Name: Jordan Peyman
From: Kuna , Idaho
Votes: 0
As
the Wheels Turn & the Mind Thinks Twice
The
first time my father sat me on his lap and my miniscule hands grasped
that broad steering wheel, he spoke words that I will remember for
the rest of my life. I turned the treaded wheels back and forth with
all the strength I had in me at such a young age. I recall flicking
the blinkers on and off while my father made car noises in the
background. As my tiny self looked up with great inspiration I asked,
“Popa when can I drive like you do?” With an exceptionally
heart-felt response, my father sits me in the passenger seat and
explains, “I have made plenty of mistakes while behind the wheel,
as has everyone. However, just one small mistake can change or take
someone’s life forever. It is important that you know your limits
behind the wheel and always remember, all it takes is one blunder and
trust me on this one, you’ll learn your lesson.”
I
took the drivers ed course about three and a half years
ago. Personally, I thought I knew everything and that reading the
book or doing the worksheets was a waste of time. After getting out
on the road on my own, I realized just how important driver’s
education is. The most significant impact of drivers ed for
me was when the professor displayed all the videos of horrific car
accidents. When you first hand witness a vehicle accident, you don’t
only observe how it has affected the people inside the cars but also
all the family that will then be damaged forever. It is very
difficult to change someone’s mind or heart sometimes which makes it
hard to teach those who believe they are always correct. Most of us
drivers will witness vehicle accidents and simply think, “That will
never happen to me.” The hard truth is that we will all learn our
lesson when the time comes to us.
I
have never been in a car accident myself but many of friends and
family around me have. My best friend’s father had a tendency to
drink and drive. When she was about four years old, she and her
mother begged him to not drive under the influence on that very late
summer night but he thought he was able to drive by himself. Not too
far out of town, he had lost control of the truck and crashed into a
telephone pole which strangled him to death that night. Watching how
this one incident has affected her and her family for many years, I
would never wish that upon even the harshest beings. Although driving
a vehicle is alone a dangerous action, there are many ways we can all
reduce the fatal risks. Ideally, the most notable thing we all must
remember is that life can wait for us to get off the road. Answering
that phone call, texting your friends back, rushing to that job
interview, and driving under the influence are all negligible actions
when it comes to facing that determining factor between life and
death.
