Name: Amani Pearson
From: Aurora, Colorado
Votes: 0
“Amani, go, go…
GO!” My father’s words seemed to hit me in slow motion as he
urged me to put my foot on the gas, but my mind and body weren’t
sync. I knew I needed to complete the right-hand turn that I had
started moments before, but my foot wouldn’t come unglued from the
brake.
“Amani listen
to me. You can’t sto-” Boom. Before my dad could even finish his
sentence, someone had slammed into the back of us, jolting us
forward.
I wasn’t in the face of death; however, I still felt like I could
never get behind the wheel again. For most, a small fender bender
isn’t traumatizing, but as a 15-year-old with her permit who had
only been driving for five months, it seemed like the end of the
world.
We never knew why
the guy rear-ended us, but it’s my guess he was distracted in one
way or another and by the time he saw my stopped car it was already
too late.
Distracted
driving is a bigger issue than most would like to admit in today’s
day and age, so big in fact that 34,000 Americans die annually due to
some car related accident. As a nation, it’s important to work
together to reduce this number, and I think the first step to doing
that is simply by talking about it. We need to get educated and be
aware of what’s happening around us on the roads. We can’t shy
away from conversions just because they might be uncomfortable. If
your sister is on her phone while driving, say something. If you see
your friend is about to go behind the wheel drunk, do something about
it. If your uncle forgot to put on his seatbelt, stick up for his
safety. Nothing is going to improve if we stay silent.
When we learn to
open our mouths and stand up for safe driving, we begin the process
of making the roads a safer place for all we who are on them, leading
that 34,000 to becoming 30,000 to 20,000 to 10,000 and so on. And
there’s already one group that is loud and clear about proper
safety on the roads – drivers ed instructors.
Drivers ed is
such an essential step in becoming the best drivers we can be. But
more than just taking the class, actually putting it into practice.
We can say we took drivers ed and passed, but how many of us
actually continue to make a full stop at a stop sign or keep our
hands at 10 and 2. If we make a real effort to practice what we’re
taught, we’re not only helping ourselves, but those around us as
well.
So, let’s take
a stand against distracted driving and use the platform of our voices
to ensure the security of drivers and passengers everywhere. And
remember to speak up when something seems out of the ordinary,
because there’s no such thing as innocent bystander.
