A Vehicle is Not a Toy

One of the biggest
steps for teenagers to become adults is being able to drive.
Everybody at school shows off their new learner’s permit or
driver’s license, but I don’t think they are fully aware of how
dangerous this new milestone is. They may have passed a test on
knowledge of laws and road signs, but many people are ignorant to the
effect that things in their everyday life have on driving. People are
addicted to their phones and this doesn’t change when they enter a
car. People get little to no sleep, but they still get in the car
thinking it will have no effect on them. Numbers don’t lie and I
believe that if more people knew the statistics about driving deaths,
they wouldn’t treat their vehicle as a toy

Do Not Disturb
while driving has started to become a way to prevent people from
using their phones while driving a vehicle, but some apps have still
failed to introduce this. If your phone is not receiving
notifications, you will be less likely to look at it or be tempted to
use it. If my mom is driving and I try to send her a text message,
she does not get a notification, but I will receive a message saying
that she is driving and on do not disturb. This prevents my mother
from using her phone and also allows me to realize I should wait
until she is not driving to contact her. If more apps introduced this
form of do not disturb, driving will be much safer.

Fortunately, I have
never been involved in a car accident, but I have seen car accidents
and have had people from my community die from irresponsible driving.
A girl from my elementary school was killed before graduating high
school because somebody was recklessly speeding and blew a red light.
I know that these things happen and realize that it could happen to
anyone. I have been a passenger in a car with someone driving and
also using their phone. Sometimes, in those moments, we fail to
realize that our lives have been put in danger. People should not be
thinking “it is just two seconds” when they send a text. They
should be thinking “I am putting my life and the lives of others in
danger”.

I can increase safe
driving by saying something when I notice reckless driving. If I am
in a car with someone on their phone while driving, I need to speak
up. I need to let others know that driving is not a game and a
vehicle is not a toy. When you are driving a car, you are controlling
a machine that has the power to take your life and the lives of
others. It is in no way a toy. Driving is not something to take
lightly. It is a huge step into becoming an adult because it is a
huge responsibility, not just something to brag about in high school.