Driving Responsibly Saves Lives

Driving
Responsibly Saves Lives

My
dad is a backseat driver. When I was learning to drive, my dad would
constantly talk my ear off telling me to go faster, slower, turn
right, left, or watch out. I would get annoyed with his constant
worry and consistent reminders of the rules of the road, and wanted
him to trust me. I was ecstatic to finally attain my license and have
the freedom to drive myself.

Last
winter, my dad drove us back from Disney World. Despite the rough
weather conditions, we were fortunately able to make it back home
safely. However, just days after we got home, I was horrified to
learn of a deadly car accident which took place on the highway,
killing an innocent family heading back from Disney World as well. I
got chills thinking of the parallels between their family and my own.
I reflected on how quickly lives can be lost due to reckless driving.
My dad’s concerns were not there to deny my freedom, but to protect
my life. Without consideration of safe driving practices, tragedy can
occur instantaneously. 

Driving
is never a task that should be taken lightly. As typical as the act
of driving is, the failure to stay alert and drive defensively could
be a grave mistake. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned
in driving is to make sure you are in the right headspace. I have had
moments where I have felt drowsy before I would need to go on a
drive, and I would take initiative to recognize the danger I would be
putting myself and others in if I went on the road. Another
potentially fatal situation has come at points where I would be
driving along the road and hear my phone vibrate, tempting me to take
my attention away from the importance of being a safe driver.
However, the words of my dad echoing in my ear about tuning out
distractions help to keep me fixated on the task at hand.

So
many times, I go into my school’s parking lot to see people
carelessly pulling out of parking spaces without looking behind them,
or zooming across the lot without attention to pedestrians. I have
been witness to multiple accidents within that parking lot due to the
lack of attentiveness within some student drivers. It only takes one
careless driver to make a mistake that could alter the lives of many.

Driver’s
education is essential in protecting the lives of innocent civilians.
One of the most effective means of preventing car accidents is
storytelling. Through hearing the news in which that innocent family
died, or listening to a speaker who came to my health class, I have
gained perspective in just how dangerous being a distracted driver
can be. Drivers ed not only establishes how to drive, but
how to drive responsibly in order to ensure lives are not lost
through a means which could have been prevented.