Name: Maya Sarraf
From: Scottsdale, AZ
Votes: 0
Driving is an
adventure to a teenager. It entails freedom, a sense of control as
you break away from the bonds that keep you at home. People rush to
get their license, barely driving, taking advantage of slow hours or
calm traffic to receive their license. Drivers ed provides
a safe way to learn to drive, without a distinct advantage or a way
to cheat around the nuances of driving. It is easy to say that
Drivers ed is not necessary, that you can learn from
experience, but that is not always true. As teenagers and new
drivers, together we can reduce the number of deaths related to
driving. It seems too simple and easy to say do not speed, do not
text and drive, but it happens too often and is involved in the
majority of car accidents.We can contact our congress and push for
stronger phone restriction and larger fines for speeding. This has
made great strides in Canada, whose police charge people for even
touching their phones while driving. This reduces the number of
people who start small, like changing the song while driving, and
eventually arrive at texting while driving. These sturdy laws, leave
little room for leeway and protect the citizens by reducing the
number of car deaths drastically.
Personally, this
issue has touched me and inspired me to try and make a difference in
the number of people who drive carelessly. I am a high school senior,
and just a couple weeks ago I got news that scares me still. A young
kid, someone I went to middle school with, was killed in a car
accident. I got to school and noticed immediately the subdued
atmosphere. I sat down in my government class and turned to my friend
to ask her what was wrong. Her look grew clouded, as she answered. I
was in absolute shock. This kid, a kid I have met, a kid my age was
gone. It was not right, it was not fair. There was no warning, but
all the same it had happened. I was terrified. If it happened to him,
it could happen to someone else in my life. My mom, my dad, my
sister, and that was what really horrified me. I could not get passed
it. Everytime I go driving I triple check the mirrors, I put my phone
on airplane mode, I drive the speed limit. I do not want to cause
anyone the fear and heartbreak I felt. It is empty, with no end.
Drivers ed teaches us safety and true preparations to
prevent any more horrible accidents like what occurred in our
community. It saves lives and I am proud to say, as someone who has
completed it, that I feel safer and better on the road. I wish for
everyone to feel that way and to never experience that sadness and
losing a friend and gaining the empty void of terror that accompanies
it.
