Dangerous Blessings

Nana Sarkodie

1 August 2020

Dangerous Blessings

Giving an individual a car is comparable to offering them a hammer – the individual may utilize it to destroy what is around themselves or develop their livelihood. Unfortunately, not all citizens exercise this freedom wisely. Consequently, fellow societal members are harmed by their misconduct. In 2019, a speeding car hit Jazlyn, a seven year old girl, as she got off her school bus in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Distressed for the safety of her loved one, her grandmother kept crying, “Lord save this child for me.” Bradley, a witness to the incident, reported that she flew “15 to 20 feet” after the collision. Interestingly, Bradley had a broken nose and swollen eye, after also being hit by a car on the same street earlier that week. From these two instances, it is clear that inattention to the road is a significant issue in America, with its consequences being detrimental to the physical and emotional aspects to people harmed by irresponsible driving. Although road collisions are always a possibility, the probability of these occurrences can be greatly diminished through drivers ed and self awareness.

Drivers ed is critical in reducing the number of vehicular accidents because it allows individuals, notably adolescents, to be more mindful as they drive. Worthwhile to note, drivers ed imparts inexperienced drivers skills that might never be learned without the instruction. For instance, defensive driving is a concept that is taught at driver instruction that permits to protect not only themselves, but also fellow drivers. Thus, the risk of auto accidents is greatly lessened. To further elaborate, researchers Shell and Newman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln discovered that young drivers who do not complete drivers ed are “75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket” and “16 percent more likely to have an accident.” The impacts of these alarming statistics can easily be prevented, if all youth attended driving school.

For the purpose of diminishing driver-related accidents, citizens must be taught to be aware of others. In doing so, their critical thinking skills are quickened and they make more judicious decisions. Moreover, educating drivers on the dangers of inattentive driving and their consequences on the various aspects of societal life, through heart-rending anecdotes, would ensure that they are aware of the tragedies of road accidents and strive not to perpetuate that suffering. Incidentally, I have had experiences where fellow peers have practiced unsafe driving. To be more precise, these are instances where they include more people than the car was designed for. As a consequence, they are unable to wear seatbelts. Taking this into account, this is a risky decision because in the event of an abrupt stop, passengers would fly forward and collide with the objects in front of them. Ultimately, with the purpose of creating safer drivers and road conditions, I will attend driving school so that I can educate my fellow peers on the benefits of this training so that all societal members can use their “hammers” to create a more prosperous society.