The Teenage Dream : Driving

The Teenage Dream : Driving

As a new driver, many young adolescents picture their driver’s license as their freedom. The freedom to drive places such as stores, to go see their friends, or to simply just drive. It’s full of excitement as you enter the road, but this freedom doesn’t last for some as they may get into car accidents or even worse situations on the road. Although this is a very hard thing for many people to imagine or even picture, this is the harsh reality that some families have to face. Driver’s education is the KEY to reducing the number of death related accidents caused by drivers or cars. Taking this education class allows not only yourself to be protected on the road, but many individuals behind the wheel. Even if many despise the driver’s class, it is important to learn traffic signs and what to do in emergency situations. Not only the education portion of driving is important, but also the etiquette and controls you learn during the course are equally important. Road rage is a serious issue nowadays as many may die due to this emotion. Being respectful and patient is a key principle on the road. Lastly, being able to control and understand your car is another factor. Many drivers may also have accidents because they may not know their engine light was on or that the battery was soon going to die. Knowing this vital information from a driver’s ed. course can save lives and prevent the grief of many families.

There are many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths on the road. The first step is to ensure everyone driving takes an educational driver’s course from an accredited driving school or program. This one step alone can help inform people about the road and the disasters that can occur. Another step that can be taken is for law enforcement to enforce state laws on the road. Coming from a state where many officers may break the law instead of enforcing it, I may feel unsafe even driving sometimes due to all the speeding cars or people going into the shoulder lane to turn while I am also turning from the main road. Carrying out these laws will prevent accidents as drivers will begin to drive speed limits and not do illegal things on the road. Another step is after a certain amount of time between people’s lives, they should redo their driving test, both the driving portion and paper test. This will make sure that the driver’s still know all the laws and even know how to drive. In today’s age, you only have to take those tests ONCE! Even now, some people may go to driving school’s where the teacher may actually try to help during these important tests that could be a life or death situation for someone in the future. Lastly, the most important step I believe that should be taken is to implement programs to encourage drivers to be focused while driving. Technology is constantly how we live our daily lives which now may affect how people drive on the road. Drivers may be too focused on their phone that can cause accidents. Encouraging drivers to stay off their phone may seem like a difficult task, but the reward of life is worth the struggle of finding a solution to the problem.

As I’ve stated earlier, I come from a state where driving is terrible. Many law enforcements may not actually enforce the law, so I’ve seen many of my family members such as my parents speed down roads, cutting people off, and simply just not doing their job as a respectful driver. I’ve always hated this from a young age, as I would cry hoping that they would slow down as I feared for my life. I told myself I would never drive like them as I valued my life and the drivers around me. Soon enough, my friends were starting to drive and wanting to be a part of the teenage dream of driving, I would go on rides with my friends. Then too, I would be nervous as they may not drive the best, but safer than my parents. It’s always a scary experience when I am with drivers like my friends and family because it would bring me back to driver’s ed class to watch videos of people getting into accidents and seeing how the situations are very similar.

I’ve held my driver’s license for two years now and I try to drive as safely as I can. I can’t predict the actions of other drivers, so I always try to be cautious of everyone around me because anything can happen on the road. While also driving, I put away my phone and distractions in another place away from the wheel so I could focus on the road ahead. Another thing that I frequently do is be patient with everyone on the road. Rather it be a speeding driver or someone cutting me, I don’t get angry, but I try to keep my distance to ensure my safety and their safety of not hitting me. When I’m not the one behind the wheel, I check the driver and if the driver makes a mistake, I would inform them. One time, my dad made a wrong decision and cut someone off. He didn’t notice his mistake and I told him he was close to hitting a car because he pulled out of a parking lot too fast hoping he could catch up with the speed of traffic. Little actions like these can prevent accidents and deaths on the road.

All in all, being a protective driver is important to everyone on the road. All driver’s have to do their part by following laws to ensure everyone can get home to their families at the end of the day. Being at fault for someone’s life can cause lots of sorrow to not only your life, but the families. So, the next time you get behind a wheel, think of who you are driving for whether it be for your friends, family, or loved ones because your life is important just like the driver next to you.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my essay and the opportunity to earn this scholarship.