A Deadly Mistake

A Deadly Mistake

We are all human, and we all humans make mistakes. Every now and then we may forget about an assignment, make a typo in a text message, or stutter during a presentation, but these mistakes are all miniscule and evidently harmless. Mistakes on the road, however, can cost you your life. Something as minor as speeding or checking your phone while driving can easily lead to fatal accidents. Despite how common they can be, these casualties can all easily be prevented with proper driver education courses available to the community. Driver’s education should be considered a necessity in order to function in today’s society, though unfortunately, many drivers neglect this important responsibility. A world without driver education would be a lawless society, with roads and highways packed with brainless drivers behind wheels and countless vehicular accidents that could be easily avoided. Many families have to go home to empty chairs at the dinner table because reckless and uneducated drivers had wrongfully taken their loved ones away from them. If everyone took the precautions they needed, then the amount of vehicular deaths can significantly decrease without question. For instance, if you’re behind the wheel, you must commit to your driving rather than take it as a task that can be completed half-heartedly. Driving is not a responsibility that you can take lightly, and you must always ensure that you’re following the rules of the road. This means checking that you and your passengers are all wearing your seatbelts correctly, putting your phone away, and limiting any and all distractions that would obstruct your driving. Vehicular accidents are far from rare, and it’s likely that every reader has been affected by reckless driving in some shape or form. For instance, this past summer, I was hit by a driver that wasn’t watching the road like they should have been. They ran a red light as I was trying to turn left, which resulted in them driving full speed into the side of my car. We were lucky that we were both able to leave the scene completely unharmed, but the situation could have been much worse if I didn’t step on the brakes. If I didn’t brake in time, they likely would have struck my drivers’ side door, leaving me and my passengers severely injured. This entire situation could have been easily avoided with careful driving and proper driver’s education courses. Though everyone with a driver’s license should be constantly on their toes while driving, it is easy to assume that not everyone is a perfect driver. It is unfortunately very common for licensed drivers to check their phones while driving, speed when they are late for work or school, or even drive without their seatbelts on without a sound excuse. Though these offenses are common, these habits can undoubtedly be broken. And most importantly, on top of holding yourself accountable, you must hold your friends accountable as well if you see them using poor judgement while driving. It may be difficult to tell your friends to get off their phones or watch the road in fear of judgement, but just know that a simple correction like that can potentially save a life. Who knows– maybe you can stop a harmless mistake from potentially becoming deadly.