Driving Heroes

Everyone
loves it when superheroes like Captain America and Iron Man defeat
their enemies and save the day. Although I might not have incredible
strength or flight, being a trustworthy driver is a super power on
its own. Driving safely can make me a hero because I save lives when
I do so. Choosing to become a careful and aware driver is an active
responsibility that can diminish deaths in the world caused by
reckless behavior.

Driver’s
education includes learning about the rules, helpful tips to stay
safe, and ways to protect myself, pedestrians and other road users
from collisions. It gives me an idea of what to do out on the road
and teaches me how to take care of myself and my vehicle. In this
course I have learned how to be aware of drivers who are not obeying
the laws that are there to keep us out of harms way. Driver’s
Education also preps me with regulations on how to take care of my
car and what to do. As I pay attention to the lessons, I am learning
how to be responsible for the vehicle I will have in the future so
that I will take the privilege of driving seriously.

Last
year as I was riding my bike around my neighborhood I saw a car
approaching too quickly. I tried to slow down, but the brake wasn’t
working. I sped up to try to hit the sidewalk instead of the car, but
it was still coming too fast. Then, just as I expected, the car
crashed into the back wheel of my bike, and I was thrown off. The
moment we collided, I felt terrified. When I stood up, the lady got
out to see if I was okay. I told her I was fine, but in reality I was
injured on my knees, elbows and side. This incident could have
clearly been prevented if she wasn’t speeding in the neighborhood
and was more aware of possible kids around on bikes.

I
took this as a lesson to be focused on the road. As a future driver,
I have to be attentive to the road, not get distracted by things like
phones and obey the laws given. In my generation, even though
technology use is inevitable, deciding what is more important, like
human
lives,
must be prioritized. Anything that distracts anyone from driving
could cost someone’s
life.
The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that cell phone use while
driving leads to 1.6 million crashes and 6,000 deaths each year.
That’s almost twice as many people killed in the Iraq war! Every
step taken to become an excellent driver can save hundreds, but it is
our decision to make.

Listening
to the drivers ed course, learning from others mistakes and focusing
on the road will benefit more than just you or me, but can rescue
many from becoming victims of collisions. As I said before, heroes
save lives. So let’s
take the steps to deplete the number of casualties on the highway.

Sources:

Texting
and Driving Accident Statistics – Distracted Driving. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
https://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html

Scholarship.
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dmvedu.org/scholarship/