Name: Isabella Oballo
From: Austin, TX
Votes: 0
When
I was 9 years old my family and I were in a car accident. My
4-year-old brother at the time had began to choke on a mint in the
backseat next to me. My mom unbuckled her seatbelt in an attempt to
help him get the mint out. My dad, who was equally as concerned,
pressed the accelerator instead of the breaks, and we proceeded to
hit the car in front of us at a stop light. Thankfully, both my
family and the couple we had hit were both okay, there was nothing
but a couple bruises, a dented bumper, and a permanent ban on mints
in my family.
Now
that I’m 17 and have been hitting the roads for over a year on my
own, I have begun to understand the franticness of driving and the
dangers of undereducated drivers. I believe that in order to increase
the number of safe drivers on the road, in person driver’s-ed must
be mandatory for anyone who is getting their license. As a driver
that took online driver’s-ed and had a parent teacher, I think
there is greater opportunity for leniency in student driven
driver’s-ed. I believe that learning to drive with an adult that is
a not a relative is more beneficial and ensures that the student
driver knows exactly what to do without any shortcuts from parents
and themselves.
Though
without any drivers ed in place, I believe the number of car
accident related deaths would skyrocket. Educating drivers on the
importance of road signs, tailgating, safe driving in harsh weather,
road-rage, and irresponsible/distracted driving provides more
awareness to different situations drivers encounter on the roads.
Understanding and obeying the rules of the roads creates a low-risk
driver; if every driver followed this mentality, I think the roads
would be pretty peaceful.
Although
I’m very confident in my driving, I do know that I can get
distracted and negligent to rules on the road. Sometimes when I’m
running late, I make up for time by speeding. Though as I have driven
more and better know the roads I frequently drive, I can leave at a
time that ensures responsible driving. There is also the ever-present
distraction of phones, after a few weeks of driving I put my phone on
Do-Not-Disturb whenever I got in the car. When I do talk on the
phone, I connect it to my Bluetooth and keep it hands-free. My
friends and I keep each other accountable by not texting when we know
someone is driving, and when we’re together, we turn off phones
until we reach our destination. I would rather get a missed call than
put my friends and myself in danger. Educated, responsible, and safe
driving keeps everyone on the road safe, not just yourself.
