Driver Safety

Driving is possibly
the biggest responsibility given to us as high school students. When
you step in the driver’s seat, you possess this amount of power never
granted before. I think that sometimes we forget this. We get behind
the wheel with a million other thoughts racing through our mind, and
driving becomes second, third, or even fourth priority.

Drivers ed is
offered, and like most students in my high school, I took the class
for those three months only so my drivers insurance rate would be
lower.

If we started taking
the time way back before we even got behind the wheel, and really
comprehended all the responsibility of driving, maybe it would be
different now. Drivers ed is serious, and while some kids
understand that right away, it takes other years to notice how much
damage they’re possible of creating. What impact kids the most is
seeing someone get into a fatal accident. This can not be the case
any longer, because kids need to learn before they crash the car.
Really listening and paying attention in drivers ed classes
will change that. If I think back to mine I only remember the
horrific videos we watched, interviewing family members and friends
who lost people in accidents. This is impactful, because all it takes
is that connection to your own life. I remember watching one scene of
parents trying to interview, but you could see their emotions poking
through. I try to remember that whenever I start driving, and think
of all the hurt I’d cause on others by a preventable accident.

When the bell rings
at the end of the day, students pour out the door and race to their
cars. There’s a series of horns, brake squeals, and shouting as
friends use their cars as more than motor vehicles.

Everyone just needs
to take a deep breath and relax. Being the first car to leave the
school parking lot is not worth your life. The biggest problem with
teenage drivers, most drivers even, is speed. We rush around all day
long, trying to cram too much in, and end up racing down the roadways
to make up time. Wake up 5 minutes earlier, and you won’t be
scrambling out the door and down your driveway. Take your time,
because if you give up those extra minutes each morning you’ll be
saving not only your life but everyone’s on the road with you as
well.