Driving in 2023

When I was 16, I was excited to get my license and get behind the wheel. It was so crucial for me because all the teenagers in my hometown were driving and going out, doing all the fun things I wanted to do myself. I knew getting my license was a lengthy process, but I was so antsy to get it that I didn’t care. I knew the kind of driver I was going to be. I wanted to be responsible, cautious, and alert. I knew all of these things before going into driver’s ed, which is why I passed my driver’s test on the first try. I mean that and the fact that I had an excellent driving instructor.

At the age of 18, now having my license and being the experienced driver I am, it’s essential to have the three vital things I had going into driving school. Those being- being responsible, cautious, and alert. With those three things, the rates of teen driving accidents would go down. While we all have to attend driving school, you must take the time to understand how severe driving is and can be. It’s not just a video game; it’s real life.

My experience with driving school was slightly different because of Covid-19. Due to Covid-19, I had to do online schooling and take my actual driver’s test in the school’s parking lot. This wasn’t what I expected, but I was so excited I didn’t care. Looking back on it, I wish I had an in-person class because I would feel safer driving. Not that I don’t, but I would feel more secure with my driving. After going through online schooling and having some restrictions put up so that it was a little more challenging to get my license, in-person driving school is THE best option for the safety of yourself and others. When you sit in a class and hear an instructor talk about the dos and don’ts of driving, you take it much more seriously than someone like me who just wants to get through the material quickly. The first vital step to decrease driver accidents and deaths would be to take in-person classes on driving so that you can fully educate yourself about the severity of driving. You must see those videos about those car accidents and hear those stories about people losing their loved ones so that you understand that driving is a serious matter and it’s not just your life involved- everyone around you.

The number one cause of death in the United States is motor crashes, and the top three reasons are speeding, texting, and drunk driving. Regarding these three reasons, I hate to say it, but people do not take this seriously unless they are involved in these accidents. It would be easy for me to sit here and say to stop doing these things, but people who do not understand the severity of these things tend not to take it seriously when it’s said that these things should stop. It would be vital to stop drinking and driving. It would be crucial to prevent texting and driving. It would be critical to not speed. If people took this to heart a little more, they would get it. It’s something that we keep screaming at people so that one day they will understand that it is simply just not good.

In my lifetime, and I hope until my life is over, thankfully, no one has been an irresponsible driver that was immediate family to me or anyone that is considered family to me. However, my hometown is tiny, and everyone knows everyone. So, it was heartbreaking to witness some of the kids I went to school with suffer in the hospital or even experienced death because of their irresponsible behavior.

I vividly remember the day I learned about a girl I went to school with and grew up with, who had passed on because she had drunk before driving on the highway. It was two days after my birthday. It’s hard to forget something like that happening. She has partaken in behavior that wasn’t smart, and she paid the price with her life. Now, her family suffers, which hurts me because I grew up with her. Her mom has done my hair before (that’s how small Springfield is), and every time I see her mom in the salon, I get so sad, and I’m at a loss for words. I couldn’t imagine that kind of pain.

As I stated before, it’s three words that I’ll always be thinking of when I’m driving in the car, those being: responsible, cautious, and alert. These three words, along with driver’s ed and my mom’s help, are why I am still here today, and I couldn’t express that enough. Every day and whenever I get behind the wheel, I am responsible for myself and others in the car with me. I’m cautious of how I drive and of the cars around me. I’m alert and aware of everything that’s going on. That’s how I’ll continue to drive safely, and I’ll continue to tell people how stupid they are if they do anything other than these three things because being stupid behind the wheel will never amount to losing your life or someone else’s.