Name: Lauren Ashlee Bridges
From: Richmond, TX
Votes: 0
Driving
Safe
When
my mom said she wanted me to drive us home after I got my learners
permit, I looked at her like she was crazy. Driving is a big
responsibility and is intimidating when you first sit in the driver’s
seat and prepare to drive. I wasn’t nervous because I felt like I
wasn’t prepared – I was actually very confident in my driving
knowledge. I was nervous because I had never driven before, and I
always heard stories about accidents on the road. However, driver
education gave me confidence in my ability to start driving. Being an
informed driver is the absolute most important part of driver
education. Without drivers ed, drivers would be uninformed
about the rules of the road and have an increased risk of causing an
accident.
As
the number of automobile deaths increases, we may ask ourselves what
the main cause is. With such advanced technology, the main cause, in
my opinion, is distraction. Look around you when you’re at a
stoplight. What do you see? You will most likely see several drivers
looking at their phones. When the light turns green, some of those
drivers will still be on their phone and not looking at the road. To
reduce the number of deaths related to driving, a person can start by
putting down their phone and turning off the ringer. In addition,
turning the music up loud can prevent you from hearing sirens from
emergency responders or other drivers honking. Being attentive and
getting rid of any and all distractions may just save a life.
Helping
people eliminate distractions is something I’m passionate about
because I have been in an accident that was caused by distracted
driving. The accident wasn’t that bad and thankfully no one was
hurt. I was only rear-ended, but it scared me and my passengers. The
driver who hit me was on her phone while we were at a red light. She
explained that she thought I started moving, so she hit the gas
pedal. I have seen many friends and family drive irresponsibly as
well. I always warn them about what could happen, and I try to talk
them into better driving habits.
I
will admit that I’m not a perfect driver; no one is. Even I, the
one person who always goes the speed limit no matter how many cars
pass me, can improve on my driving to become safer. I have the habit
of listening to music at a loud volume. I know I shouldn’t, as it
could impair my ability to hear. I can also become a safer driver by
not focusing on what other drivers are doing, or rather not doing. I
tend to focus on people who don’t use their turn signal, and it
bothers me to the point where it’s all I can think about. My goal
is to use what I have learned in drivers ed to help myself
and others understand the consequences of our actions and become
safer drivers.
