You are not “living” unless you are taking risks

Is it ironic that western society admires a “living on the edge” lifestyle, but grieves the deaths of friends and family that die “living on the edge?” I myself am not much of a risk-taker, but that does not mean that I felt strongly about enforcing safety. Hollywood reinstates the belief that safety is secondary to “living on the edge” in all of their action films. For instance, the Fast and Furious series glorifies street racing but ignores the true consequences and potential dangers in street racing. What is even more dangerous is that these films’ target audiences are teenagers and young adults who have a desire for adrenaline. When weighing the influence of a cool street racing movie series over that of a necessary driving education course, the movie clearly wins over the driving course.

In my experience, driving is rarely taken seriously other than by parents, and even then some parents are flexible with driving safety. Reform is definitely needed to make driving a safer activity. In order to make driving safer, the teen population must be targeted first. Parents and driving instructors should remind teens that driving is a privilege and a responsibility. By setting rules for teen drivers such as a curfew, mandatory seatbelt usage, a volume limit on the radio, and a mandatory no cell phone policy teens will show driving safety by decreasing the number of possible distractions and hazards. Consequences should also be enforced because if a violation is handled flexibly, then it will continue to happen over and over, putting other drivers and the teen driver in danger. Parents should also make their teens take, and pay attention to their driver’s ed courses. In fact, parents should take a driver’s ed course with their teens and make it a team project so that both teens and parents practice safe driving. Although often overlooked, driving education is really important. When I took my driver’s ed course I learned many things that I was not aware of before. Drivers’ ed courses teach facts. If more parents and teens were to take driving courses and practice safe driving, then the number of deaths by car accidents would severely decrease because drivers would be more aware of whether or not their actions are safe, and of their possible consequences.

As a teen, I am most in danger of being in a car accident and potentially dying in the crash. I value my life, my family, the safety of others, and my safety, which is why I practice safe driving. My newly established feelings towards the importance of safe driving is due to the fact that two of my best friends were killed in a car accident at fifteen years old on 9/11/19. The driver that crashed into them from behind was a young adult male that was under the influence. This man was going full speed on the freeway causing the force of the crash to crush their car completely and kill them instantly. This event changed my life forever because it made me realize that car accidents do happen and that they could happen to anyone. Car accidents are a serious thing that affects many families. My friend’s families will never get over the fact that they lost their fifteen-year-old daughters, who had an entire future ahead of them, to an unsafe driver. I will never get over the fact that my fifteen-year-old friend died so young in such a horrible accident. What is so ironic about this event is that before it happened none of the students from my school ever believed that someone our age could die in such a tragic way. Similarly, no one believed that a driver under the influence could cause this much harm, despite watching the news and witnessing events like this every day, no one ever thought it would happen to someone so close to them. And now, it is an event that is rarely talked about. It is as if everyone went back to their usual lives of practicing unsafe driving although they were first-hand witnesses of the damage a drunk driver can do. This event has made me swear an oath to myself and to all the people I love that I would practice safe driving. I will never drive under the influence, nor will I be on my phone, nor will I speed, or engage in any other distracting activity that could influence my focus while driving a car. I hope that sharing this story with the people I meet will encourage them to rethink their actions and convince them to engage in safer driving. I wish and will continue to encourage drivers to drive responsibly because they never know who could be the next victim of a fatal car accident.