Major Milestone

As a teenager growing up watching today’s Hollywood action films such as Fast and Furious, driving has always been glorified since a young age. I remember how much I wanted to drive after watching the first film. I would play with toy cars which was unusual behavior from a little girl and sit in the driver’s seat of my mom’s car while it was parked, and imagine myself driving. Of course, driving comes with a long list of responsibilities, but as a child, I was ignorant of those responsibilities, and my excitement for driving only grew stronger. Soon came my sixteenth birthday and I rushed to get my permit and immediately start a six-week driver’s education course. It was then that I took the time to realize that driving was more than a game and a fantasy.

During this course, I was taught a lot more than I had expected. The first step was to learn the rules of the road on paper by reading a textbook, completing homework assignments, taking notes, completing an exam, and memorizing detailed information. We covered road signs, traffic signals, right of ways, parking, and overall basic vehicle safety and maintenance. Following this, I took everything that I had learned and tried to apply it behind the wheel as best as I can. This driver’s education course taught me how to stay safe on the road and the basic driving maneuvers that I must know at all times. Some of these include always wearing a seatbelt, adjusting all mirrors, following road signs, leaving a safe distance between myself and other drivers, and so on. If I weren’t to take this course, I would not know how to access a lot of situations and could potentially lead to a harmful accident. Driver’s education teaches new drivers how to stay safe on the road and can ultimately lead to lower death rates and incidents.

I have experienced a car accident before during my second year of driving. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this accident, but it could’ve been easily avoided. I recall having the right of way on a long street so I kept driving at the speed limit of 35 MPH until I crashed into a car speeding through a side street. The other driver did not stop at the stop sign and was going faster than he should have. This led to me hitting his car because I couldn’t react and brake fast enough. I was surprised because the other driver was a full-grown man with his children in the back seat. He blamed me simply because I am young, but the accident was ultimately his fault. I am very grateful that no one was injured and that we were able to handle it smoothly without facing any complications.

There are a multitude of ways to reduce the number of deaths from driving. First and foremost, everyone should remember to wear a seatbelt at all times, whether they are sitting in the driver’s seat or not, it should always be on. Secondly, drivers should always stay off their cell phones while driving. Most modern cars have a Bluetooth setting that allows them to connect their phone to the car so that they can receive phone calls and text messages without reaching for their phone. Taking even a single second to look at your phone can cause your or someone else’s life. People may say that they had an emergency call to make, but I would hope that they choose to pull over to make that call instead of risking their lives. In addition, you can choose to drive slower to prevent any fatal accidents. I honestly am guilty of driving over the speed limit sometimes if I don’t see many cars on the road, however, I am aware that driving just slightly over the speed limit will not help me get to my destination that much faster. A lot of people enjoy racing on the streets and driving at insanely fast speeds, not taking into consideration the danger they are putting out there. I have seen my friends do this and I remind them that they are very lucky that they have been safe from any accidents. I will continue to hold them accountable for their actions and keep them educated and aware of safe driving techniques.

At the end of the day, safe driving is a team effort and surpasses your values. The way you drive affects the safety of everyone around you and your entire community depends on you and your driving decisions. Spreading awareness and educating our friends and families can go a long way and can save a life while doing so.