Safe Driving Saves Lives

Hailey Hansen

11-30-20

Safe Driving Saves Lives

Drivers Education is an important way to reduce the number of deaths caused by vehicle accidents because Drivers Ed teaches students special ways to avoid unknown situations. For example, proper steps in avoiding an accident with someone who is texting and driving. There’re many ways new and experienced drivers can reduce the number of deaths related to driving, one of those ways being putting your phone ringer on silent as soon as you enter a car, as well as putting said phone out of sight. Putting your phone on silent, either as a driver or a passenger, makes it easier for full focus on the road. As a driver, if a passenger is on their phone and it keeps ringing or receiving messages, the driver naturally gets curious and wonders what is being said or asked by the person on the other side of the phone. This leads the driver to be distracted and not paying attention to other distracted drivers on the road with full focus. I know hearing that you should put your phone down may upset some, but putting down your phone for a short period of time allows you to communicate with the driver, assuring that they are also staying fully awake and not growing bored or tired from having nothing to do when driving.

When I was in 7th grade, my father got in a bad accident because he was a passenger in a drinking and driving accident. Not only was his friend, who was driving, drunk, she was also texting and driving. My father didn’t know she was drunk until after they started driving. But, him not checking on soon enough led to them both being in the hospital. Her having a broken lower back, broken jaw, and broken arm. My father almost died. He broke his neck, if it would’ve broken in a spot less than .23 mm away, he would’ve died, he also had his finger tips (from the first knuckle under his nail to the tip of his fingers) hanging off, barely staying attached to his hand. This accident caused him to have his right middle finger amputated to the first knuckle and his right ring finger to be amputated down to half way through his nail. He also was unable to work for 3 years because of having a broken neck he was not able to work, and he developed a drug problem with oxycontin. This small drug addiction led my father to becoming a well known man to the police. He started ruining good relationships he had with good people, and creating bad relationships with other druggies or girlfriends who would use him for drugs. Leaving him to fight and be alone with no friends, no drugs, no job. Or leave him with the choice to stay with other druggies, start new drugs that will hurt him more, like Heroninem,which will lead to him to ruin the small chance he has to go back to his old self before the accident. He was someone I looked upto everyday, he was my support system, the one parent I had that allowed me to find my passions in school and math. But, now I am the one that has to support him and help him make sure he stays out of trouble.

This accident caused me to grow up faster and become a parent for my father. I had to make sure that my dad was doing things he needed to do, making sure that he was going to his court sessions, and not out doing drugs. The choice to become a distracted driver affects not only yourself but those around you. Driving distracted allows for someone’s life to be ruined and changed forever. Distracted driving may lead you to losing someone important to you, and following some simple steps can help your loved ones live to see another day or another year. Some simple tips to drive safely is to put your phone away when driving, watch out for drunk drivers (if you see a drunk driver, memorize their plate number, pull over, and notify the police), use turn signals, and remember to not drive if you are feeling tired. And, following those steps will not only help your loved ones see you again, but may help someone else’s family not have to go down the path my father had to fall down.