Cindy’s Tale

Knowledge is power and ignorance is self-destructive. When a person sits behind the steering wheel of a two-thousand-pound machine made of metals and plastics that can go seventy miles per hour, they are essentially signing their death certificate—if they do not practice safe driving. The need for transportation has been around as long as human life. Transportation has taken many shapes and forms throughout the millions of years human life has been on the planet. From foot travel, horses, carriages, cars, and even flying cars (planes)! But when technology is created, in order to utilize it to its fullest potential and capacity, one must become educated on the mechanisms of said technology. The importance of becoming an educated driver is for safety, comfort, and responsibility.

There is an eighteen-year-old girl, Cindy, from Charlotte, North Carolina, who just got a 2016 black interior and exterior Honda Civic as a graduation present so she can take it to college. She is ecstatic, full of jubilee, and overjoyed to receive this gift! Her parents, middle-class average workers, are also just as excited to finally be able to afford this gift for their firstborn child. But here is the thing: the daughter did not take drivers education in high school, so she must first apply for her license. Her caring parents caution her on using the car until she receives her license for the safety of herself and others on the road. She nods in agreement and continues to celebrate her momentous day. Later that day there is a party that her and her friends got invited to, but they all need a ride to get there; luckily Cindy just got her new car. So, when it comes time to pick everyone up for the party, Cindy sneaks out with the car keys and begins to drive off. At first, she feels comfortable and thinks she can handle the responsibility of being a driver. She checks her tire pressure, gas level, mirrors, lights, and sensors before driving off, truly trying to be a safe driver. She picks up all her friends, and they start making their way to the party. Cindy has to merge onto the highway, something she has never done before. She begins to get nervous and slightly jerk the wheel back and forth, slowly losing her comfort. Her friend in the passenger seat notices this, and so she ensures Cindy is okay; she says yes. As Cindy continues to drive, someone cuts her off without signaling their light, and this shocks Cindy, and so she swerves to avoid getting hit. This led to her losing control of the wheel, being an endanger to herself, her friends, and all those on the interstate that night. Everyone is screaming; Cindy is crying, and then BAM, she hits the wall of the interstate. Her friend in the passenger head is filled with glass shards as she did not have her seat belt on, her friends in the back seat are concussed from hitting their faces on the headrest, and Cindy is dead from the impact. The 2016 Honda black interior has now been painted red, and the black exterior has streaks of grey. All of this occurred in the time it takes to tie both shoes. Highway patrol comes and checks the scenery out and goes about the process of handling cases such as this. They notify the parents, and they all grieve. One is hysterically crying because her daughter, the one in the passenger seat, had told her that they all got into the same school they wanted to be in and would have been able to live in the same dorm.

This is only one of hundreds of instances that occur because of unsafe driving due to a lack of education. When a driver is not educated, they become a danger to themselves and others because they do not know what they are looking for on the road, aren’t aware of the spoken and unspoken protocols, and simply do not know how to fully conduct themselves in a speeding two-thousand-pound bucket made of metals and plastics. They will lose their comfort at the slightest instance of stress and become nervous, leading to losing control of the wheel or attention on the road. Without education, they may not fully comprehend and understand the responsibility that comes with operating a speeding two-thousand-pound bucket made of metals and plastics.

Steps that can be taken to reduce the number of driving-related deaths are to ensure individuals understand the safety, comfort, and responsibility that accompany driving. The culture around driving must be changed to be something earned and not taken for granted. Finally, individuals should be empowered at a young age to understand vehicles and what goes into them—what makes them work, what the maintenance is for them, and so forth.

On May 11th, 2020, a friend of mine passed away while driving with someone. This was my first instance of a close death, and I was taken aback. I was only fourteen at the time, and she just had her 15^th birthday in April. Her messages showed she was uncomfortable and was ready to get out of the car. This is when I knew firsthand that driving is something all parties, driver or passenger, must be educated on.

The steps I take to be a better driver are by learning myself, the vehicles I drive, and the roads I drive on. In becoming aware and educated on these three elements, I increase my driving safety and comfort while continuously remembering the immense responsibility of operating a speeding two-thousand-pound bucket made of metals and plastics. How I teach others is by sharing my experiences and mistakes so they do not have to learn the hard way, particularly my younger siblings.

In conclusion, driver education is important because it creates a safer driving environment, minimizes driving stress, and ensures people know the responsibility of driving. How I plan to be a safer driver is to continue learning myself, the vehicles I drive, and the roads I drive on. How I plan to help others in driving better is by sharing my experiences and mistakes.