Safety to Save a Life

My
teacher once told my class a story: she was pulling out of a parking
lot, checking just one text message, and when she looked up, she
realized how close she was to hitting someone’s car. The person had
kids in the car. She realized that she could have harmed these
children. She told us this story in hopes that we would realize the
dangers of distracted driving, as she did that day. Her story is one
of many. Her story shows how drivers ed is important not only
to teach people the proper rules of the road to decrease accidents
due to mistakes, but also to inform people of the importance of
staying alert while driving, because their actions can have
consequences. More people need to be aware of their own significance-
they have the power to hurt someone. Certain steps need to be taken
to make the roads safer. Firstly, better features on mobile phones to
ensure that a person is not using it while driving. Some phones have
already started suggesting muting all notifications when a person
gets in a car, but this suggestion is so easy to ignore. Second,
harsher punishments need to be put in place for people driving under
the influence. Third, drivers ed should be required before getting a
license and road tests should be repeated at certain ages. Many road
tests do not show a person’s true driving ability, especially several
years after the test. Finally, more awareness needs to be brought to
the subject. The worst examples of destruction while driving need to
be shown more often so it is harder for people to brush off unsafe
driving habits. I myself have never been in an accident but I have
heard from family members how scary it is. Because of this, I always
follow safe driving practices and always speak up when I see a friend
or a family member doing something they shouldn’t be behind the
wheel. Overall, driving is dangerous, people need to be more aware of
this. The worst can always happen, but certain precautions can be
taken to lower the chances. Safety is a small price to pay for
keeping people alive.