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Driver Education Initiative – Safe Driving Saves LIves

Name: Katie Vinson
From: Demarest, NJ
Votes: 0

In
my 10
th
grade Drivers ed class, the first thing the teacher
displayed on the board was a slide of numbers. I don’t remember the
percentages exactly, but I remembered being scared. He showed us the
number of people who will drive while intoxicated in their lifetimes;
how many drive while on the cellphone; how many will die behind the
wheel. He explained that his job was to make sure we are not a part
of these statistics.

Awareness
of these statistics and a deep understanding of how the numbers work
in real life will ultimately lead to safe drivers. Knowledge is key.
If these scary numbers are flashed on television screens, broadcasted
on the radio, and printed in newspapers, the general public will feel
the same way I did sitting in my Drivers Ed classroom. They will
realize that they could be a percentage point on the slide.


One evening, I was parked at my
friend’s house when a drunk driver swerved off the road, almost
hitting my friend in her yard and my car in her driveway. In this
moment, the numbers flashed before my eyes. As I called 911,
what
if
statements echoed
in my head. What if he had hit my friend? What if he had hit me? What
if he had decided not to drive after drinking? What if he had been
informed?

After
this experience, the driver was escorted to the hospital in an
ambulance and was extremely apologetic about the accident. Everyone
makes mistakes, but perhaps if he had been more knowledgeable about
the consequences, legal and other, of driving while intoxicated, he
would not have gotten behind the wheel. Perhaps if others became more
educated, similar accidents would not occur. This could all happen
through the power of statistics.