Learning How to Drive Safe

When I still had my driving permit, I would often practice driving and parking with my parents in the front passenger seat. I began to feel increasingly confident in my driving ability. The only thing I never practiced as much was parallel parking. I knew that I would eventually have to learn how to parallel park, so I decided that I should try to park in between two cars on the street my house is on. One night, right before I got home, I practiced my parking with my mom in the car. I successfully pulled into the space and looked behind me to see a car driving onto the street I was on. I signaled left, then I let the car drive by before turning my own car out of the space. However, I did not double check my blind spots after the first car drove away. A second car, behind the first one, drove up, and the front left corner of my car scratched the back right side of their vehicle. This was my first accident, and thankfully, it was a minor accident. No one was hurt. The mishap was still very impactful for me, even without causing any physical harm. The total damage cost was $500. I felt like I messed up, and I didn’t feel like driving for several weeks afterwards. I take that unfortunate experience as a forceful lesson to always be aware of my surroundings. I now know to always double-check my rear-view mirrors and to always check my blindspots. I know to turn my head completely around in order to check for cars behind me. I know that I just need to be aware of everything going on around me.

The constant reiteration of driving safety is extremely important for teenagers who are just starting to drive or have just gotten their driving license. With today’s society in which we are frequently checking our cellular devices for messages and new posts on social media, multiple safety hazards appear. Sending a quick text might cause a driver to not notice a pedestrian crossing the street. It is important for people to turn their phones off while driving; or better yet, put their phones away in a glove compartment or a purse. When I get in the car to drive now, I have a checklist that I go over in my head of the things that I learned in my Driver’s Ed. class.

The inside of a person’s car should always be completely distraction-free. It is very important for drivers to understand their limits when it comes to passengers. If someone plans to drive a friend around, they should make sure that the passenger will not be a distraction. Personally, I have three younger brothers. If you have siblings, then you already know the problems that may arise when all of your brothers and/or sisters have to be locked in a small space together for extended periods of time. I always make sure to tell my siblings to be quiet and stay calm during the ride so that I can focus on my driving. I have only just received my driver’s license, so I haven’t driven any friends around yet. However, I know that when I do, I will make sure that I am driving people that do not distract me. I learned an important lesson the hard way with my minor accident. It is a constant reminder to remember everything I learned in my Driver’s Ed. class. The consequences can be the difference between life and death.