Name: Holden Parrent
From: Harwich, Massachusetts
Votes: 0
For
many, getting their license is one of the most incredibly freeing
moments of their lives. Many new drivers believe that they’re ready
to hop behind the wheel immediately, often scoffing at the idea of
drivers ed classes, but it is this attitude that can result in
an accident. One of the most important things to do as a responsible
driver is to keep your eyes on the road. Often, however, these new
drivers are using their phones, messing around with friends, or are
just not paying enough attention in general while they drive. Even
looking towards their phones for a second, to change the song
playing, for example, results in a lapse in attention that can lead
to an accident. In fact, for teen drivers, the leading cause of death
in the country is a motor accident. Drivers ed must focus on
making sure that the driver always keeps their eyes on the road, and
to make this a habit. Educating drivers about the risk of accidents
and to keep their eyes on the road is a key part of reducing the
number of deaths caused by driving.
I have been in two
accidents. These could have both been avoided rather easily if I had
been paying enough attention to what was going on around me. In the
first accident, I was on my way to school in the morning and was
approaching an intersection behind a couple of other cars. I didn’t
realize that the light had turned red until it was too late because I
was glancing at a notification on my phone. By the time I looked up,
even though it had only taken a second or two, the cars in front of
me had stopped and I didn’t have enough time to break fully,
causing me to rear-end the car in front of me. It was my carelessness
and overconfidence in these situations that caused me to crash. I
have learned from these mistakes, however, and now whenever I drive I
make sure to put my phone away somewhere I can’t see it unless
absolutely necessary. Even if I’m using a maps application, I make
sure to turn off notifications.
It is important to
understand that even if you’re a good driver, you still must pay
just as much attention while behind the wheel to ensure that you
don’t cause or get into an accident. It is also important to teach
people that there is almost nothing that is too important to wait
until you’re done driving. Phone calls can be missed, but a life
can’t be replaced. This is not limited to phone calls, however.
Drivers must be sure they don’t get distracted by things that
they’re passing as they drive, as these can also serve as major
distractions. The key takeaway here is to be safe and to teach others
to do the same by paying attention to the road around them as they
drive.
