The Journey of Driving

Neglectful drivers can cause damage beyond their control. Distracted drivers tear people away from their families and friends daily and cause costly damage, or worse, death. Drivers’ Education classes point out unsafe distractions like drinking & driving, eating, texting while driving, holding a smartphone, applying make-up, reaching for objects that are out of reach, to name a few. It is also essential to lead by example; children tend to mimic the things people do around them, so people must lead by example and not engage in behaviors that are not acceptable to do when driving. The implementation of laws has proven to reduce deaths when it comes to driving. People must lead by example and adhere to said regulations. The biggest challenge starts within everyone’s home. Ensuring your child goes through the necessary step before receiving a license and operating a vehicle alone is very crucial. More states need to adopt the process of mandatory driver education classes in high school. It can help have supervised hours with a parent and supervised hours with a driving school, so a child can receive their license.

A couple years ago, I took a local trip to Walmart with my Mom and Aunt. My Aunt, Nichelle, was in the drivers’ seat of her Toyota Corolla, my mom was in the passenger seat, and I was in the backseat. My Aunt put the car in reverse to back out of a parking space, and at the same time, another car whipped around the corner of the parking lot—the driver of the other car collided with my Aunt’s rear bumper. Fortunately, there was no damage to either vehicle or us personally. This experience is a consistent reminder to be vigilant when I am driving. Understanding the importance of being a safe driver is the first thing on my mind when I buckle up in the car. My instructor provided words of wisdom to “only trust yourself; you cannot always trust other drivers on the road.” This statement was made very clear to me when I was driving on a 4-way intersection near my house. When the light turned green, I started to turn the car left; However, one of the laws in Virginia (where I’m from) is that you can turn right on red when no one is coming. As someone approached from the opposite direction, they pulled up to the intersection and kept going. I slammed on the brakes to not crash into this vehicle. Every time I drive, I always think about this; this experience made me a more vigilant driver because it’s true, I don’t know the other drivers on the road or what they have been taught, but I know that I need to be safe. Every time I enter a vehicle, I go over the most essential steps of adjusting the driver’s seat, mirror, and buckling my seat belt. The most crucial step is to vigilant the roadway, other drivers, pedestrians, traffic signs, and obey the laws. I would advise anyone driving a vehicle to do the same; I would also advise people to put their phone on “Driving mode” to not become a distraction while driving.