“Dear Reckless Drivers, Please.”

Abigail Atkinson

Driver Education Initiative 2020: In the Driver’s Seat

October 9, 2020

Dear Reckless Drivers, Please.

Today in America, although they may not know it, the majority of deaths- especially teen deaths- stem from driving incidents. Many lives have been pulled to a full stop just because someone wanted to shoot a quick text to a friend.

In order to combat this, we have improved our drivers education, in order to save the lives of teens, mothers, fathers, and even children. Drivers education has tried to teach both new and old drivers both new and old safety regulations and hazards. It teaches the dangers of reckless driving and the proper precautions and procedures to go through when driving. And yet, we’re still having people drop like flies due to driving.

One way to further step towards a better future is to actively practice these lessons. It is plainly obvious that drivers aren’t doing what they’re supposed to, if they think they can get away with something- they’ll try it. But in order to make any kind of change we can’t have that mentality. Don’t speed to be there five minutes early, don’t run that red light, and turn off your phone, you don’t need it.

Personally, I’ve seen family members and friends drive recklessly- turning without blinkers, texting while they’re driving, and even taking both hands off the wheel. Every time I think about what could happen in that split second and my stomach drops. Not only am I concerned for them, but also for myself and the other passengers; I don’t want their fooling around to be the death of me or anyone else. They don’t understand the weight of the situation, and wave me off when I try to explain it to them. This needs to stop.

To be better, we need to realize just how big of a deal driving and the deaths it causes really are. Whether it was fooling around, texting, or just having a conversation with a passenger- distracted driving is the reason thousands and thousands of people die each year, and thousands and thousands of them had great lives ahead of them.

Who are you to take that away? Who are you to leave a mother crying over a grave because her child was unjustly killed by someone who just wanted to get home a bit earlier? Who are you to take your own future away? If you die in a car wreck today due to reckless driving, what will happen to your loved ones, even worse- the ones in the car with you? Driving, especially driving recklessly, is more deadly than going to war at this point.

Having this in mind, personally I think we all need to collectively stress the permanent effects of driving. In order to save the lives of those who do practice safe driving, we need to educate reckless drivers on the risks they are creating. We need to support causes that will educate drivers about the dangers, such as “NHTSA,” “DmvEdu.org.” With this, we can continue to educate others about the dangers of driving and save the lives of those we call dear.