The Difference Between life and Death

October 10th, 2022, was the day when the decision of one teenager would change the lives of three other children, forever. Early in the evening, the driver, a teenager, was under the influence of many different substances. They rapidly increased the speed of the car, and the teenagers went over a railroad track, losing control of the car, it launched off of the ground causing the vehicle to roll many times. Two young girls died, one young girl was injured and one young boy with consequences he will have to deal with for the rest of his life. Deviation, grief, sadness, and confusion were all brought into my school. A few weeks later, the devastation was brought back into our community. At thirteen years old, the death of an 8th-grade student accrued from an ATV incident.

Most of us have ridden in a four-wheeler, snowmobile, tractor, boat, jet ski, or even as simple as a car. What people do not understand is that these vehicles are not toys, they are big machinery that can cause death when not used properly. Therefore, enforcing children to take a driver’s education course is very crucial for the safety of not only the driver but the passengers and civilians surrounding the vehicle. When the children get put into a driver’s education class they complain and argue about why they have to take a class about something so common to us. What they do not understand is the importance of how much responsibility the driver of the vehicle has. Driver education has a big impact on reducing the number of fatalities caused by faulty drivers. This ensures when people sit in that driver’s seat, they are aware they are responsible for whether or not their passengers, civilians, and themselves will make it to their destination safely or will end up causing the fatality number to rise.

There are many steps to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. One step is making sure one has the correct education on driving and they keeps up with the new and evolving education. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, in Wisconsin and many other states, taking and passing your driver’s test was an option. It sounds like a joke but, I know many children who can drive without having to pass the behind-the-wheel portion of their test. Parents were able to sign off for the test, taking responsibility for anything that their child may cause. This allows teenagers to be driving on roads, highways, freeways, etc. without having to take the proper tests. If a surgeon went right into cutting people open fresh from doctorate school instead of residency, they would have the education behind the operation but it would not be to the same expectation of someone who went through a full four years of the residency. To ensure safety and reduce the number of fatalities caused by vehicles, everyone needs to get the proper education and take the proper steps to become a safe driver.

Steps I can take personally to ensure better and safe driving for myself is to know what to do if different weather types. Living in Wisconsin, you learn to drive and adapt to working in many different weather types. We get all four seasons; winter, spring, summer, and fall. Each season comes with its unique weather. In the wintertime, you have to watch and drive with caution (there may be black ice on the road). In spring, you have to watch out for the puddles (they may be deep and you would tear up the underneath side of your car). Summers are hot and sunny. People do not think anything could go wrong here but there is a chance of your car’s engine overheating and then you could be stranded on the side road alone. In the fall, the most dangerous times to be driving are in the morning and evenings. Deer do play games. In Wisconsin, there are many deaths every day due to people getting in car accidents caused by deer jumping in front of their vehicles. This is something that can not be prevented but it is still good to be aware of what might happen. This is not only for me to become a safe and better driver, everyone should know regardless of which state you’re living in, the best way to drive in certain weather conditions. Overall, there are many ways to ensure better and safe driving. I believe for the state I currently live in, the most crucial way to ensure my safety for driving is to keep myself educated on the different weather types and how to safely drive in them.