In twenty twenty two there were 42,514 deaths due to driving just in the United States alone! In my state, Texas, four thousand four hundred and eight deaths in that one year. Alcohol, texting, drowsiness and even eating has been known to cause accidents, some even ending in fatalities. We need to do more than just educate people on the importance of safe driving. We need to show them the picture and videos of what happens when you are driving drunk or distracted. I think telling other people’s stories of accidents they have gotten into or stories of their loved ones no longer being with us really help engrain into our brains that this is not just something adults say. It is not just something that you hear about, say yeah alright and move on. This is people’s lives we are talking about. I have this phrase that plays in my head now after my car accident a couple months ago. “Everyone on the road just wants to get home safe tonight.” This line has reiterated to me that nobody plans on getting into a car accident or plans to have something so precious taken from them in the blink of an eye.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my essay. I would love to win this scholarship in order to help pay for my education to reach more people to tell them about the dangers of the road. I am studying to become a Radiologist. I will be doing X-rays on people’s bodies. Most cases of broken bones that come through are going to be from car accidents and especially motorcycle accidents that are not wearing the appropriate attire or driving way too fast.

Thank you so much I really appreciate it