Jesus, Please Take the Wheel

One simple distraction behind the wheel could take a life, or two. There are endless numbers of driving incidents that happen every year, many caused by distracted or impaired driving. Taking driver classes and learning how to drive safely is of utmost importance to every person that plans on operating a vehicle.

Driver education and training courses are one of the most important things to have before getting behind the wheel. Many people take driving as something you do every day but in reality, it is a privilege that we get. We do not think about the bad things that could happen until they do. Driving seminars teach you the safety of operating a moving vehicle and what not to do behind the wheel. I believe everyone should be required to take multiple driving classes and seminars in order to understand the privilege of driving. They may be boring but when they protect someone from losing their life, they will be thankful for the class. We need to try our best to help protect the upcoming generations on the road. The more time goes on, the more technology is going to advance so we need to try and make sure that technology doesn’t get in the way of drivers and that everyone is aware of the precautions you have to take in order to travel safely with no distractions. There are many steps that you can take to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. One thing that causes MANY accidents is cellular devices. I believe that if phone companies and carriers would take a leap of faith and figure out a way to where cell phones could not be used while operating a vehicle, the percentage of deaths would plummet. Phones are such a horrible addiction to many people today and because they are so small, it is so easy to just pick it up and scroll through Facebook or the worst thing, text. If we paid attention one- hundred percent of the time while driving, that would give us no reason to perhaps run into the other lane or run off of the side of the road. Of course, accidents are going to happen but distracted driving is just a careless mistake that can be prevented.

I personally have never been in a car accident, all thanks be to God, but I have experienced a very tragic event that happened to a family friend of mine. A woman by the name of Ashley Avant got rear-ended by a drunk driver going 84 mph in a 45-speed zone. The horrid thing about it is that he had just stopped at a stop sign 3 blocks away. She was a wife, daughter, and mother of three beautiful little girls and her life got taken away due to one person’s bad decision. This tragic event altered hundreds of people’s lives just because he was impaired while driving. Experiencing that sparked something inside of me and changed me in all of the right ways. It has empowered me to invite my community to stand against drunk driving. The slogan that was made for her is #MADDFORASHLEY, which stands for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This is an organization that was made to try and stop impaired driving for good. Everyone needs to come together to support these kinds of organizations because you never know when the next news article will be about you or one of your family members. Some steps that I can take to become a better driver for my family and I is to always pay attention to the road. Whenever I think about doing something that will distract me while behind the wheel, I think of my brothers. How would they react if they had to bear the news that their sister has passed due to a poor decision that could have been prevented? I always make sure that I am following all laws while on the road and the most important thing is to wear my seatbelt. Everyone, no matter who you are, should wear a seat belt. That should be the first thing you do when you step into your car or even get into someone else’s car.

Overall, one simple distraction can change hundreds of people’s lives. There are so many accidents every year because of distracted or careless driving. We all need to come together as one and lift up the precautions necessary for safe driving. Always think about this, one person’s bad decision can take your life and possibly more. Remember, you can not get home unless you are safe.