Name: Jonah Burch
From: Tomball, TX
Votes: 0
Is
It Worth It?
Jonah
Burch
Houston,
Texas, a city where a lack of a strong public transportation system,
sidewalks and bike lanes make driving a car the only effective method
of getting around. It’s a city where not being able to drive is an
immense handicap that can cost you a small fortune in Uber fees.
However, not being able to drive safely is a handicap which will cost
you your life.
Driver
education is the beginning of the life of a driver, the place where
one’s foundation of knowledge and skill for driving is built and
where one’s driving habits, both good and bad are set into place.
It is vital, in drivers ed that a student not only learn how to
operate their machine but the self-control to do it ethically and
safely. Drivers ed is one’s introduction to the world of
driving, and it is important to make a good impression.
I
believe the best way to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on
the road is simply to have drivers take it seriously. Throughout high
school, I grew up in a culture where drivers ed is seen as an
obstacle rather than a tool. “ONLY 3 CLASS SESSIONS, NO PARRALELL
PARKING, LICENSE GARUNTEED OR MONEY BACK!!!” is the sort of slogan
that sells, seedy driving schools and private tutors focused solely
on getting a license to whoever pays them, rather than the safety of
that driver.
A
shift in perception would go a long way. Parents choosing driving
schools that promise to educate their kids properly and teach them
the foundations of safe driving. Students looking at the testing
criteria of their licensing exams and realizing that these are vital
skills that they need to have mastered rather than inconvenient
obstacles they need to find a way around. Improving the general
attitude of parents and teens towards learning how to prevent
accidents, is the best way to make sure those accidents never happen.
Safe
driving is important to me because it’s something that has affected
me personally, I have sat in a totaled car on a highway, with a
concussion, waiting for paramedics to arrive because of people
texting and driving. I’ve had relatives be killed by being run over
by irresponsible teens playing “chicken” on backroads. Car
accidents are horrifying, terrible experiences that no one should
have to go through, and safe driving is the only way to prevent them.
Personally,
I can help make the roads a safer place by maintaining safe driving
habits such as never looking at my phone while driving as well as
encouraging family and friends to do the same while I am a passenger.
Every
day, thousands of horrific, life-ending accidents happen on our roads
due to a culture of carelessness. Every second you are one the road
you are offered decisions which could cost you more than you can
imagine. Next time you are on the roads, and are tempted to choose
poorly, ask yourself “Is it worth it?”
