One Bad Decision

One Bad Decision

There is a multitude of reasons why people get into accidents as drivers are constantly distracted by using their phones, listening to music, daydreaming, or even eating. However, a dangerous driving practice that is often dismissed by young drivers is speeding. In 2019 alone, speeding resulted in approximately 25 fatalities a day in the United States. That is a disheartening statistic and although any age can use excessive speed, it is often done by the younger generation who enjoy the thrill of driving fast. I have seen how speeding is romanticized in films such as Fast & Furious and how the younger generation idolizes those types of movies and transfers it over to their driving. Society often encourages the idea to always be busy and it feels as though there is never any time to waste. This notion encourages us to go fast and to never slow down. This may be good advice for getting the perfect career you want or making a higher income; however, when it comes to driving on the road, speeding should be a factor that should be avoided at all costs as it has grave consequences that could impact the rest of our lives.

Just like speeding, any form of distracted driving can have the same lasting effect. Whether it is something simple such as turning to talk to the passenger or turning up the radio, that split second that one takes to do these minimal tasks could change your life forever. Moreover, another dangerous act is driving under the influence or while intoxicated. It is easy when you’re young to feel invincible, but one should never risk their life or the lives of others just because they think they’re fine and refuse to call an Uber. I have personally seen how a DUI has changed various lives in my city. A childhood friend of mine was coming home from a party in which he had one too many drinks and he was going over 70-mph in a 45-mph zone. His truck slammed into a smaller car and killed a 14-year-old girl. Not only did he ruin his early 20’s by being sent to prison for 7 years at the age of 21, but this girl’s entire family and friends were mourning her loss.

Careless accidents such as this one should not be occurring and are the reason why there should be more emphasis on receiving a driver’s education. All drivers could benefit from taking these courses before they are 18 as this knowledge will stick with them for the rest of their lives. We must all as a society recognize that we all have to share the road and we should be conscientious of the notion that we cannot do as we please when others’ lives are potentially in our hands. This is why we must all do our part and not condone when individuals do things that they shouldn’t. For instance, in the case of my former friend, if only his friends didn’t allow him to leave in his car while intoxicated, that 14-year-old girl would still be here and he’d be a free man. By holding people accountable for their actions and not brushing them off will be the only way that younger people will understand that it is not acceptable behavior and they will be sanctioned for it. Therefore, since many young people want to please those around them especially their peers, these reckless behaviors would decrease as long as everyone reprimands them.

Additionally, an important step that should be done is to create programs shown in school to show the repercussions caused by reckless actions while driving. For instance, in my high school, they had a program hosted by the fire department called Every 15 Minutes. This was meant to show how many people die in DUI-related accidents once every 15 minutes in the U.S. They would bring a crashed car and students from the drama department would reenact a scene of an accident and the police would come and arrest the driver. Later on, they would host a funeral for those who died in the accident and their parents would come and give a eulogy. Additionally, every 15 minutes, the grim reaper would show up and he would take a student and they would set a tombstone out on the front lawn of the school and another student would be arrested to show how both of their lives are permanently altered. Programs such as these put things into perspective and create a lasting impact on students thinking about what the results of distracting driving could cause.

The courses that are offered in driver’s education could substantially teach young individuals the risks of all types of distracted driving and encourage them to stray away from them. It encourages young drivers to be more vigilant in following all of the rules of the road, understand personal responsibility, recognize the harm of drugs and alcohol, and learn defensive driving techniques. The outcome of these courses could lead to a future of safer drivers who are involved in fewer accidents. We must all recognize that we share one road and are essentially responsible for our well-being and the well-being of anyone we come across. By taking driver’s education and being a responsible driver, we can all feel more confident on the road and won’t have to fear that one bad decision by a reckless driver could cost us our life.