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Driver Education Initiative Scholarship

Prompt: What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving? What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

I am unsure how the first question in this prompt can even be asked as a question when the answer is perfectly clear. An individual without the proper driver education that is required to obtain a state driving license, will obviously not know the rules of the road in the way that they should. So, this driver poses a threat to any and everybody on the road, and in turn increases the posibility of a car crashe that could unfortunately result in the loss of an innocent life. Although, “a new study that followed more than 150,000 teen drivers over eight years has found that driver’s education significantly reduces crashes and traffic violations among new drivers.” It has also been proven by the same study that, “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident, the study showed”(University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2015). It should be common sense that taking a class and learning about something you are going to do (like drive an automobile), would teach you a thing or two about how to not cause an accident and possibly cause harm to others.

There are so many things that can be done to reduce the number of deaths related to driving and putting on a sealtbelt is one of them. One of the most important requirements that should be completed before the car is put into motion is that every passenger in the vehicle should have their seatbelts on. “According to the Motor Vehicle Safety division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this reduces the risk of death and injury by nearly 50%.” This means that the risk of death and injury in car accidents can be completely reduced by HALF all thanks to a seatbelt which people have progressively stopped using as the decades pass. It seems that everyone has gotten a bit carried away when it comes to safety and not only our own but the safety of others around us.

I have had an experience of being in a car accident and I remember it like it was yesterday. About three years ago, my mom and I were driving from Illinois to Michigan which takes us about 3 hours mainly driving on the highway. I had fallen asleep in the passenger seat and was awakened by my mom shouting my name as she put her arm in front of me. Not even a second later, I just felt the impact of a car behind us hit my mom’s Toyota Camry which is a sedan mind you, and a very tiny car in comparison to the giant pickup truck that had now caused the trunk to fold like an accordion. When I looked down at my arm I could see blood coming out

Driver Education Initiative Scholarship

07/25/2023 Stella Kaplanov of my cuts from the glass of the back window. From the force of the collision, the glass had completely blown out towards the front of the car and hit my mom, my poor dog Bella, and I. Bella likes to stand on the center console with her two back legs on the middle seat in the back of the car. So, when the truck hit us, she flew to the front of the car. I immediately picked her up and started crying because my dog has literally been with me through everything, from my parent’s 8-year-long divorce, through my childhood, and growing up completely from 2nd grade until now as I am writing this with a sophomore class standing. I started crying because I couldnt imagine if something happened to her, I don’t think I would ever be the same. My mom had hit her head, she wasn’t bleeding or anything but she was in a lot of pain. Something was wrong with her hand as well, but we were just glad God was watching over us that day. We were taken to the hospital in an ambulance and the car was totaled of course. It’s been three years and my mom still has problems with her right hand. We both went to physical therapy for a year and my arm got better, and I was finally able to go back to weightlifting. But, my mom uses her dominant hand at work constantly, given that she is an ultrasound technician. So, the way in which this accident impacted my mom is beyond doubt extraordinarily unfair. Since her pay is based on how many clients she takes a day, she couldnt take as many as she normally would before the accident. But, after the nerves in her hand got all messed up, she wasn’t able to work the same. Nobody should have to suffer like this whether it be emotionally, physically, or financially because of someone else’s stupid actions. Thanks to the physical therapy though, my mom was able to get her hand almost back to normal as much as it would allow her. I was able to overcome the challenges I had with my arm by going to physical therapy. But, if I hadn’t practiced the exercises given to me during the course of the therapy, then I don’t think my arm would ever have gotten back to normal. Of course, I also suffered emotional and traumatic repercussions because even though I was very out of it, I can still hear my mom screaming my name. I can still feel the impact of the pickup truck slamming into the back of my mom’s car and the glass completely shattering and spraying forward. It took time to overcome these thoughts but that’s all I really needed, was time.

The ways in which I can help myself become a safer driver on the road which can only be achieved if I get rid of the bad habits I possess that seemingly stand in the way of me becoming the driver I know I can be. The poor driving habits which I personally possess are speeding and checking my phone or distracted driving. I have researched ways in which I can limit my cellphone usage and control my emotions when driving so as to not allow myself to go over the speed limit. I think that these solutions will be very beneficial for me now and in the future when I will need to be responsible for more than just my life when driving my car. I wouldnt want my children to watch the way I drive and god forbid think that it is okay for them to drive the same way when they are older. I need to start setting a good example for myself now so that I can set a good example for my children in the future.