Name: Ellie Rush
From: Las Vegas, Nevada
Votes: 0
Most people are
first taught to drive by a friend or a family member. After all, a
friend or a family member is readily available, will teach you for
free, and will usually have years worth of experience to draw from.
Oftentimes, this is an effective and practical way to learn the
mechanics of driving. However, you may notice that some of their
driving habits don’t align with what you learned from your permit
test. Without a word, they may race through a yellow or red traffic
light, cross over a solid line on the road, or text while driving.
And the more people you ride with, the more you may observe other
drivers you know and respect breaking these basic rules. It is at
that point that you are faced with a choice: Do you call out their
actions, or do you just stay quiet? You fear that if you do the
former, they will perceive you as a goody-two-shoes or too high
strung. You then further entertain that idea. You fear that if they
perceive you as these things, they may ridicule you, spread rumors
about you, and ultimately damage your reputation. Besides, you know
that these people aren’t criminals or morally corrupt in any way, so
you simply assume that what they are doing must be fine and follow
their example. However, it is this assumption that leads to fatal car
accidents. If you don’t slow down or stop at yellow or red lights,
respectively, you may get blindsided by oncoming traffic. If you
cross over a solid line on the road, you may sideswipe an
unsuspecting driver. If you text while driving, a plethora of
unfortunate scenarios may unfold: You may hit a pedestrian or another
car, or you may get hit yourself. Circumstances such as these
illustrate the vast importance of properly educating drivers in order
to reduce driving-related deaths. One step you can take towards
reducing these deaths and increasing overall road safety is by
educating your fellow drivers. If you know that what they are doing
is dangerous, don’t be afraid to call them out. Additionally, if you
know of any good informational resources relating to driving safety,
don’t hesitate to refer it to them. It is worth potentially facing
embarrassment in order to protect their life. In fact, not only will
it better protect them, but also those around and with them. I have
been a passenger during a couple of rear-ends, and though they were
nothing fatal, they easily could have been under certain conditions.
In short, don’t be afraid to stand up against perilous driving; doing
so could potentially save your life and the lives of those around
you.
