It Takes One Person, One Choice, and One Second

It
Takes One Person, One Choice, and One Second

By
Maya Thornton

Most
people my age would be extremely excited to get their driver’s
license. Some already have their license. A lot of my peers ask me
“When are you going to get your license?”. Adults ask me “Are
you excited that you’re going to be driving soon?”. Unlike my
peers, I have a lot of anxiety about driving. I know that even with
lots of practice, I can be not only be good driver, but a safe
driver. Even with that mindset, there are still dangers of driving
that involve other drivers. The importance of drivers ed has to
do with the fact that it’s not just you on the road. If there are
only 60% of people who have an exceptional driving education on a
freeway, the 40% that don’t are putting themselves, and others at
risk of getting into an accident possibly even fatal consequences
follow (death).

Steps
that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving
are adhering to the rules and restrictions of driving and adjusting
to any changes that might be made to the regulations and guidelines
of the road. We also must encourage our peers to take driving
seriously and stress the idea that once you’re behind the wheel,
you are responsible for multiple lives.

A
couple of weeks ago, my physics teacher came into class with a big
bruise on his forehead. He told us he was out the day before, because
on his way to school, he had gotten into an accident. He was
approaching a yellow light, but the car in front of him stopped
abruptly, causing a collision. His injury wasn’t severe, but it
could have ended up much worse with a different outcome. The car in
front him either didn’t know the rules of the road or didn’t take
them seriously. This is major reason why drivers ed is so
important and should be a priority for every driver.

On
my part, all I can do is make sure that I’m educated about rules of
the road and be aware of my surroundings. Reading any situation on
the road carefully and acting according can not only save my life but
others as well. I can also stress the importance of drivers ed
to my peers because we are most likely to get into an accident. We’re
just starting figure out the ways of the road, so it’s easy for us
to make mistakes starting out. Some of us haven’t learned anything
about driving yet. So as a peer I can start stressing the importance
of taking driving seriously. These steps can help both me and peers
become better and safer drivers.