Melanie
Blackburn
10
June 2019
Arrive
Alive, Don’t Text and Drive

In
today’s society an extremely common issue is distracted driving. As
a teenager in this generation, I also know that texting is especially
problematic due to the increase in the number of people who choose
message while operating a vehicle. While there are multiple other
ways people may be driving irresponsibly, texting is one of the most
frequent causes of an accident today. This not only applies to young
drivers but also to experienced drivers, staying off your phone could
be the difference between life and death.
Drivers
Education is something that could be very beneficial especially to
new drivers. Before I received my license, I took a week-long driving
education course. In my opinion, all drivers should be required to
take a course like this or similar before obtaining a license. This
class helped me to understand different precautions top take while
driving that I may not have even thought of before the class. I was
also taught simple driving skills, and what to do if something were
to go wrong. We not only discussed these important things, but also
watched films about people who suffered from distracted driving
accidents. Having the opportunity to take the driving education
course at my high school was beneficial for me in many ways and I
believe it has allowed me to be a more responsible driver.

As
a driver, I have learned countless steps to prevent death related to
driving. As I mentioned, texting while driving is a common problem we
face in our society. We can prevent this by keeping our phones out of
reach by placing it in a glovebox, or another place in the vehicle.
If you are in a vehicle while someone is driving irresponsibly, you
should ask them to pull over the car safely, let the driver know the
reason as to why what they were doing is dangerous, and call a
trusted adult.

Thankfully,
I have never been in an accident myself or in a vehicle where someone
was driving irresponsibly. But, just because this has not happened to
me does not mean that it will not. Drivers may believe that they are
experienced enough to drive incautiously, but an accident or even
death from an accident can happen to anyone. People need to
understand the importance of driving safely, and always take
precautions whether you feel as if you are an experienced driver or
not.
I
believe I can take more precautions while driving by paying more
attention to my surroundings. When I am the passenger, I would also
like to be better at discussing and telling the driver to pay more
attention to the task at hand to keep the driver and I safe. Lastly,
remember that anything can happen to anyone no matter who you are, or
how many years of driving experience you have. Take advantage of
opportunities to take driving classes, and keep your cell phone out
of reach!