Don’t wanna be dead? Take Driver’s Dead!

Kainalu
Pereira

March 25, 2020

Don’t
wanna be dead? Take Drivers Ed

You
may have heard the famous phrase, “With great power come great
responsibility”. In terms of driving, this famous phrase could not
be more true. I can’t speak from actual driving experience because
I haven’t obtained an actual driver’s permit or license yet.
However, I have plenty of friends who’ve taken Drivers Ed and,
compared to my other friends who never took Drivers Ed and waited
till a legal age, I can safely state that I feel much more at ease
and comfortable riding shotgun with the former driver, not the
latter. However, this does not make them immune to the tragedies of
road accidents, as they are one of the most common causes of deaths
in young teens in the United States. Varying from minor accidents
with insurance claims to major accidents with the death or deaths of
loved ones, owning and driving a car comes with great risk and
responsibility indeed.

I’ve
seen multiple sources indicating that the victims of most driving
related deaths were between the ages of 17 and 21. This is because
during this point in our lives, even though Drivers Ed teaches you
to drive defensively, most of us tend to drive recklessly and
sometimes offensively. It’s natural at this age, but that doesn’t
mean it’s safe and okay to do. This means that going back to the
basics and practicing defensive driving and remembering the road
rules which you must abide by are extremely important in order to
prevent an increase in the number of driving related deaths. They
must make sure they are in peak mental and physical condition. For
example, someone who may have not taken their meds that help them to
focus and complete daily tasks may end up in the hospital as a result
of driving, or worse, in the morgue. Making sure your body and mind
are up to the task of doing daily activities is imperative to
preventing driving related deaths.

In
December of 2019, I got a call from my girlfriend’s sister telling
me that she had gotten into an accident. Even though it was in the
middle of school, just hearing the news made me want to rush to her
side. Apparently, as she was driving away from home to go to the
grocery store, another car came up from behind her and tried to pass
on her left side on the street. However, there were cars parked along
the sides of the street and the guy steered his car to the right and
bumped into my girlfriend, which then forced her to jerk her steering
wheel to the right to avoid him, but while doing so, she went off the
road and drove into a tree. The man simply drove away and didn’t
even stop to check if she was alright. He left before she could catch
his license plate number. The car was wrecked but luckily, she didn’t
suffer any major injuries. She’s been pretty traumatized ever since
and is kind of uncomfortable driving. If not for the classes she took
in Drivers Ed in learning how to drive defensively, the outcome
could’ve proven fatal. However, we must acknowledge that this
situation wouldn’t have occurred if the other driver had decided
not to overtake her on a street with cars parked on all sides. If he
had driven more responsibly, maybe the accident wouldn’t have
happened.

I
believe that there are a multitude of steps that any driver can take
in order to create a safer environment for the driver and those
around him. We must respect the road rules that have been
established, whether you’re on the freeway or an avenue, whether
there’s passengers in your car or pedestrians on the street, we
must always be mindful of our surroundings and make rational
decisions. Most importantly, we must always drive responsibly and
defensively, that way, people will not just be more aware, but
accidents will occur less and less, and less blood will be spilled on
our streets. If we keep in mind that we are all human beings who have
people that are precious to us, we’ll be less reckless and more
compassionate to those around us, building a safer community, and
driving towards a better tomorrow.