Name: Yaneli Castillo
From: Houston, Texas
Votes: 0
Roadmap to Safer roads
Driving was a dream for me, you know, being able to drive whenever and wherever my heart desired. As I saw my parents drive our family around, I remember thinking to myself “Driving doesn’t seem that hard. Its just the ‘Go’ petal and the ‘Stop’ petal, turning left, turning right, piece of cake!” That is, until the night we received a heart dropping call, when we were delivered with the news that my uncle got into a terrible car accident. My perspective on driving changed after that night. When we were on our way to the hospital, I gripped the side of the car doors with one hand and gripped my seatbelt with the other. Why am I so afraid of the car? Who knew driving could be frightening, all of a sudden? Once there, my uncle suffered severe cuts and bruises from his car accident, he was unrecognizable for two days before the hospital were able to identify him. We were relieved when the doctors delivered us the news that he was fine, but he was going to need a lot of time for recuperation. This is something no one wants to go through, much less one of your loved ones. What saddens me is that the cause of this accident was because he was driving under the influence, the number one cause of car accidents.
After that traumatic experience, my parents were convinced that I needed proper driving education and insisted on me going to driving school when I turned 17. At first, I was terrified especially after knowing what happened to my uncle. I remember thinking, “What if someone crashes into me? What if I won’t be able to make it to my destination? What if I’ll end up in a ditch?”. Naturally, my parents comforted me, telling me not to worry and that by going to driving school, I’ll be able to trust myself to be behind the wheel. As I attended driving school, my fear of driving slowly drifted away. During various class sessions, they showed several videos of experiences in driving, accidents, what reckless driving leads to, what distractions can cause, obeying speed limits and traffic laws, etc. After seeing the consequences of reckless driving though, I realized sitting in the driver’s seat isn’t all about freedom and fun, it’s actually the most important seat that carries the greatest responsibility, as every decision behind the wheel affects not just my life, but the life of others. It was in driving school that I truly learned the weight of that responsibility.
The lessons prepared me with the essentials of driving techniques like being aware of my surroundings when driving, making sure my passengers and myself have our seatbelts on, and avoid any type of distractions. Distractions were strongly emphasized in our lessons, and that’s because as teenagers, common accidents are caused by distractions, be it using our cellphones, changing the radio station, responding to a text message, answering a call, etc. Using cell phones while driving increases the risk of deaths and injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2022, over 3,300 people were killed in car accidents involving distracted drivers. That’s why as new drivers, or even experienced drivers, we don’t want to contribute to the death toll of car accidents and avoid reduce any risks when driving.
For instance, some steps we were taught in drivers ed were to: 1) Keep our vehicle in the best condition. Some examples are making sure our brakes are in working order, our tires have enough air pressure, etc. That way the better the state of our car is, the more control you’ll have while driving it. 2) Be aware of the actions of other drivers. We as drivers want to drive defensively, recognizing any indicators that will help us predict how other drivers will act, since many drivers tend to not be aware of their surroundings. And lastly, 3) Take precautions to keep others and yourself safe. As mentioned before, when we are in a motorized vehicle, we want to be sure that our passengers and ourselves are safe and have the seat belts on, that way we are protected from any impact the car may have if we get into an accident. Knowing this, these driving school lessons were eye-opening, and they showed me how crucial drivers education is, since it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of road safety, traffic laws, and defensive driving techniques.
Thinking back to how I used to see driving as a carefree fantasy, it’s actually not. Driving requires a lot of responsibility, I see how important driver education is, as they contribute to creating safer roads and safer drivers. My uncle’s accident was a wake-up call, emphasizing how reckless decisions behind the wheel can lead to life-altering consequences. Apart from teaching me how to drive, driving school taught me the values of defensive driving, avoiding distractions, and respecting traffic laws to protect myself and others on the road. I hope more people take the opportunity to learn the responsibility that comes with driving, I know I will always keep the lessons I learned in mind every time I get behind the wheel. We can all contribute to reducing the tragic toll of car accidents by committing to safer practices and inspiring others to do the same. After all, driving is not just a privilege but a responsibility.
