A Danger Masked as a Privilege

Evan Colburn

22 November 2020

A Danger Masked as a Privilege

Driving is a privilege which many people earn at 16 years old. To achieve this privilege one must meet certain criteria. One of these criteria is the completion of driver education. Driver’s education is huge in preventing accidents and teaching new drivers the ways of the road. Without drivers education it would be easy to blow off the common safety measures one must take. These safety measures include putting on a seatbelt or even just checking your washer fluid. However, there is a big problem of distracted driving in today’s world.

I was thrifting with my friend and he was driving on an empty road. I was staring out the window and analyzing the various shopping centers when his phone rang. He had gotten a text message from his girlfriend at the time and he picked up his phone and started texting her back. This is when the car started to drift toward the curb. Eventually, he drifted too close to the curb and ran up the curb. Luckily, he was able to drop his phone in time to swerve back into the lane. However, it could have been a lot worse than it was. We could have ran into a phone pole or even flip the car, but we were lucky. This was the last time I was in the car while he was driving.

Texting and driving is not worth the risk. Even if you are only going to change the music you can wait until the car is stopped. Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents and most distracted driving is a result of cell phones. To avoid texting and driving and cell phone distractions I recommend putting your phone somewhere in the car where you cannot reach it. I often put my phone in the passenger seat or even on the floor of the car.

Being alert is another aspect of driving that is often forgotten. It is important to make sure you are fully awake. You should never be under the influence of drugs or alcohol behind the wheel either. If you are not fully alert you have other ways to get home beside driving yourself. You can always call your friends or family to come pick you up. In today’s world you also have the option to take an Uber or a taxi which will cost you money. Any amount of money is better than a DUI or even getting in an accident that risks your own or someone else’s life.

Among my friends I have seen a more recent trend of driving their cars despite having problems with their car. My one friend was driving with a bad timing belt and another friend was driving with a flat tire. I warned them of the dangers and luckily they listened. The one friend got a new tire and my other friend got an entire new car. Driving with a damaged car is not worth the risk of harming yourself and others on the road. One must remember what they learned in drivers education and make sure to check the vehicle and make sure it is safe to drive prior to getting on the road.

The most important things to remember prior to getting on the road are to make sure your vehicle is safe for the road, limit distractions, and to make sure you are alert enough to drive. If there’s any question of you being able to drive the best choice to make would be to simply not drive. You have other options besides getting behind the wheel. You can carpool, get a taxi service, or just find another mode of transportation.