It’s a Privelage

Driving is a privilege. The freedom that comes with it is adrenaline-inducing, but this privilege is often cast aside and thought of as a right. We don’t have the right to drive, however everyone should have the right to feel safe on the roadway. Accidents happen every day and we pass by damaged cars without a second thought. This shouldn’t be the norm, we shouldn’t have to constantly worry about whether or not someone else on the road will be reckless or not, nevertheless, we do. We do have to be cautious, we have to be aware, and the only thing that we can do to help the problem is to make sure that we aren’t a part of it.

As long as we all take proper care when driving and make sure to drive safely, then we have hope to decrease the fatalities and injuries related to driving. Even so, there are certain steps we have to take to get there, making sure we are all properly educated on the rules of the road and that we check whether we are okay to drive before we get behind the wheel. A way check is to check if you are tired, being tired reduces your reaction time, increasing the risk of an accident, another way to check is to check the label of any medication you may have taken that day, and if the label says that it is not safe to operate heavy machinery while taking it, then maybe you shouldn’t drive a car until its effects have worn off. Just because you can see others on the roadway, does not mean that they can see you which leads to something you should always remember: Always be aware of your surroundings, especially when they may not be aware of you.

I am thankful that I have been properly instructed by my parents, they make sure to tell me what to look out for, they make sure to tell me how to drive safely and how to avoid an accident caused by those who don’t. And even though I haven’t been in an accident, I’ve been in situations where a reckless driver nearly caused one. Whether it be a lack of signaling, going over the speed limit, or rapid lane-changes to try and avoid traffic and slow moving lanes, reckless driving is the cause of 33% of fatalities from crashes.

It’s easy to look at that number on paper, but it becomes harder when you know that every one of those fatalities could have been prevented. Every one of those fatalities were a product of recklessness. And every one of those fatalities means that one person lost their ability to come back home to their family. Cars are not the reason I worry for my parents when they need to go out somewhere to get groceries, people are the reason why I worry that I may lose the ones closest to me.

I appreciate that I have the ability to drive on the road, and I hope that others appreciate it enough to drive safely.