Save Lives

Save Lives:

Your cousin died! Driver education is one of the most essential need in today’s life. Death toll amongst students have never been higher. In reality, driver education can seem very boring; especially, to a teenager who might be more focused on gaining more followers on social media, watching television, or playing sports and academia in school prepare students to think critically and solve problems. However, teenagers need to understand that driver education prepares their students to save their own and someone else’s life. Also, a student learns how to think quicker and in doing so they might save a life.

As a former driving instructor at Beacon Driving School in Maryland, I taught a lot of students that originally did not understand the dangers of driving. By being extremely energetic and being only 21 years old, I was able to relate to the concerns of a lot of teenagers that were enrolled in my class. I was able to create a fun and free environment where students were able to ask any questions they desired. By creating an easy-going environment and getting the students to trust me, I was able to show them how dangerous driving can be by giving them real life examples that they had seen and heard of. New drivers tend to be reckless because they want to show off to their friends or might not understand the dangers of driving intoxicated. However, creating a class with the MVA requirements I was able to show the kids the real dangers of driving while texting, without a seatbelt or while being under the influence. However, it was also important to emphasize that “you have to be the smartest person on the road at all times.” I felt like students usually are not very confident in their driving skills but pretend to be very comfortable since they do not want to be judge. Since the students understood that I understand what they are going through, we were able to have a breakthrough and I was able to give them the confidence their deserved. Furthermore, creating an easy-going environment, showing students real life situations can exemplify the need for driver education and reduce the number of deaths.

One of the reasons why I wanted to teach driving was because my cousin was killed in a car accident. On a random Thursday morning, my brother came into my room and told me that my cousin passed away. I was in total disbelief and thought he was just messing with me, but I called my mom, and she confirmed my cousin Bilal Ahamad’s death on November 2^nd, 2017. The 27-year-old went out for groceries as a drunk driver ran the red light and hit the driver’s side causing internal bleeding in the brain. He survived for 2 minutes and 41 seconds before passing away. Seeing his son’s face at the funeral made me extremely mournful, as the little kid was about to grow up without a father. Couple of years down the road when I got the opportunity to teach driving I was overjoyed because I could teach others how to avoid making any mistakes which can cause pain to one or an entire family. Teaching others to drive safely made me feel connected to my cousin which was another reason why I wanted to ensure that new drivers understood the privilege of driving.

After the death of my cousin, my mom did not even want an of us to drive, but that is impossible to do if one is living in Maryland. Daily transportation is a good want but being safe is needed. A vehicle can be a death machine if misused. In order to ensure the safety of other drivers and the driver him/herself must constantly stay aware at all times. Alongside awareness, it is important that drivers take precaution on the road and not try to be in a hurry at all times. If a driver takes times their time, precaution, and stay aware at all times then everyone can stay safe. In doing so, the number of deaths will be exponentially reduced and emphasize the need of driver education.