Name: Marin Oehler
From: Elkridge, MD
Votes: 0
Ignorance
is Recklessness
Seatbelt
on, mirrors checked, key turned. Vroom.
The engine sounds. I place my foot on the accelerator and I’m off.
The roads are empty, leaving myself and my royal blue volkswagen
buggy alone. It’s a nice day out: sunny, clear skies, faint breeze. I
feel the cool crisp air against my skin and it’s blowing my hair all
around. But I don’t care. Everything is just per—
I
can’t breathe. I must be suffocating because I can’t breathe.
Everything is black, and what is that screeching, ringing,
insufferable noise? I’m covered in blood when I realize my bone is
protruding from the skin in my forearm. My head is spinning and
somehow I remember a car racing towards me, airbag erupting as I
hopelessly reached for the horn. A girl is running towards me,
reaching for her phone. But everything is a blur after that.
…
My
mom always lectures that she isn’t scared of my driving skills, but
terrified of the carelessness of those around me. I never thought
anything of this except it being an annoying excuse to prevent me
from driving places. Everything changed after we got a phone call
from the hospital. Someone ran a stop sign, turning left and crashing
into my sister. She had a compound fracture in her ulna bone
requiring immediate surgery. Today, there is a thick black scar
traveling along the length of her forearm, and a titanium metal plate
in her wrist. We joke about her being partially bionic, but
irresponsible driving is a serious, unfunny topic.
I
now understand the dangers and complications of driving. It isn’t
just a means for traveling, but a complex system that is full of
hazards. And I can help myself and others by recognizing this.
Recklessness
is the result of ignorance. The lack of acknowledgement in laws and
regulations elicits danger and harm. New drivers are at a higher risk
of endangering themselves and others. They do not have the laws,
safety, dnagers, speed, courtesy, and signs. Although, given targeted
education on the proper rules of driving, they will drastically
decrease risks by simply producing their awareness. And such is the
power of Drivers ed: we must learn the responsibility of
driving, before we can earn its privileges.
