Select Page

How to stay alive

Name: Gabriela Cedillo
From: Houston, Texas
Votes: 0

Gabriela
Cedillo University of St. Thomas

How
to Stay Alive


The moment I stepped on the
acceleration as I drove by myself for the first time, I remember my
hands trembling as cars drove past me. I always had my father on the
passenger seat guiding me as I drove. This feeling was both nerve
wrecking and exciting as I began to become an independent driver. I
no longer had the guidance of my father, it was just me and the road
– the possibilities of what could happen if I didn’t drive smart
were endless. Receiving some sort of driving education is of high
importance to keep new drivers informed and alert. We have lost too
many young lives to irresponsible drivers and it shows in the data
throughout the years. In order to prevent so many deaths from
happening, I believe it’s important to keep insisting the concept
of anti-drunk driving and avoiding distractions while driving such as
cell-phone use.

Nowadays, I see more awareness
against cellphone use and driving under the influence on social media
and although this is great, I believe we need to keep this up, show
people the harsh reality of the possible consequences behind driving
irresponsibly. To keep this awareness, I believe communities should
join groups of people for this specific cause. In these groups,
people can share their stories, have events in order to raise
awareness, and so on. Regarding new drivers, it is important to keep
insisting this safe driving mentality to them. My younger sister is
recently learning how to drive, and I can’t help but feel a little
fearful. Like my father always insists, just because you are being
safe, doesn’t mean the cars around you are. Always keep alert.

Personally, I have never
experienced being in a car accident, but I have lost family members
that were far too young to irresponsible drivers. My cousin just
turned 19 and one night, never returned home due to the actions of
another driver and their choice to drive under the influence.
Everywhere you look there is an accident, some worse than others.
Promoting safe driving is of high importance considering lives are on
the line.