Drive for Five

Drivers ed is
important because teens need to hear the dangers of driving from
someone other than their parents. The more we hear it, the more it
will sink into our undeveloped frontal lobes. I think education and
awareness is the key to reducing the number of driving related
deaths. I was affected by losing a friend to reckless driving. She
was a mentor to me as she was older than me and a softball player
that I really looked up to. She was number 5 on the softball field.
She lost her life because the driver of the car she was in was going
over 100mph down a rural road. They wrapped their car around a tree
and both died. My friend lived a few hours before she died. Hearing
her story and watching her mother grieve over the last 5 years has
deeply affected me. There’s always a Drive for 5 sticker in my car
that reminds me that nothing is worth risking my life behind the
wheel. As a new driver, I took the one day class called “Drive
with a Cop”. We learned about the dangers of reckless driving
and had an individual drive with a cop. During my drive, the police
officer was changing the radio, messing with the volume, and trying
to show me texts on his phone. It was a sobering experience as I was
shown first hand how easily it is to get distracted. We saw pictures
and videos of cars that had been in wrecks. From that day forward, I
always prefer to drive and am very picky abou t who I even want as a
passenger in my car. I recommend drivers ed to everyone
younger than me that has asked. I also post every year when the Drive
With a Cop event is open for registration. We can all drive safely
and learn a lot in honor and memory of number five.