Keeping Families Together

If adolescents are taught the correct way to drive then families would still be together. Hundreds of families across America are ripped apart because of senseless driving. Driving education helps to teach the driver the correct attitudes, skills, and situational awareness. Driving education enforces the attitude of safety first. Skills are taught in drivers ed to help protect themselves and pedestrians.

Learning situational awareness helps drivers to understand that not only do they have to worry about their driving skills but also about the other drivers on the road. This helps them dodge harmful situations. Caution is key! Implementing a smartphone application that when activated silences your phone, logs where you drive, tracks your speed, and driving responsiveness could be helpful. This data can then be pushed to a local driver’s school or local DMV or both for further analysis. This data could be used in conjunction with the written test and final test drive for the determination of driving privileges.

My husband serves in the United States Air Force and was getting off work one evening to pick up our 5-year-old daughter from cheerleading practice. In 2019 they were on their way home and exiting from the interstate proceeding to turn left onto the incoming intersection. The traffic signal was green, and he began to turn left. Just before making it through the intersection, he was hit by an inattentive teenager who ran a red light going approximately 50mph. His car spun and he lost consciousness for a little bit. He immediately got out of the car and checked on our daughter; she was crying and very scared. An onlooker saw the accident occur and called the police. My husband and daughter are both blessed to walk away with minor injuries. The car he was driving was old and did not have airbags. It was totaled but right after he went to a dealership and made sure to buy a car that is reliable, safe, and up to date. The high monthly payment is worth saving my family’s lives. That car accident changed my life forever because it made me even more cautious of other drivers. I feel as though I am a cautious driver but after the accident, I am even more aware of those around me. I wait to see if people are coming to a complete stop and of course I wear my seat belt. My daughter suffered a pretty bad welt on her neck from the seat belt, which no doubt saved her life. She only weighed about 45lbs at the time and could have been thrown through the windshield. If someone gets in my car, I demand that they wear a seat belt. I also voice that I will not get in their car if they are going to be on their phones. I share my story with other people to help put into perspective safe driving. That day my family got to stay together but I know not every story ends that way.