The Privilege and Cost

The
Privilege and Cost

Driving:
a privilege that can be obtained but must not be taken lightly. As a
child, my parents exemplified the ideal safe driver while showing me
just how cautious we must be on the road.We are able to drive
machines that are over one-thousand pounds: a machine capable of
catastrophic damage. Unfortunately, I can say that I know the
consequences of distracted driving just by listening to stories of my
family members.

Before
I was born, my mother’s friend was in a limo on the way back home
from a wedding when a drunk driver collided head on at one-hundred
miles per hour. Everyone except for my mother’s friend was injured
or dead. My mother’s friend’s baby was decapitated by the seat
belt. This mother saw her child, her infant, without a head. This
mother saw her loved ones dead or completely injured, lying next to
her. The unbearable thought of all the pain caused by one avoidable
act shows how serious the topic of driving entails. This single story
traumatized many and caused pain greater than explanation: because
one driver did not fully internalize the impact distracted driving
can cause. This is only one of the many stories I’ve heard; imagine
the multitude of stories present from people all over with families,
loved ones, and lives and dreams of their own.

Even
today, while driving, I was able to witness distracted driving for a
man was texting behind me and swerving greatly. Not only was he about
an inch from rear ending me, but he almost hit many cars on
residential streets going the opposite way: just because he wanted to
answer a text that someone sent to him. But, I firmly believe that
the person who was texting him would prefer his safety over a
response. We were put on this earth for a reason, and our lives
should not end because we want to send a quick text to someone while
on the road.

Annually,
about 34,000 people die due to driving according to Driving and
Traffic School. In one year, the amount of death due to driving far
exceeds the amount of deaths in the Revolutionary War, Iraq War, War
of 1812, War in Afghanistan, and Mexican-American War combined at
17,662 deaths: deaths incurred over many years, not just one year.

W
must share stories that distracted driving causes to reduce deaths
due to driving, increasing exposure of the issue at hand. In order
to increase exposure, drivers ed must prevent deaths due to
driving by showing pathos, ethos, and logos information about the
danger driving may entail. It is necessary that we humans fully
comprehend the risks associated with cars for if we have
comprehension of the danger, we are able to resist the temptation of
driving with distractions. Afterall, if we want to live a life in
which we are safe and protected, why not start with a common action
used by millions of people: driving, eliminating our distractions?