Name: Stephanie Moutran
From: Cresskill , New Jersey
Votes: 0
The
first time a teenager is usually introduced to learning the rules and
regulations of driving is in Drivers ed during their Junior
Year of High School. Everyone is eager to get their license and have
a taste of freedom with the ability to drive around, yet not many
think of the responsibilities and danger that come with obtaining a
license as I did until my accident. Yes, during the drivers ed
class we learn about the basics such as fines, signs and rules that
must be followed but there wasn’t any warning about the amount of
accidents, injuries or even deaths that have came along with reckless
drivers. There must be a requirement where the kids are taught more
about being safe on the road rather than just learning about the
rules and such, of course that is important yet it could all be
memorized by oneself and explained by the teachers. I doubt any
teenager would go out of their way to learn about the
responsibilities and danger that comes with driving.
There
are many procedures that one could take so they would not be
distracted such as turning ones phone’s off or even using the new
updates Samsung and Apple phones have created which is called “Do
Not Disturb”, it can be turned on manually or when the drive
detects being in a vehicle, it will turn your notifications off until
you get to your destination or turn it off. This has personally
helped me, every time I am it automatically turns off my
notifications which gears my focus onto the road instead of worrying
about who is contacting me when it really isn’t important. It also
has a useful gear which sends messages to the person trying to get in
contact with you notifying them that you are driving and your phone
is on do not disturb.
Along
with the distraction of technology there are so many more
distractions such as drinking and driving or even having the music
too loud for ones full attention on the road yet one has to be
responsible enough to understand that you are not only putting
yourself in danger but others around you as well. Being the young
adults that we are, we think we are invincible, we think we can’t
be “that person” that would get into a car accident. That was
exactly my thought process, until I got into a car accident on May
31st 2019, one day after my 18th birthday. I was going in my Mazda CX
3 2018 going 27 miles per hour on a 30 mile per hour two way street,
going a little slower and cautious than posted on the street since I
had the responsibility of driving my 3 year old cousin on an
approximate 5 minute drive back home from my house when a Mercedes
SUV T-boned me when coming out of a parking area/ mini plaza. Being
that car was so small, when I got hit I got pushed to the other lane
and my quickest reaction was to swerve back into my lane yet so that
I and the incoming driver wouldn’t get hurt. I ended up on the
sidewalk of the lane that I was in prior to getting hit because of my
attempt of swerving back into my lane. The passenger’s side and
behind the passenger’s airbags came out and neither of the doors
were able to open. Thank God, my cousin and I did not get a scratch
on ourselves. My car was declared a lost cause therefore I would not
be getting it back or a new one. Yet this whole experience taught me
a great life lesson, no matter how safe we are being one must always
be aware of their surroundings. I had not been on my phone or
distracted at all, all my attention was on the road so I could get my
baby cousin to her destination safely. If I had been distracted by
playing music, checking my phone, just not fully focused on the road
the accident could have been much worse.
The
steps to being a safe driver is first, always be aware, because you
could be doing everything right but there are reckless people on the
road which is why you must make sure you are focusing fully on the
road, don’t let technology or other people distract you. It is
better to be extra careful and being able to be Alert today so you
can be Alive Tomorrow than being careless and endangering yourself
and others.
