Name: Josh Loeffler
From: Phoenix, ARIZONA
Votes: 0
The amount of deaths
caused by driving each year makes the roads seem like a warzone.
Strangers and loved ones are falling left and right, but the battle
isn’t with another country; it’s with ourselves. The lack of
knowledge, responsibility, and care that many people have with
regards to driving is a growing problem.
The root of the
problem with irresponsible drivers is the driving test. It simply
doesn’t test if a person is ready to drive. For example, in the
span of 48 hours, a friend of mine drove for the first time in his
life, took the driving test and passed, and ran a red light. The
driving test is supposed to ensure that the drivers on the road are
confident in their abilities to be safe and responsible while
driving. Yet, what it actually accomplishes is allowing people who
lack responsibility, confidence, and knowledge of driving to roam
freely on the roads. An easy solution is to make the driving test
harder. It should go much more in depth with each skill required in
driving. By starting drivers off with a stronger foundation, we would
be assessing this problem at its core. We would be improving the
quality of drivers on the roads, and therefore decreasing the number
of deaths caused by accidents.
I’ve actually been
in an accident before. A few years ago, my mom was driving me, and we
were approaching an intersection that had only one other car in it.
As we continued straight, the other car made a U turn and hit us. She
claimed she didn’t see our car, which was impressive considering it
was the only other car there. To make matters worse, there was a big
“No U turn” sign, which she either didn’t see or purposefully
disregarded. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but it could’ve been
avoided altogether if she had just paid attention to driving.
Before this
incident, I didn’t even think accidents were real. I had never been
in one, and I had never seen one happen. I certainly never thought
that I’d be in one. Now that I have, I realize how terrifying and
dangerous they can be. However, I also realize how easy they can be
to avoid. If that woman had simply glanced at the intersection in
front of her, she would’ve seen the “no U turn” sign as well as
the giant minivan coming towards her.
Through
conversations I’ve heard, habits I’ve seen, and an accident I’ve
experienced, I’ve become very aware of the dangers of driving. My
goal is not only to be a safe driver, but to promote safe driving
habits among others as well. This includes correcting the mistakes of
others as well as my own while driving, removing any unnecessary
distractions while driving, and not creating a distracting
environment for the driver if I’m in the passenger seat. Driving is
a powerful tool, and it is one that we must handle carefully and
responsibly.
