Driver Education Initiative – Drive Like Your Kids Live Here

Drivers ed is
vital when it comes to reducing the number of deaths as a result of
driving. In drivers ed we are taught that we don’t have the
right to drive as soon as we turn 16, we have the privilege and
responsibility to be able to get behind the wheel and share the road
with others. I remember the first day of my drivers ed class a local
police officer came to show us a video, it was a music video;
“Untitled” by Simple Plan. I would encourage everyone to see
that video before you get behind the wheel for the first time. It’s
about a drunk male who decided to get behind the wheel and he crashes
into a female and kills her. This video shows the male looking at the
female’s life and all of the wonderful things in her life he took
away from her in a millisecond. It was a video with a large amount of
pathos that made you feel the deep sadness of the situation. Drivers
ed has the ability to show you and open your eyes to the
responsibility of driving a vehicle. I’m extremely glad that it was a
graduation requirement in my high school and that we all took it, to
educate us and make us wiser.

Steps that could be
taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is promote
and advocate for it. For example, I wasn’t aware that more people
have died from driving than they did in the Iran War. It’s
organizations like this one who encourage students to become more
aware. I also think it should be spoken about more on social media,
TV & school . I think even the highway billboards help because
some say “Don’t text and drive” and its reminders like those that
are helpful. We as individuals should encourage it, a local neighbor
has a sign outside her house that reads “Drive like your kids live
here” ,a very powerful reminder.

I had a very scary
experience my sophomore year of high school. My friends and I had
left our school’s football game, we went to eat after & still
wanted to go chill at someone’s house after. My friend who was
driving was apparently very sleepy but didn’t tell us so he started
to fall asleep behind the wheel and swerve. I remember screaming out
his name at the top of my lungs and my friends gasping for air
because we were all so scared. Thankfully he woke up, I can’t
imagine what the consequences wouldve been if he didnt. It was our
fault for not considering how tired he was and his for not saying
anything. A very scary experience.

Sleeping more,
avoding my phone and driving defensively are steps I can take to be
smarter on the road. Encouraging these habits to my friends and
family and showing them the statisctis on deaths, is how I can change
our roads for the better.