Name: Audrey Crum
From: Mesquite, Texas
Votes: 0
Audrey
Crum
John
Horn High School
25
October 2019
Driving:
A Road to Danger
A
teenager walks out of the DMV with a fresh and new driver’s
license. They slide into their new car with eager hands on the wheel
as their friends squeal in excitement. The engine starts and they
cruise through the streets singing to some new pop song when all of a
sudden there’s a CRASH. Blood running down their bodies, smoke
emitting from the car, and the metal is bent out of shape. All the
friends lie unmoving in the vehicle as the driver is left alive.
Events like this happen to about 34,000 people a year in the US and
can happen to anyone whether they are a driver or passenger. Lack of
driver safety education is one of the reasons for these alarming
statistics. There are many ways and steps to prevent the number from
staying the same or going up any higher.
Driver
education aims to teach people the rules of the road as well as be a
responsible driver and speaking from first hand experience, it is not
as impactful as it can be. Sure myself, a fellow teen driver, and 20
other kids sat in a classroom 2 hours 5 days a week being told all
the same regulations and rules but half of them could not practice
any of them and go on the road unfazed by these warnings. It not only
endangers themselves but also everyone else they’re sharing the
road with. Implementing a more diverse and fun learning style for
teens learning how to drive could reduce the amount of deaths on
roadways every year. Making lessons more interactive as well as
engaging will help keep them focused and remember the rules of the
road more than textbooks and papers could. I’ve had my own near
accidents while driving all because someone simply wasn’t paying
attention or wasn’t following the rules, it could all be avoided if
drivers ed was more impactful. Taking steps to not only make
drivers ed more interactive and engaging but also practicing
safety on the road would help too. Personally, I plan to look around
outside of just my mirrors and keep an eye out for other drivers as
well.
These
steps and ideas could contribute greatly to the cause of decreasing
road deaths. They’re simply improvements to the system as well as
how we all practice safe driving habits. It all starts from the
beginning and it’s where the improvement can occur in dring
education and drivers.
