In the Driver’s Seat

When I took drivers ed in high school I was so oblivious about safety and more concerned about receiving credit for taking the class so that I could get my driver’s permit. It was not until my adult life that I truly understood the significance of drivers ed. Back then not a lot of people had cell phones but now even children have them. I often see driver at a red light or even while driving down the highway recording themselves on apps. Shockingly it is todays’ norm. Requiring drivers ed brings awareness to drivers on the consequences of reckless driving and could help reduce the number of deaths because of driving.

It has been more than ten years since my family experienced the tragic car accident. A distracted driver struck my mothers’ car head on because of texting and driving, this ultimately destroyed her quality of life. That accident not only caused her severe psychological trauma but for several months she could not sleep without having nightmares reliving that moment. The impact to the car was so strong that the entire windshield shattered and collapsed on my mother, causing a permanent injury to my mothers’ right hand. Because of his carelessness and selfish decision to text while driving he almost caused her and everyone else that was in the vehicle their life. In a way he did take my mothers’ life as she once knew it. This was the defining moment where I realized that I needed to take safe driving more seriously.

I began being self-aware about things like making sure everyone in the vehicle were buckled in before getting on the road, I went as far as putting my cellphone in my purse then placing it inside the trunk until I broke my constant habit of reaching for my phone, and if I was ever a passenger and the driver was texting I asked them to stop. The community can take steps like the ones I took to become safer drivers, they can also support different organizations like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) there are so many powerful stories that will really make you think twice before driving carelessly. Whether it is drunk driving, texting and driving or not following the speed limit, this can all take someone’s life and drivers ed can be what makes the difference.