The Impactfulness of Mindfulness

Drivers ed and licensing ensures that students learning how to drive do so adequately. The driving test a person has to pass to legally drive has necessary checkpoints because driving is dangerous, and anyone granted to do so holds a large responsibility. To offer an anecdote, I had a friend who died in a car accident. She and I were going into our senior year, and we played soccer together since middle school. The news came the day I had an indoor soccer game Maribel (my now-deceased friend) was supposed to attend. I did not think much about her absence until I returned home that evening and received messages that she had passed. I, along with the rest of my community, couldn’t believe it. She had driven head-on into traffic after spinning out in a Mustang with bald tires. She was killed on impact, but her older brother, who had not been driving, was left in the ICU. Admittedly, she was being a bit reckless, but the fate she received: no one deserves. Losing Maribel took a tremendous toll on the community we lived in. She was a person of laughter and kindness and was gone in an instant. Emphasizing the toll of unsafe driving to young brains and exercising safe driving can save many lives. Unfortunately, it took the death of a friend to make me personally realize this.

Adolescents fail to recognize the danger in driving, so through drivers ed and recertification courses, more people can be aware of the imminent danger a car poses. Viewing a car as a piece of machinery rather than a machine of fun with bluetooth audio and seat warmers would help instill into learning brains that cars can be dangerous. While meant for functionality and purpose, you can have fun reaching new places or spending time with friends. Cars are a lot of responsibility, but as adolescents, and even adults, sometimes the incentive of group interaction can outweigh the risk of losing a life because the threat doesn’t feel real. I don’t wish anyone to lose their loved one, but car accidents claim too many lives already. Staying off your phone, staying engaged and alert when driving, and following traffic rules helps prevent these traumatic events from taking place. In addition to the reality of reckless driving and its consequences, I think more adolescents need to be told that their mood effects their driving. Another teen from my hometown drove into a tree one night after he had been crying because of a breakup. Angry teens driving causes recklessness and potential accidents.

Conclusively, practicing safe driving by staying focused and calm while recognizing the potential threat you hold in a moving car, especially a fast one, would help reduce the number of deaths. Making people care about things that don’t effect them is the key. Staying aware of traffic signs available and other cars around as well as repeated certification are ways to help yourself and others drive safely.