Name: Anna Caroline Gray
From: Russellville , Arkansas
Votes: 0
Anna (Ro) Gray
Drivers ed
Initiative Award – Scholarship Opportunity
14 November 2019
At Fifteen years old I failed my first driving permit test. I was
extremely upset the app I used to study for the test did not
adequately teach me. After going onto mydmv.arkansas.gov, I
found the proper source and passed my next permit test. Had I driven
with the knowledge from an unofficial source, I most likely would
have gotten into a car wreck. I would have been completely unprepared
for the dangers of the road. This highlights the importance of
drivers ed. Reducing car accidents will reduce the amount
of death’s as a result of driving, implying drivers ed is
crucial to saving lives.
As a teenager, I was a passenger in the car of a driver who was under
the influence. As the driver was a family member, it happened on more
than one occasion. Driving with that family member was an incredibly
scary experience. As an adult, I never get into a car with anyone who
is under the influence, but as a child I simply got in and crossed my
fingers. The closest calls I experience are when the driver is
texting or exhausted. I was recently in a wreck when the driver and I
were going to see his dying mother. This experience teaches me to
calm down before driving if experiencing a traumatic situation. I
have noticed consistencies between the close calls and accidents I
have experienced: distraction and lowered level of consciousness.
The Department of Motor Vehicles discourages driving while distracted
and inebriated. In my personal experience, the most unsafe drivers I
know, the distracted and drunk, are middle-aged or older. I suggest
that as drivers ed is improved drivers should be taught the
updated education in order to keep their driving license. The
inebriated driver I was in the car with as a child hadn’t taken
driving courses in decades. Perhaps if she had been properly reminded
of the rules of the road, the children in her car would not have
endangered. The road will be safer if drivers are freshly educated
and reminded of their duties.
As witness to many instances of irresponsible driving decisions, I
choose to apply for this scholarship because I genuinely care about
this subject. I have learned so much throughout my two years of
driving on my own. I am a teenager with many teenage friends, so I am
aware of the negative stereotypes surrounding teenage drivers. I
cannot protest to the stereotypes, as many of my friends make some
incredibly questionable decisions, but I do not let that label become
my excuse for dangerous driving. As a college student, I am able to
encourage my peers to slow down and think. I make it a priority to
not repeat the mistakes I have witnessed and encourage others to
drive responsibly. I have the ability to prevent death. I intend to
do so.
