Name: Rachel Michelle Peters
From: New Boston, Michigan
Votes: 0
I have been driving for several
years now. I have seen crashes, been in crashes and seen the life
altering effects of crashes. When I first started taking driver’s
education, I laughed off the statistics and warnings of the dangers
that driving recklessly can pose. However, I have learned that it is
no laughing matter. In September, I saw an older driver, someone
experienced and mature get into an accident, feet away from where
they were going to park. The crash was so intense that one of the
passengers was taken to the hospital and was there for a very long
time. She need 30 some stitches and physical therapy. She had broken
bones, injured discs in her spine….it was horrible.
This was a wakeup call to me.
That this person, someone who was a perfect driver up until now,
could be in such a terrible accident. It made me wonder what the odds
were of getting in a crash while driving distracted, under the
influence, on the phone, or unbuckled. Those statistics from driver’s
education seemed painfully real and a forever warning. They stood as
a lesson learned from other people’s mistakes. These lessons that I
learned from my driving class were something that every driver
should have to know. They are real and shocking but having knowledge
of something is how you start to take the steps you need to make
something better. People need to know about the dangers in driving
before they can be expected to make an informed decision. Then having
resources to help people be able to carry out those decisions will be
the start to making a difference in driving safety. This could be
carried out by making more areas along the side of the road so people
can pull over to call or text or change music instead of doing it
while driving. Having cars that restrict phone usage, or other
electronics, could remove many distractions that lead to deaths in
crashes.
Personally, I strive to put my
phone in my purse and my purse in the back seat before I drive. I
also set the radio and air before I pull out of my driveway. When
driving with others, I make sure they aren’t on the phone or
constantly fiddling with the radio. I will make their calls or change
the radio for them so that they can focus on driving. These are
simple steps I can use to make sure I am not doing to drive
recklessly and endanger myself and others. I hope that my example
would encourage others to drive carefully as well.
Driving can be dangerous and with
the many crashes on the road one can easily see the danger. However,
with the appropriate education and training, people can drive safer.
While there are many distractions to driving, there are also many
ways to remain focused and remove those things from your focus.
Remember-everything else can wait. When you drive, drive.
