A Road Between Life and Death

All it takes is one phone call, text message, or a distraction for a person to crash. Every year more than 38,000 people die from car accidents. This means every year 38,000 parents, friends, and family members receive a shattering call notifying them of their loved ones. Living in the U.S. means you have to learn how to drive since our main transportation is by driving. For teenagers, this means freedom and the ability to drive around town with friends, go to the mall, and eat out. However, the consequences of not paying attention to the road are often for teenage drivers.

Learning how to follow directions for anything is important because rules are set in place to protect people. This especially applies to drivers because one wrong decision leads to a fatal end. Driver education enables people to fully understand the rules of traffic and protects them from any traffic threats that may emerge. It allows even teenagers to understand that driving is not something for fun, it is a privilege that comes with consequences. When people know all the regulations that come with driving, we lessen the number of accidents and deaths each year. We can teach people and reduce the number of reckless drivers. A person who takes a driving class will most likely not have any accidents within their first two years of driving compared to a person who just gets behind a wheel with no prior knowledge. In this day and age of technology, there are many driving classes online to get a free pink slip. I took a free online course that was very informative and taught me different regulations that I had never noticed before. As a society as a whole, it is up to us to ensure that the next generation of drivers is well informed of even the simplest of rules. It is also not only the responsibility of new drivers to take courses, but also up to adults to ensure that their children are taking classes and that people have fulfilled all of their requirements before taking a driving test or giving them a driver’s license. These are a few steps that we can do to make sure we are keeping drivers safe and reckless drivers off the road. Even by failing your drivers’ test, people can retake it after grasping a better understanding of the rules of the road.

My parents are very strict with my siblings and me, and they always have to know where we are going and who we are with. They’re good parents because they just want the best for us and want to keep us safe. Now that I am almost 18, I am given a little bit more freedom, and I want to go out with my friends as well. My parents have sort of relaxed on that rule, but still will not let my friends drive me too far. This is because, in my family, my mom had a cousin who died in a car accident. Her name was Natalie, and she was going to Six Flags with her friends, and because they were all 15 years old, one of her friend’s moms drove them. This was also the first time she had gone out without her parents, and it was the first time my Aunt let Natalie go without her. She trusted that her daughter would be safe in the hands of another adult. And she was, everyone had their seatbelts on and were driving at a safe limit, however, it was another unforeseen action that ultimately caused her death. They were on the freeway when a drunk driver crashed straight into them, totaling the car. All five women were injured, but Natalie had the worst fate by far. She hit her head on the window from the impact of the crash and was unconscious for a few hours before she died from the internal bleeding in her brain. Every year my Aunt has a memorial service for Natalie, and every year I am reminded life can end even if you are being safe because it doesn’t guarantee that another person is also being safe. I almost got into a car accident once with my whole family because another car sped up and passed a red light when my family was driving through the intersection. My dad swerved and luckily, we avoided the crash, but if we were a second too late, our car would’ve flipped over.

Now that I am driving, I see many people getting a little bit too relaxed, driving without being aware, and using their phones. I am scared whenever I am out on the road because one mistake from myself or another driver can create a huge impact on the lives of others. This is why I always make sure to put away my phone inside my purse and put my purse in the backseat. I don’t want to get distracted or look away from the road for a moment if I hear a buzzing or a ringing sound. Before I even start the car, I make sure I have my seatbelt on, I can see through my mirrors, and that any passenger I am taking also has their seatbelt on. I also make sure to not put my music too loud so that I can hear if an ambulance is passing by or if cars are honking. Anyone who asks me how to get their license, I will always say make sure you take a class before getting your permit. Then when you are driving, make sure you are aware of your surroundings and follow all of the rules. This way, I might be able to indirectly save someone’s life, and make sure there are only safe drivers on the road. After all, driving is a priority and a privilege to people who get behind the wheel.