
Name: Kyriana Felice garcia
From: Harlingen, Texas
Votes: 0
Freedom, Or Endangerment?
Freedom, Or Endangerment?
Driving, the American teenager’s first real sense of freedom. At the age of sixteen, many teens receive their driver’s license. While this newfound privilege may be exciting, the eager attitudes these children have can lead to their demise. However, the longer you drive and practice, the better you can become. Of course, this isn’t always the case, many drivers new and old tend to get very comfortable on the road, and forget the dangers they face daily as they drive from point A to point B.
Reckless driving isn’t caused by a lack of education, but instead it is caused in forgetting one’s education. When a student first leaves their driving academy, the information is fresh in their head. They make sure to spend over five seconds at a four-way stop, make cautions right turns on red, and always stop as the light turns yellow. As they get comfortable on the roads and learn that a few reckless moves made in a rush didn’t hurt them, they tend to get more comfortable with the idea of reckless driving.
The best way to combat this, especially in younger drivers, is more driving education. If annual classes were mandatory for all license holders to keep their licenses, the information would stay in their minds for longer. Having constant access to the reminders of how dangerous the roads are is exactly what we need as a society to stay safe.
As a licensed driver for a little more than a year, I can say that I am definitely more careful than my brother who hasn’t stepped inside of a driving classroom in over 9 years. While I tend to sit upright and near my wheel, my brother tends to slouch in the driver’s seat and use cruise control as a reason to not need both hands on the wheel. I have witnessed my brother take both hands off the wheel to eat a burger, whereas I wait until I am home to put my straw in my drink. I believe that if he was required to go to more driving classes, that he would be more aware of the mistakes he’s making while he is driving and be more mindful with how carefree he is. If I attend more driving courses, I will stay safe and I will not have the chance to fall into bad habits in the way my brother has.
As far as my personal safety while driving, I can take charge of my education and enroll in different mini courses to keep me current with my knowledge of the road. I must remember to stay mindful while driving, and to share this mindfulness with my peers. The best way to ensure that your friends and family are safe on the road is to open up the conversation about reckless driving with them. The more awareness everyone has around their actions on the road, the more care they will put into every turn, stop, and highway that they drive on.