Name: Jakob Houchin
From: Woolwich Township, New Jersey
Votes: 0
I had been driving for three days and got into a small accident that
was completely my fault!! Nobody was hurt and there was very little
damage to the cars, but it was still an accident. The thing that
bothered me was that when the accident happened, I was not following
the main thing my driving teacher always told me over and over – be
aware of everything around you. I was moving into a turning lane and
didn’t see that someone was already there. I will not make the
same mistake again. Now that I have been driving for a few months, I
really see how important it is to be aware of everything. That
includes other cars, the weather, signs, etc. I got lucky. I think
if everyone got drivers ed and was reminded, like I was, to
always be aware, we really could, at the very least, make accidents
that do happen less severe and reduce the chance of dying or having a
bad injury.
My mom told me I
get a discount on my car insurance because I took driver’s
education. That is really helpful, but I’m wondering if there
could be a way to make ALL drivers take it. If you think about it,
most things we do require some type of education or training before
you do it. Even my job at McDonald’s made me train for a shift and
learn from someone else before I worked on my own. I think we could
reduce car accidents and death from driving if everyone had to take a
driver’s course.
The other part of
safe driving and something I have already done is to try to get rid
of all distractions, or at least as many as I can. My friend
rear-ended someone a few months ago because he was looking at his
phone. He was not hurt, but like my accident, he could have been.
You know what I do now? I either turn my phone off, or put it into
the glove compartment when I drive. That way, I am never even
TEMPTED to look at it or answer it. I miss it sometimes, but I
usually only am driving to my job or a friend’s house, so I’m
never in the car too long anyway.
Another
distraction while driving, and something I have already been part of,
is friends making a lot of noise or moving around in the car while
I’m driving. Although they make fun of me, I always ask them to
“chill out” while we drive to make sure nothing happens. Most of
the time, they listen, and when they don’t, I remind them. They
still make fun of me, but I don’t care!
There are lots of
other things. I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt, and I find the radio
station I want before I leave my driveway so I’m not fiddling with
the radio all the time.
Thank you for the
chance to win this this scholarship.
Jakob Houchin
