Someone is Waiting For you

We have all heard sayings along the lines of “buckle up, someone is waiting for you at home,” or “drive safe, you wouldn’t want someone you loved getting that call.” As we continue to say these phrases we become more and more naive to the idea that anything can ever go wrong. I have found myself in various situations where I think putting on my seatbelt is a waste of time, but earlier this year I was hit with a reality check.

Drivers ed is incredibly important in helping reduce the statistics of deaths related to driving. By staying educated we are setting ourselves up for anything. It’s important to know how to drive in the snow, or else you could end up sliding. It’s important to know how to navigate in strong rain and winds so that you can find a safe way home. It’s important to gain situational awareness so you aren’t put face to face with death. It’s also important that people on the road have driver’s education so they don’t put other people on the road in danger. I’m sure many people have seen the tiktoks or instagram reels of the interstate pile ups because people are carelessly driving, and it’s incredibly scary to think about what you would do when put in a situation like that. So to further stand my point the importance of drivers education is crucial in helping keep our roads safe, and people driving.

At the end of the day you can’t stop people from reckless driving, but there are steps that can be taken in again helping reduce the statistics of driving related deaths. First of all, I think the permit rules should be enforced a lot better. I know plenty of people who don’t follow the 50 hour driving rule before they go and get their driver’s license. Putting teenageres who are already incredibly naive on the road in the face of danger, it is simply an accident waiting to happen. I think another step we could take is being more mindful of the different ages on the road. We know that people that are older aren’t always going to be able to see as well, and ultimately could end up putting them and other people in danger. We need to be more mindful of who we are giving the ability to be on the road. I also think another step we could take is stop having police officers pulling people over for no reason. This takes up way too much time and keeps them away from actually helping the community with reckless driving.

Me and my dad were just coming home from the Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins playoff game, and the roads were extremely icy. I remember as we started to drive off I had no desire to put my seatbelt on, but my dad had eventually noticed my belt wasn’t on, and told me to put it on. As any daughter should, I listened to my father and fastened my seatbelt, and thank goodness I did because I had no idea what was in store for me. Our GPS had rerouted us and took us on a backroad that ultimately ended up putting us in a steep ditch and totaling the car. It was below freezing temperatures and both our phones were almost dead due to being at the football game. so long. Luckily someone saw our car lights flashing from afar and notified the police, so they were already on their way. At that moment I thought about how important it truly is to buckle my seatbelt, because without that belt I don’t think I would be sitting here writing this essay today.

As I am now an adult and 18 years old, it is now my responsibility to choose wisely when driving. The first step I always need to make sure I do when driving is to buckle my seatbelt, because at the end of the day that is going to be the one thing saving my life if something goes wrong. Another step I can take is not speeding, if I find myself in the position to speed I didn’t prioritize my time the way I should’ve. The last and final step I want to include is now that I am about to head off to college. Peer pressure is going to become a lot higher. I am going to be faced with a lot of bad habits like drinking and driving, vaping, and many more careless things. The step I could take is not giving into peer pressure and continuing to practice safe driving habits, because just like the old saying people say “put your phone down, buckle up, and drive safely, someone is at home waiting for you”.