Name: Hannah Elberson
From: Vero Beach, FL
Votes: 0
In
recent years, it seems death and driving have been coherent-even
expected-for young adults. We laugh at and admire those driving with
their knees, who eat and drive, or who can rush through a red light
the fastest. It might seem like a game to those behind the wheel, yet
this “game” doesn’t offer three lives.
To
introduce myself, I am Hannah Elberson, a freshman at Indiana
Wesleyan University studying Church Music and Global Ministries. With
these areas of study, I aim to share with the world the importance of
human life and the preservation of it. In reading these statistics,
it breaks my heart to see so many precious lives taken due to driving
accidents; therefore, driving education is imperative for every
future and current driver. These courses show responsible ways of
driving, such as, knowledge and proper use of traffic signals, signs,
and lanes. This reveals that being behind the wheel is more than a
way of freedom, but of duty, protecting ourselves and others from
avoidable tragedies. Following driver safety guidelines from these
courses is the best way to reduce accidents and deaths. Most
individuals would want to know how to use a saw before they cut wood;
so, shouldn’t it be the same for learning how to drive? When we
dismiss instruction and guidance, the consequences are
definite-especially when operating a vehicle.
Sophomore
year of high school was the moment I discovered the necessity of
drivers ed and of applying and respecting given traffic laws.
My friend and I were in separate drivers ed classes, learning
about these driving guidelines. He quit his class, informing me he
already knew the material. A few weeks later, he was dead. My great
friend, with all the potential in the world, was a victim to the
road. He was distracted and didn’t notice traffic had stopped; in
panic, he veered into incoming traffic. A direct hit. His car flew
into the air and he lay overturn in the street. He was a great
friend, a smart student, and a member of JROTC. He had such a future
ahead of him, all to be stopped from a seemingly simple distraction.
We need to value and learn from drivers ed. We should
understand that these courses are to save ourselves and others from a
situation like this.
To
become a safer driver, I remember my friend and the devastation that
was left behind. I realize that driving is a gift with
responsibility, meant to both enjoy and respect. I now realize that
obeying traffic lights, signs, and being a defensive driver makes all
the difference in steering. In summary, know the laws, know the road.
Not only are we saving lives when we are aware of what is around us,
but we will also be saving our own.
