Reckless Driving Saves Nobody

Growing up is exciting, the anticipation you feel as a 15 (and a half) year old waiting eagerly to finally get your license is exciting. That time is over for me, I’m 16 and finally, have my driver’s license. One thing I’ve learned though is that the roads are scary, and new learners like myself aren’t the only problem. Attentive driving has become so much more important to me throughout the last year of my life as I’ve experienced tons of negligent drivers. When we drive a vehicle, we put our lives, as well as the lives of others on the line, and it’s vital we take that into consideration. By becoming more aware, respectful, and understanding, many lives could be saved within driving.

Becoming educated is the very first step in becoming a responsible, life-saving driver. Every person should become aware of how many deaths or life-threatening crashes happen and how easily they can happen. I did a course at school that parents also attended which educated me as well as the parents in the room on some pretty disturbing car crashes that happened in our city of San Diego. Seeing people your own age or your children’s age die because of one avoidable mistake on the road really makes kids, as well as parents, pursue the laws of the road. That night I did that course, I know my mom, myself, and every parent in that room learned something new, and it made us all self-aware of why responsible driving is so important, and can truly save our lives. It isn’t all about you, the next song you want to play, the friends you would like to have in your car, and that may be hard to grasp as a 16-year-old but you will feel selfish about it when you cause a death because you “looked down for one second”. It’s real, we need to put the phones down, we need to follow the laws, we need to stop if we’re falling asleep, or wait if we are ever under the influence, etc., because over 3,000 lives are lost every day in car accidents, most of these are avoidable if we limit our distractions, drive responsible and simply be aware as well as educated.

Not many people recognize the damage of what they are doing. While leaving work late at night, I witness many drunk drivers from the bar right across the street from us. As a fairly new driver, it is absolutely horrifying not knowing what a person under the influence is going to do next, or if the driver on their phone is going to cause your first accident. In today’s world, you could call an Uber or call a friend to pick you up, there is no excuse to put people’s lives in danger, no matter how much of a rush you may be in, or how important a call might be. It’s truly selfish and heartbreaking that people choose their immediate satisfaction over the life of someone just trying to get to their next destination. It’s upsetting being in the passenger seat fearing for your life as your driver swerves into the other side of the road while on their phone, and as much as your passenger might not show it, you need to remind yourself they’re thinking it. Not to mention, the laws should be enforced even stricter for reckless driving, for something that has such a high death rate, more action should be taken before these numbers continue to advance. My uncle and aunt just recently got in a horrible crash, where they got hit by a car while on a motorcycle together by an older driver who shouldn’t have even been on the road. Luckily, they had helmets, or who knows if they would still be here. My aunt was left with very little flesh on her leg and is still, after a few months, going through surgeries and unable to walk. My uncle has one leg left, and as much as he makes light of the situation, it hurts us all knowing he struggles to do everything he could once do so easily. Circumstances like these are what drive me to be responsible, to educate others on the dangers of reckless driving, to actually stop drivers from driving drunk, or being on their phone while driving, all in hopes that there could be at least one less family who has to endure the pain of a loved one being lost through a car accident.